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A History of Music in the Christian Reformed Church
Bert Polman
July 18, 1979
Editor's Note:
Mr. Polman's address uncovered the (a) Dutch soil, (b) American planting, and (c) ecumenical flowering of Christian Reformed music. In his concluding observations, he went after a few weeds and planted a few seeds of his own.
Bert Polman is on the faculty of the Ontario Bible College, Toronto, Canada. A graduate of Dordt College and the University of Minnesota, he is currently a member of the Christian Reformed Church's Psalter Hymnal Revision Committee.
Introduction
I want to share with you two apologetic notes by way of introduction to this lecture. First, you'll have noted the connective "and" which appears in the title of this conference: "A Conference on Liturgy and Music in Reformed Worship." I suspect that the use of this connective indicates some ambiguity concerning how liturgy and music are or should be related. Earlier you heard an address on the history of liturgy in the CRC, now you'll hear a lecture on the history of music in the CRC. For purposes of focus and analytic clarity, our treatment of liturgy and of music as separate entities is undoubtedly defensible. However, you all know that liturgy and music are inseparably intertwined. It is my fond hope that by the end of this conference we shall have attained a more wholesome understanding of the integration of music and liturgy. Perhaps we'll even speak no more of liturgy and music, but will use what I suggest are more normative concepts: liturgical music and musical liturgy.
Secondly, I also want to remind you that just as music and liturgy are integrally related, so our Sunday worship and the entire rest of our lives are intimately related. The Scripture makes very plain to us--particularly in our contemporary times--that our liturgies, our prayers, our service music, etc., are not acceptable to the Lord unless we love mercy, seek justice, and walk humbly with our God during the rest of the week.
Having set those two matters of context, now let us focus on the history of music in the CRC.
You'll recall the poster which was used to advertise this conference. It featured a pot planted with flowers, and included a superscription, "a beautiful arrangement." I want to use this flower pot analogy in speaking of the history of music in the CRC. Many of you know the TV series titled "Roots" which traced the history of an Afro-American family. Someone told me that our denomination is planning to produce a similar series about our Dutch background which will be called not "Roots" but "Bulbs." In any case, I shall refer to the history of music in the CRC in three parts:
(a) the Dutch Soil
(b) the American Planting
(c) the Ecumenical Flowering
and I'll conclude this address with some "Summary Observations" that derive from my study of this history.
The Dutch Soil
As a Christian denomination, the CRC may trace its earliest roots to biblical times, and that brings us to the biblical songbook--the Psalms--and to the few early Christian hymns which we know from the New Testament (the Lukan canticles, and hymn fragments quoted by Paul and John). As the Christian Church developed, psalmody became one of the principal categories of its music. At the time of the Reformation, Calvin chose the Psalms as the main repertoire for Reformed worship, and under his leadership, a number of poets and musicians worked on the French Genevan Psalter which was published in its completed form in 1562.
The Genevan Psalter, the Heidelberg Catechism and the Palatinate liturgy were translated into Dutch by Peter Datheen in 1566. Datheen faced great difficulties in trying to unite Dutch verbal accents with the musical accents of the Genevan tunes. Many scholars agree that Datheen's translation is of poor quality. However, it became accepted as the Dutch "psalmboek" and became even more hallowed as many of the Dutch martyrs died while singing this translation.
Singing from Datheen's version was done unaccompanied, frequently with the help of a "voorzanger" (literally, a "fore-singer," one who introduced the songs and led the singing)--often the local school teacher. There were no choirs which sang in church, and organs were not used in the services of worship until later in the 17th century. Except for the Lukan canticles and a few other hymns, psalmody was the mainstay of Reformed song. This practise was canonized in the Church Order accepted at the Synod of Dordt in 1619.
Because of the poor quality of Datheen's translation which involved awkward mixing of textual and musical accents, and also because of changes in musical style and taste in general, the modal and rhythmic characteristics of the Genevan tunes were gradually erased in the Dutch singing practise. However, by the early 18th century, a number of newer text translations were attempted, and by 1773, a new psalm translation was accepted to replace the one by Datheen. The new "psalmboek" drew on the work of a number of Dutch poets; its quality was better than that of Datheen. But the new version was also a book of its age, and included phrases such as "groot machtig opperwezen" (great, powerful Supreme Being) which came from the rationalistic theology which was common in the Age of Enlightenment.
