Abstract:
This research article is based on the author’s doctoral research into the question of quality
criteria for Christian songs. In many Christian congregations today, the question of music is
an emotive issue as the service and its music touch the heart of people’s faith life and shapes
people’s theology. Of the many issues that were investigated in the dissertation, this article
focuses on one question only, the question of the ‘cognitive’ and the ‘emotive’ value of the
songs that are sung in a Sunday service. It will be argued that, in ‘good’ songs, there needs
to be a good balance between ‘cognitive’ and ‘emotive’ value. The general question is how to
identify songs that can nurture faith and sustain people through life. Characteristic of such
songs is, amongst many other criteria, a good balance between the cognitive and emotive value
of the text and the tune. In the discussion, the author focusses largely on her own Lutheran
liturgical and hymnological tradition as well as on the ‘Praise and Worship’ movement which
has a dramatic impact on churches all over the world. The author argues that finding songs
that balance the emotive and the cognitive component is an effective way to bridge the divides
on worship music within a congregation.
INTRADISCIPLINARY AND INTERDISCIPLINARY IMPLICATIONS : Within the discipline of hymnological
studies, the article opens a ground-breaking new way to analyse and critique music used in
worship with objective tools for analysis. This is, as far as the author knows, new for this
discipline, and it also has an effect on other disciplines.
