TAM Initiative

As in the days of the Greek philosophers, there still exists today a view of music that attributes an absolute moral capacity (positive or negative) to certain genres or musical styles. In Soundbytes 6, we asked: is this really so?

Composers, performers, teachers, and music researchers have left us a legacy of writings about what they personally thought about music. Many of them address the question of music’s power to influence the mind, the emotions, and — perhaps most importantly — the behavior and character of individuals. Although they offer interesting and important perspectives on this topic, many who wish to support the thesis that there are ‘inherently good and bad’ types of music offer quotations taken out of the original authors’ context, quotations that in reality reveal only part of their theses.

One of the musicians and educators whose words are used to present one side of this story is Max Schoen. A line from Schoen’s book The Psychology of Music is quoted on the Ministry127 website: “The medical, psychiatric, and other evidence against the neutrality of music is so overwhelming that it frankly astonishes me that anyone can seriously say otherwise.”[1] This statement is presented as though it positions Max Schoen as a supporter of the notion that music is NOT neutral (which is true). However, this same Schoen, in his article “The Experience of Beauty in Music,” published in The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 17, No. 1, January 1931, also explains how music affects different people in different ways.[2] This article (as well as the general character of the message of the book cited on the website) helps clarify what Schoen actually meant — namely, that while he truly did not believe in the neutrality of music, he also did NOT attribute to any given piece, style, or genre of music a SINGLE value or an ABSOLUTE capacity. It’s wise, therefore, not reach a conclusion without correctly understanding the subject and what certain authors are actually trying to say.

Moreover, although human thoughts and statements can be useful in developing an appropriate view of music, all of them are subservient to the Word of God. The fact is that, although the Scriptures contain a great number of texts mentioning music, they say little or perhaps nothing about what we today call “styles” of music. The absence of a specific terminology or topic in the Scriptures does not automatically indicate that its presence or use is forbidden — but, on the other hand, this same absence also does not give us license to add norms and guidelines carrying the same level of authority contained in the words inspired by God. Are certain styles, then, irrevocably pre-programmed to influence anyone toward evil or toward good? We will next look at a notable study that will help us reach a conclusion.

[1] Shelly Hamilton, Is Music Neutral?, Lancaster, CA: Ministry127, 2011, under the heading “Music Communicates Moral Connotations, with or without Lyrics,” http://ministry127.com/music-ministry/is-music-neutral (accessed December 20, 2012).

[2] Max Schoen, “The Experience of Beauty in Music,” The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 17, No. 1, January 1931 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1931), http://www.jstor.org/stable/738642 (accessed January 7, 2013).