Philosophy of Music in the Charismatic Tradition

Unique to music in charismatic worship is what is known as “singing in the Spirit.” This form of music is characterized by a spontaneous response to the work of the Spirit in the worship service. It is based on a theology that emphasizes the dynamic and ongoing presence of the Spirit among believers.

A perusal of the songbooks and hymnals published by Pentecostal denominations (including such groups as the Assemblies of God, the Pentecostal Holiness Church, some branches of the Church of God, and other smaller Pentecostal churches) since about 1915 shows them to be repositories of interdenominational hymnody, albeit hymnody of the gospel song variety. Yet there is a small percentage of music that is distinct and unique to Pentecostals. It is called “singing in the Spirit.”

Theological and Musical Background

Theologically, the modern-day Pentecostal movement has a Wesleyan ancestry. Pentecostals trace their doctrinal heritage through the Wesley’s to Anglicanism. Standing outside the Reformed tradition of such men as Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin, Pentecostals have more in common with the theology of Anglicans and Methodists than with Presbyterians and Baptists.

Musically, Pentecostals have a somewhat unique heritage. Being fiercely concerned with accommodating the gospel to ordinary culture for the sake of reaching the average person in evangelism and worship, Pentecostals choose to follow the musical practices of those groups who had a similar intensity of concern for popular evangelism. The musical issue has been methodology, not theology.

This pragmatic bent led the fledgling Pentecostal movement to base its music on the music of the frontier camp meeting, the National Holiness Association (Methodist), various Baptist groups, and other strongly evangelistic models. It also attempted to emulate the musical practices of such popular evangelists as Dwight Moody, R. A. Torrey, and Billy Sunday. But in one area Pentecostals were on their own. Without an established denominational precedent, they pioneered the twentieth-century phenomenon known as “singing in the Spirit.”

Like most denominations, the Pentecostal church has an eclectic ancestry. Most of its theology and music share a commonality with various branches of the established church. But the theological and musical distinctives that give the movement its uniqueness have been obscured by centuries of corporate neglect. Only in the past twenty-five years have these unique Pentecostal distinctives been experienced among the older established churches in the form of the charismatic movement. In this way, Pentecostals have been able to make a theological and musical contribution to the larger church to which they owe so much.

True to their pragmatic heritage, Pentecostals are currently embracing newer musical forms that are designed to reach people in the context of present-day culture. As a result of this commitment to accommodate the gospel to an ever-changing world, the eighty-year-old movement is using fewer gospel songs in favor of such diverse forms as worship choruses, contemporary gospel music, country-and-western songs, and gospel rock music. Pentecostals are continuing the practice of singing in the Spirit, though often in smaller gatherings rather than at the main worship services.

Theological Distinctives

The Pentecostal movement’s understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit is its main theological distinctive. Knowledge of this distinction is very important for comprehending the musical practice of singing in the Spirit.

Pentecostals (1) believe every Christian has available to himself or herself the baptism in the Holy Spirit, with tongues or glossolalia (speaking in an unknown language) as the initial evidence according to Acts 2:4; (2) believe tongues and the interpretations of tongues are special gifts of the Spirit to be used in corporate worship for the edification of the saints (1 Cor. 12:10). All other gifts of the Spirit, such as the working of miracles, the word of knowledge, prophecy, and gifts of healing, are equally available and valid for today’s believer.

The exercise of tongues is an act of the will. The mind maintains control (1 Cor. 14:27, 28). It is similar to praising the Lord or praying in English except that the language used is an unknown language prompted by the Holy Spirit. It produces great emotion, great heartfelt love for Jesus, at times even ecstasy, but all without loss of self-control.

Musical Distinctives

It is obvious to musicians that music and worship go hand in hand. Historically the adage, “He who sings prays twice,” has been the experience of most religious movements. Thus it is not surprising that Pentecostals have used music in practicing their theological distinctive of glossolalia. Such a practice results not only from the natural predilection of Christians to sing their worship, but from the biblical material that Pentecostals feel encourages singing in the Spirit.

