The Nature of the Relationship Between Music and Theology According to Oskar Sôhngen and ...

96 Pages·2008·3.87 MB·English

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The Nature of the Relationship
Between Music and Theology
According to Oskar Sôhngen
and Oliver Messiaen
Heidi Epstein
Religious Studies
McGill University, Montreal
February, 1990
A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies
and Research in partial fuI filment of the requirements
for the degree of Master of Arts
Heidi Epstein
1990
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Abstract
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This dissertation investigates a "universal" question--
what the exact nature of the relationship between music and
iS--by examining two particulars: 1) the music and
theo~ogy
thought of the French Roman Catholic composer Olivier
Messiaen, and 2) the theology of music of Protestant
theologianjmusicologist Oskar sohngen.
It should be emphasized, however, that the main focus
of the paper is upon the "particulars," since the primary
objective of this study is to demonstrate the remarkable
similarity of thought which exists between the theory of
Sohngen and the musical practice of Messiaen. After an
exposition of S6hngen's three categories of relationship
between music and theology (music as science, as worship,
and as creatura) there is an extensive examination of
Messiaen's compositional techniques which reveals the
latteras implicit use of these same three categories.
In the final chapter of this work, after a discussion
of several problems which are inherent in each of the
particular approaches to music and theology, there is a
return to the universal question, in response to which a
precise, working definition is finally established.
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Résumé
Cette Thése explore la question universelle de la
nature précise de la relation entre la musique et la
théologie en regardant attentivement deux particularités:
1) La musique et la pensée du compositeur français,
Catholique Romain, Olivier Messiaen, et 2) La théologie de
~
,
la musique du théologien/musicologue:, protestant, Oskar
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Sëhngen.
t
tr Il faut cependant souligner que ce papier analyse
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surtout les "particuliers" puisque l'objectif principal de
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, ce travail est de démontrer la similitude remarquable qui
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existe dans les pensées entre la "théorje" de Sohngen et la
~ pratique musicale de Messiaen. Après la présentation des
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•f trois catégories de relation entre la musique et la
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t théologie chez Sohngen (musique en tant que science, culte
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i et creatura), il en s~it une vaste étude des techniques de
composition de Elles révèlent l'usage implicite
M~ssiaen.
~
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~ des mêmes trois catégories chez ce dernier.
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Dans le dernier chapitre de ce travail, après
,
discussions des différents problèmes inhérents à chacune des
approches spécifiées à la musique et à la théologie, il y a
t
un retour à la question universelle en réponse à laquelle
t
suit une définition précise et fonctionnelle.
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Preface
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The topic of this paper has developed out of a personal
desire to apprehend the nature of the relationship between
music and theology. While a large number of books have been
written about the history of church music, and of Many other
kinds of religious music, few attempt to articulate the
nature of the deeper union between music and theology which
so much of this sacred music presupposes. A Protestant
theologi3njmusicologist named Oskar Sohngen, however, has
written two exemplary works which do indeed convincingly
tackle this more abstract aspect of religious music, namely,
his book--Theologie der Musik--and his article--IIMusic and
Theology: A Systematic Approach". The latter work has
provided the fundamental framework of my own exploration of
the nature of the relationship between music and theology,
and for this l shall remain eternally indebted to Dr.
Sohngen. The other two books which have proved essential to
this study are: Claude Samuel's Conversations with Olivier
Messiaen, and Robert Sherlaw Johnson's book: Messiaen. These
works are full of concerning the thought and
informa~ion
compositional technique of Olivier Messiaen. They gave me
ample material with which to demonstrate the striking
similarity which exists between Olivier Messiaen's approach
to music and that of Oskar Sohngen.
Before beginning, it is perhaps also important to
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mention that the scope of this paper has been necessarily
limited to an exploration of the nature of the relationship
between music and Christian theology since both Sèhngen and
Messiaen are working from within this contexte
In my view, the originality of this work lies in its
attempt to arrive at a very basic, precise definition of the
relationship which exists between theology and music, and in
its thorough comparison of the ideas of Oskar Sohngen to the
thought and compositional technique of an actual composer,
namely, Olivier Messiaen.
Acknowledgements
First of aIl, l would like to thank Professor D.J.
Hall, not only for his support and encouragement, but also
for his inspiring love of words, and for the elegant,
compelling way in which he reaches out to us through them.
l would also like to thank Dr. Richard Cooper who
graciously agreed to help me with certain matters of style
and content while Dr. Hall was on sabbatic leave.
l am also grateful to William Spat for his
encouragement and for his personal interest in the music of
Messiaen which proved to be seminal to the development of
this topie. l owe very special thanks as weIl to my dear
friends Toddy Hagans, Lisbeth Dalgaard and Gretchen
Brabander.
Finally, l must express my gratitude to my husband,
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Thomas Annand, for his many hours of consultation with me,
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and for his help gathering certain research materials. It
was this project which brought us together, and it is his
undying patience and faith in me that has brought it to
completion.
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., ... Table of Contents
Chapter One: Introduction .••....•..................•...... 1
1. Oskar Sohngen ..............•.....•........•...... 1
II. Olivier Messiaen .••..••••.....•••••.......•...•.. 3
III. statement of thesis ....•....•..••.•..•...••....•. 4
IV. Procedure ........................................ 5
Chapter Two: The Natùre of the Relationship between Music
and Theology hccording to Oskar Sohngen ....•. 7
1. Music as Science ................................. 7
A. The components of musical sound ........•...••. 9
1. Pulsus and tone production .•....•..•....••. 9
2. The law of sound and number •....•.•.•..... 11
3. Intervals ................................. 11
4. Scales .................................... 12
5. Partials .................................. 13
B. Uni ty, Number and Order ......•........••....• 14
c.
