According to this author’s view, there is no distinctive hymnody that prevails in Asian-American churches, but there are certain characteristics and trends that typify these congregations. In providing detailed distinctions among the various Asian groups, this article does give some perspective on the music used in Asian-American churches and the challenges that these churches are facing.
Background of Asian-American Groups
The Chinese were the first to come to the United States over a century ago. Since most of their churches continue to be affected by immigration and are mainly immigrant (first-generation) churches, the worship services are in Cantonese and/or Mandarin. A sizable group of Chinese born in the U.S. are English-speaking members of the Chinese churches, and a few hold English services.
The Japanese, whose immigration to the U.S. basically stopped in 1924, is composed of second to fifth-generation English-speaking congregations, with a smaller group of immigrants worshiping in Japanese.
The Koreans are the largest Asian Presbyterian group. Immigration from Korea is resulting in a great increase in Korean churches. Today there are approximately 250 churches, and the number is still increasing. These churches worship in Korean, mainly with ministers who were trained in Korea.
The Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotians are all mainly first-generation persons who worship in their native tongue, with the exception of the Filipinos, who use English.
Types of Worship Services
In the early years, the worship services were essentially informal, patterned more on the synagogue style (simple structure with emphasis upon teaching) rather than the temple style (formal worship utilizing more rituals). We must remember that there is little in the way of history and tradition to give shape to their liturgy and music, for the heritage of these ethnic groups is non-Christian. For example, in Japan, where the religious philosophy is predominately Buddhist and Shinto, only one-half of one percent of the population are Christian. Since most Asian-American Christians are first-generation converts, there has been no pressure for traditional formal worship or cherished rituals.
In recent years, Asian churches have developed a slightly more formal style of worship, following the denominational lead in liturgy.
The Need for Bilingual Hymns
Worship serves are often bilingual in order to accommodate the immigrant native tongue and second-generation English-speaking persons. Hymns, prayers, Scripture readings, and sermons are in both languages. Sometimes there is a repetition of everything, and in other cases, only selected items are translated. This bilingual worship service may take place every Sunday or only on special occasions. In the latter case, there are two worship services held on Sundays: one in the native Asian tongue, one in English for the second- through fifth-generation members.
The impact of bilingual services on congregational singing is felt in several ways. Hymns must be provided in both languages. Some have published their own bilingual hymnbooks that include most of the familiar and basic hymns. Others use hymnbooks published in their native countries. We can see that because new hymns need constant translating, this poses a predicament for first-generation churches wanting to sing current hymns.
Further problems arise in hymn selections that are limited to hymns that are published in both languages. On special Holy Days and Communion, when bilingual services are usually held, finding hymns in both languages utilizing the same tunes and text is difficult. This lack of a full range of hymns to enrich a special worship service acts as a restrictive force in Asian congregations, and worship becomes static because of limited hymn selection.
Bilingual services also mean that the congregation sings in both languages at once, often confusing the worshiper because translations are not directly word for word. These words are not heard as one uniform sound, diminishing the power of the hymn. In spite of this, music continues to be a very important part of their churches, for they all come from cultures that love music and, more importantly, that love to sing.
Most of the hymns sung are those which were taught by the nineteenth- and early twentieth-century missionaries who ministered to the Asian people, both here and abroad. Many hymns are tied in with their life’s struggles upon leaving their homes for a strange land. Hymns such as “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” and “The Church’s One Foundation” have found deep-rooted meaning.
There is also a small core of original hymns that were written by persons in their native country, most of which are in the style of our missionary hymns. Others are based upon old folk tunes with newly written text.
The Need for Trained Leadership in Music
There is very little trained leadership for music in the church. Pastors need to provide leadership, but for the most part, their seminary training does not prepare them in music, and often very little in the way of liturgy. The instruments with which they work are usually minimal. Pipe organs are rare and unaffordable and very little is directed towards the development of music. Thus, in our churches, we find very few trained Asian church musicians, namely, organists, choir directors, and ministers of music.
It is my opinion that as this development takes place in the ethnic churches, the possibility of developing music that may be distinctively Asian-American will emerge. For there is a vast richness in the Asian musical and historical tradition that could be utilized to direct our Christian worship toward a higher realm of consciousness.
Possible Future Directions for Asian Ethnic Hymns
Many of the tunes used in the Hymns from the Four Winds are folk songs set to Christian texts (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1983). The problem we face here is that these traditional and popular songs are rooted in the common experience of the people. Can the text of the hymn rise above the claims which the tune will be making upon the minds and emotions of the people? Can Christian affirmation come out of a musical setting that is heavily non-Christian in its background? Many great hymns have come out of symphonies (e.g., “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” and “Be Still, My Soul”) and some out of love songs (e.g., “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”) but the cultural setting from which these tunes came is essentially Christian. This is not the case with Asian tunes. They evoke feelings that may have consciously dissociated Christianity from the tune. Thus, no matter how beautiful and appropriate the tune may be, the more familiar you are with the culture from which it comes, the harder it is to allow the tune to carry you into Christian worship.
Perhaps an alternative may be found not in using Asian tunes, but rather Asian musical forms which have been written down in the Western mode by Asian musicians or ethnomusicologists. We find that the basis of music, scales, harmony, rhythm, notation, forms, and styles are very foreign to the Western musician, for the subtleties of Asian music include the use of quarter-tones and use of ornamentation and improvisation. This may be the providential task for the Asian American: that they find their forms of expression in hymnody for they are the unique ones that merge the Eastern and Western and upon whom rests the name Asian-American. They are challenged to slowly break the boundaries that limit the East and West, and to cross the line to new frontiers:
Everything which I have said about crossing the frontier is true too for crossing the line which is today hardest for the Western world to cross, the frontier toward the East. It is wrong when the Western people are prevented by education, literature, and propaganda from crossing this frontier.… We must also see what is going on in-depth over there and seek to understand it. (Paul Tillich, The Future of Religions [New York: Harper and Row, 1966], 56-57.)