Paul’s “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Col. 3:16) and the lengthy discourse in 1 Corinthians 14 concerning the use of tongues in corporate worship indicate that singing in the Spirit was a frequent practice in the New Testament church. In verse 15 Paul specifically mentions praying and singing with the spirit and with the mind also. Pentecostals, noting that the whole context is about tongues, believe that whatever else Paul intended here, tongues and singing in tongues are normative.

Singing in the Spirit, strictly speaking, is simply singing in tongues. On the other hand “praise singing,” which has a similar musical form, contains no tongues. However, when there is a mixture of tongues and the vernacular, as is most often the case, the term “singing in the Spirit” is appropriate.

General Characteristics of Singing in the Spirit

Glossolalia has no written form. It is spontaneous and unrehearsed. Consequently, it is not surprising that the music to which tongues is set is likewise spontaneous and unrehearsed. It is improvised music. One can easily imagine an individual in private prayer singing praise and adoration to God in an unknown tongue with a spontaneously improvised melody. It is harder to imagine a whole congregation caught up in the practice, each member simultaneously singing his or her own different and unique tongue to a melody that he or she is improvising on the spot. But congregational singing in the Spirit is a reality.

Having 10, 20, 100, or 1,000 people simultaneously improvising congregational songs dictates that the music of such a congregational practice be extremely simple. It is almost invariably sung unaccompanied, but occasionally the addition of the organ or other instruments is thought to be helpful.

Four Musical Characteristics

The first musical characteristic of singing in the Spirit is the use of reciting notes such as those used in the Gregorian psalm tones. These notes usually carry the bulk of the tongue utterance, be it syllables, words, or sentences. The rhythm is that of ordinary speech.

Second, melismas (more than one note to a syllable) are common. However, there are no specific words or syllables, such as “Hallelujah,” which are routinely sung melismatically. The improvisatory principle at work mandates that there be complete freedom to sing the Spirit-prompted utterances spontaneously as they are felt.

The third characteristic is that usually, only one chord forms the harmonic basis on which this congregational improvisation is built. At any given time there will appear in the texture the simultaneous singing of the root, third, and fifth of this solitary chord, each individual choosing whatever notes suit him or her, plus passing tones, neighbor notes, or other embellishments. Most of the words will be declaimed on the root, third, or fifth, while other notes will be used with less frequency. Nonharmonic tones are normally reserved for melismas or for syllabic word settings. The whole effect is not unlike the gentle strumming of a harp, using the diatonic notes of C major (for example) with the tonic chord predominant.

Fourth, there are no prescribed beginnings or endings such as the intium, mediatio, and finalis of Gregorian psalmody. Spontaneity throughout is the rule.

The Worship Service

The place in the service when singing in the Spirit happens is quite varied. It is usually thought appropriate whenever prayer and praise are appropriate. Often, extended congregational praise will very gradually evolve into singing in the Spirit. Some congregations exercise it after a hymn or chorus, utilizing the keynote of that song as the harmonic basis of the exercise. Others sing in the Spirit at the congregational prayer times during the service or at the ending altar service. Some churches practice it regularly, others infrequently, and some not at all.

As previously mentioned, singing in the Spirit most often includes the vernacular as well as tongues. It is quite natural when engaged in intense worship and praise, for the individual to move from glossolalia to English and back again at will. One hears such phrases as “Thank you, Jesus,” “Praise the name of Jesus,” “I love you, Lord,” “Hallelujah,” and so forth. Including the vernacular in corporate singing in the Spirit also allows those who do not speak in tongues to participate in praise-singing. Thus no one is excluded.

The singing of so many different expressions concurrently might seem at first to be confusing to the uninitiated. For musicians, however, it is but another use of musical and textual counterpoint.

A Pentecostal Development

The return of singing in the Spirit to the life of the church is the result of the young Pentecostal movement’s tenacity in pursuing its convictions. Over a period of eighty-some years, it has developed, practiced, and popularized this type of song. With 75 million Pentecostals and at least 100 million charismatics worldwide, singing in the Spirit will no doubt continue for the foreseeable future.