Conclusion ................................... 16
II. Music as Worship ....... 18
ft .........................
A. Music as a vehicle for primal sensation ...... 19
B. Music preserves dogma .......•...............• 20
C. Different types of music as worship •......... 21
D. Conclusion ................................... 22
III. Music as Creatura ............................... 23
IV. Conclusion ...................................... 26
Chapter Three: The Musical Language and Thought of Olivier
Messiaen ...•.....•.•.......••.•.....••.•.. 28
1. Messiaen's Understanding of Music as Science .... 28
A. The charm of impossibilities ••............... 28
1. Modes of limited transposition ............ 29
2. Non-retrogradable rhythm ••................ 30
B. Harmony: Messiaen's use of harmonies ........ 34
1. Chords of resonance and added resonance ... 36
2. Timbre .........•.•........................ 38
C. unity , number and order ......••........•...•. 39
1. Unit y •....•••••••••••••.•••••.•••.••••..• • 39
2.0rder ..................................... 39
3. Numbe r. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1
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Chapter Three, l, cont'd.
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D. Messiaen retrieves ancient ideas for his
musica scientia •...••..•.....•.....•...•.•..• 43
E. A new scientific aspect: colour .......••...•• 44
F. Nature--a model for composers •.•...•..••...•• 47
1. Imitating nature--birdsong •........••.•..• 48
2. Natural light in music ....••.......••..... 50
3. Nature--a symbol of the Divine ..••.••...•• 51
4. Time--music expresses eternity .....••.•..• 52
G. Summa ry ....................................... 54
II. Messiaen's Understanding of Music as Worship ...• 55
A. Fellerer's classifications ..••.....•..••.•..• 58
B. Nature, mystery and magic ....•.....•..••...•• 59
C. Suule musical examples ..•.....•••...•..••...•• 60
D. Summary: Messiaen's music is music as
worship" " " " " " " " . " "" " . " " . " " " " " .63
e " " " " " • " " •• " " " "
III. Messiaen's understanding of music as creatura .•• 64
A. Music ~xpresses the invisible ••.•..•...•...•• 65
B. Messiaen's prefaces .•.......••••...•..••...•• 66
IV" Summary""" " " " " " " " " • " " " " • " " " " " " " " •• " " " " • " " " • " • " " • 6 8
Chapter Four: An Evaluation of the "Particulars" and a
Ret urn to the "univ ersaI " ••••••..•..•••..•• 70
I. Oskar Sohngen ....••.••••......•••••...•..••.•.•• 70
II. Olivier Messiaen .•••..••.••.....••........•....• 72
III. Defining the Relationship between Music and
Theology" " .76
«1 " " " .... " ••• " " •• " " • " " " • " • " " " " " " " " •• " • " "
IV. Further possibilities ..•.......••.•...•.••••..•• 82
V. Conclusion: "Music--A Highly Theological
Concern '1 •• " " " " " " ...... " ••• " •• " " " ••••• " " • " " " • " " " •• 83
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Chapter One: Introduction
In the past, if one were to ask a Christian the
question "What is music?", the believer might reply: "Music
is a gift from God". Indeed, it is commonly acknowledgect
that to be talented in performing, oc in compo~ing music, 1s
to be musically "gifted". For anyone who is interested in
both the nature of music, and in theology, however, such an
answer is much too superficial, and cries out for a more
thorough response to the question: "What 1s music?"
That one says music is a gift from GOd, already implies
that music possesses an inherent "theological dimension".
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lf this is accepted as a basic presupposition, then to
inquire into the nature of music 1s actually to consider its
relationship to theology, and this is precisely what the
scholar Oskar 30hngen has attempted to do.
Oskar Sohngen
In the introduction of an article entitled "Music and
Theology: A Systematic Approach" , Oskar Sohngen makes the
following statement:
In a dialogue between the composer Adrian
Leverku'-hn and the devil in Thomas Mann' s novel
Doktor !austus we find the remark: "Music--a
. This is a very good, concise term which 1 hdve borrowed
from Oskar Sohngen, in his article "Music and Theology: A
- Systematic Approach", Sacred Sound: Music in Religious Thought
and Practice, Journal of the American Academy of Religion,
Thematic studies, ed. by Joyce Irwin, (Chico, CA: Scholars i
Press, 1983), Vol. 50, no.1, 1.
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highly theological concern." (374) This
description rnay appear surprising to us rnoderns;
we are prepared to concede to music an aesthetic,
perhaps even a philosophy, but we react with
initial surprise to the idea of theology of
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music. By contrast, people of earlier tirnes--in
the Renaissance period--took this for granted.
Music was considered by them not primarily as ars
but rather as scientia .•• When a modern writer
such as Thomas Mann a theological dimension
claim~
for music in his key novel--whùse hero bears
resemblanco to the composer Arnold Schoenberg--the
question of the contemporaneity of s\lch a mode of
thinking cannot be discarded.2
Sohngen concludes his introduction with the remark:
But more is intended by the assertion that music
is a highly theological concern than that
intellectual historical influences from the realm
of treology have occasionally given the
development cf music another, a new direction.
The claims no less than that the strange
asse~tl0n
occurrences which have their basis in ordered
vibrations of air--which are transmitted through
l,' our hearing organs and registered in our
,
consciousness as musical of experience
processe~
and knowledge--have in substance theological
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content and belong in the comprehensive system of
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theology.3
Oskar Sohngen is a contemporary Protest.ant mus icologist
and theologian who has analyzed the historical development
of religious music in great oetail, and sUbsequently hQs
attempted to articulate the theological dimension of music
systematically. Both his book--Theologie der Musik--and his
article--"Music and Theology: A Systematic Approach"--
r 2. Sohngen, 1.
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3. Sohngen, 2 •