From this time on, organ accompaniment to congregational singing was the rule, rather than an exception. Still the singing was very slow, and all the Genevan tunes were sung in iso-rhythm (notes of all equal time value). "Tussenspelen" (interludes) were improvised not only between stanzas of each psalm but also frequently at the end of each phrase of each stanza!
But, as happened virtually everywhere in Christendom, psalmody was not deemed sufficient in the Dutch church either, and a movement to sing more hymns developed. The Evangelischen Gezangen (Evangelical Hymns) was published in 1805; further hymns were added in 1866. The hymns of 1805 were mostly of recent Dutch origin, and again of rather poor quality. By our standards they would not be judged evangelical but liberal. Because of ecclesiastical and political changes, and a decree by King William II in 1816 which required the use of at least one of these hymns in each service, much unrest resulted in the churches. Consequently, in 1834 a secession occurred, followed by immigration of these seceders to the New World.
Initially, these immigrants settled in
The American Planting
These early Christian Reformed folks were devout psalm-singers, and a people who found much strength in their isolation. But now they were in a new land, with a different culture, and before too long they were subject to all the pressures of Americanization--as were most other religious and ethnic minorities in the USA. Three things in the history of music in the CRC may be ascribed to the influence of Americanization:
1. the introduction of hymns,
2. the transition to the English language, and
3. the use of church choirs.
I'll treat each of these in turn.
In the mid-1880's, a number of German-speaking congregations in Iowa joined the CRC, and in 1888, Synod approved their liturgy and songbook, which was titled, Die psalmen Davids zum gebrauch im den reformierten gemeinde Ostfrieslands (The Psalms of David as used in the Reformed Congregations of Ostfriesland). This included not only the 150 psalms but also 355 lieder or hymns. Thus, a part of the CRC is now singing German hymns.
In 1890, the True Reformed Protestant Dutch Church joined the CRC to become Classis Hackensack. This group of Reformed Christians had earlier adopted the United Presbyterian Psalter of 1887 and also used 190 hymns grouped according to the 52 Sundays of the Heidelberg Catechism. These hymns came mostly from Livingstone's Psalms and Hymns (1789) used in the Reformed Church in America. This meant that after 1890, another part of the CRC was now singing psalms and hymns--but in English. That same Synod of 1890, however, decreed that no hymns were to be sung by the Dutch or German congregations. (Yet two years earlier, synod had approved German hymns; how is this anomaly to be explained?)
Probably more important than the peripheral use of German or English hymnody at this time is the gradual transition of the entire CRC to the use of the English language and the development of the CRC Psalter of 1914. To trace that development, we must momentarily step out of the CRC and turn to the United Presbyterian Church. Leaders in this denomination agreed to revise their 1887 Psalter which was based mostly on English, Scottish, and American psalm paraphrases and tunes. Eventually, representatives from eight other denominations joined them in this revision--including the CRC. A group of versifiers met from 1897 to 1905; their work was revised by 1909 and published in 1912 as the United Presbyterian Psalter. The Christian Reformed synod had already appointed a committee to review this work in 1904; it was approved by synod for local use in 1910. The entire book was adopted in 1914 as the CRC Psalter. This was the first English songbook for the entire Christian Reformed denomination. It included 413 settings of the 150 psalms, 8 doxologies, and the three Lukan canticles. Most of the tunes were typical British or American psalm tunes; many were in Common Meter. This Psalter included only three Genevan tunes and none of these appeared in their original Genevan forms. When this Psalter was published in 1914 for CRC use, the texts of the 190 hymns used in Classis Hackensack were bound into the same volume--though, presumably, only congregations in that Classis could sing these hymns; congregations in other areas did not yet have this right.
The last important influence of Americanization on the music of the Christian Reformed Church was the use of church choirs. Singing schools were common on the frontier. These were week-day societies in which good singing was promoted through rehearsals under a capable musician. By 1874, the Spring Street Church in Grand Rapids (now the First Christian Reformed Church on Bates Street) had a regular singing school, attended mostly by a large group of young people. Initially they sang Dutch psalms; when they began singing hymns from collections such as Neerbosch Zangboek, they were forced to find a building other than their own church for their rehearsals. The CRC Yearbook of 1895 mentions 29 active singing schools. Though these singing schools or choral societies met during the week, gradually some of them must have started to sing in church services as well, for in 1904, synod forbade the use of choirs in church, except as a means to lead congregational singing. In 1926, synod still expressed its disapproval of anthem-singing choirs, but did leave the matter to the discretion of local consistories. In 1930 and again in 1944, synod condoned the use of choirs in the Sunday services as long as their selections received prior consistorial approval "as to their Scriptural soundness."
The Ecumenical Flowering
By the end of the First World War, the old-timers in the CRC had not forgotten that hymns were associated with liberalism and were, in part, responsible for the Secessions of 1834 and 1857. But peer pressure on the young people and the commercial promotion associated with American Sunday School hymnody could not be ignored much longer. Further, the synod had approved hymns for some but not for others; consequently a number of synodical committees struggled with the question of liturgical uniformity. A committee to study the hymn matter was appointed in 1928. This committee reported favorably in 1930 and, by 1932, synod approved this change in the Church Order:
In the churches only the 150 Psalms of David and the collection of hymns for church use, approved and adopted by Synod, shall be sung. However, while the singing of the Psalms in divine worship is a requirement, the use of the approved hymns is left to the freedom of the churches.
Three main reasons were given to favor the use of hymns in the denomination: (i) some hymns had always been used and were even approved by the Synod of Dordt; hence, adopting a larger number of hymns does not contravene the spirit of the Church Order; (ii) the Scriptures themselves call for "a new song" and that obviously meant new hymns for each age; and (iii) hymn-singing is essentially a neutral matter and not something of a principle. Opposition forces feared a decline in psalm-singing, and also pointed to the danger of introducing heresies by way of Arminian hymns.
But hymnody was approved, and the committee to suggest hymns to the denomination worked rapidly. The Synod of 1934 approved the Psalter Hymnal--the red book many of you have probably seen around somewhere. In this red book, the psalm paraphrases adopted earlier in 1914 were revised. Now included were 327 metrical psalm settings, and approximately 40 of these used Genevan tunes, with textual paraphrases by Christian Reformed people such as Dewey Westra. These Genevan tunes used pseudo-Genevan rhythms. Included in this Psalter Hymnal were 135 hymns, as well as six selections for the close of the service. Among these hymns were some of the classics from the wealth of Christian hymnody: medieval texts such as "All Glory, Laud and Honor," Lutheran chorales such as "A Mighty Fortress," or Wesleyan hymns such as "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today."
This volume in 1934 is a milestone in the musical history of the CRC; it marks the point at which the Christian Reformed Church expresses its identification with the whole realm of Christian song and with the Christian Church of all ages.
Having praised the Psalter Hymnal as this milestone of ecumenical flowering, I should quickly admit that it included some very mediocre psalm paraphrases and a number of hymns that display both poor texts and poor music. Unfortunately, the denomination did not take kindly to the use of the pseudo-Genevan rhythms, and in 1939 and again in 1946, synod authorized changes in harmonizations and rhythmics so that the Genevan tunes appear entirely in iso-rhythm. By 1951, synod appointed a committee to revise the red Psalter Hymnal. The revised book was approved in 1956 and is known as the "centennial edition"--even though the centennial year was 1957 and this hymnal was not actually published until 1959. This blue Psalter Hymnal included 310 psalm settings and 183 hymns. The use of Genevan tunes decreased somewhat in this book, though a number of them now appear in their original rhythms. You all know this blue songbook, so I won't comment on it further.
Finally, as part of the ecumenical flowering, I should draw attention to the Psalter Hymnal Supplement which was issued in 1974. It is an interesting collection--even if very uneven in quality--which includes styles as diverse as Southern folk hymns and Gelineau psalmody, thereby further enriching the scope of psalms and hymns available for CRC use.
Currently, another committee is working on a revision of the Psalter Hymnal. Begun by synodical mandate in 1977, this committee is expeected to produce a new volume sometime in the mid-1980's.
Concluding Observations
I have sketched for you in rapid fashion the highlights of the history of music in the CRC: its Dutch soil, American planting, and ecumenical flowering. Now I'll finish this lecture with observations that result from my study of this history.
First of all, when hymns were officially approved in the Christian Reformed Church in 1932, the fear was expressed that psalm-singing would decline, and that doctrinal purity would be endangered. Both of these prophecies by our old-timers are being fulfilled in our days, I submit. Psalm-singing has certainly declined in the CRC, with many congregations singing no more than two or three psalm texts on any given Sunday while singing at least six hymns. The one exception is undoubtedly the Canadian congregations where more recent Dutch immigration after World War II means greater use of the psalms (and also of the Genevan tunes). The biblical Psalms are a great treasure for personal and corporate worship and speak eloquently of the cosmic scope of God's dealing with his people and with all nations. Our decline in singing psalm texts has meant, I suggest to you, an equal decline in our understanding of the cosmic expanse of the Christian gospel, of the heart of the biblical message. I am saddened by this serious limitation of our Christian maturity by the loss of understanding and singing the Psalms from our hearts!
The decline in psalm-singing is accompanied by a vast increase in hymn-singing, particularly of hymns that derive from the American gospel hymn tradition. This repertoire is highly uneven in textual content, ranging from the simple gospel message of "Jesus Loves Me" to the unorthodox sentimentality of "Mansion Over the Hilltop." The musical quality is equally uneven, ranging from a simple chorus to poorly crafted hymns with harmonic and rhythmic clichés. This gospel hymnody is so popular in our churches, and the use of hymnals other than the Psalter Hymnal is so widespread, that in 1974 and 1975 synod actually gave consistories the local authority to choose hymns from any source--though not to adopt supplementary hymnals. It is my humble opinion that the use of American gospel hymnody in the Christian Reformed Church has greatly contributed to making our denomination more blandly pietistic and fundamentalistic in a number of aspects than what one would expect of our Reformed theology and confessional statements. I want to plead with you for more psalm singing!
Secondly, I want to point to the use of church choirs as a significant problem area. Church choirs as such are not typically American. However, choirs that sing primarily anthems as "special music" are typically American, and the CRC in general seems to have adopted that practise. Our church choirs give little leadership to congregational singing, while the relationship of the anthem to the rest of the liturgy in many services is, at best, obscure. The practise of singing anthems at the offertory heightens the impression of a concert for a paying audience! I am surely in favor of choirs, but their use in the liturgy requires careful planning and much greater involvement in congregational singing--including the use of concertato works for choir, instruments, and the congregation.
Finally, I want to address the matter of leadership in music in the CRC, first, on the congregation's level. A congregation is the one musical ensemble that performs regularly without the benefit of rehearsal. We have the gall to sing regularly in God's presence without taking much heed to the quality of our singing--and that hurts--especially when you read in the Old Testament that even the poor folks in making an offering to God had to use unblemished pigeons. Our congregational song is much blemished because of our lack of care--both in the quality and range of our repertoire and performance. You leaders should have periodic congregational rehearsals with your people, to improve your singing and learn new materials. That means pastors and church musicians (or appropriate committees) should plan, cooperate and evaluate together regularly.
Secondly, I want to focus on leadership on a denominational level. If our musical practises are basically decided on a congregationalistic policy, it is all the more crucial that the denominational agencies provide excellent materials and the resource people to help the local congregations. But has that really happened? My look at the history of music in our CRC would suggest very little has happened. True, Calvin College convened its first church music conference in 1953 and more recently has offered annual workshops for church musicians. But church music is still a rarity in the halls of Calvin Seminary, and Professor Grotenhuis is one of the few composers who has devoted a significant part of his musical output to materials that relate to Christian Reformed psalmody and hymnody. Our Church School Curriculum uses antiquated Sunday School songs in its materials, while our Publishing House has done very little to promote church music, or, for that matter, anything related to liturgy.
We need more leaders, and channels in which these leaders can function, to help all of us in our local congregations. I take it that is why we are here at this conference, that we may encourage each other to grow musically and liturgically, that we may bring our music and liturgy together in our practise of Reformed worship. Music and liturgy in one integrated whole should be "a beautiful arrangement"--for Christ's sake.