Susan Harvey: Why Sing? Music as Pedagogy in Ancient Syriac Christianity

Late antique Syriac literature delights to extol the sounds of worship.The voices of participants – lay, consecrated, ordained; young, old, male or female – are celebrated for their sung contributions of lections, poetic homilies, hymns, responses, alleluias, prayers, confession, and praise. None of the ancient music survives to us.But from extant literary texts, it is possible to ask what qualities Syriac Christians appreciated in their liturgical music, and what aspects of sung worship they valued most highly.Like other late antique authors, Syriac writers feared the dangers music could pose for the unwitting faithful believer. Heretical hymns, songs from the theater or pagan civic festivals, even the lure of an exceptionally beautiful voice caused anxiety for Ephrem the Syrian, Jacob of Sarug, Isaac of Antioch, Thomas of Marga, and others. Yet, Syriac authors used their admonitions against such music to highlight the significance of liturgical music in contrast. For these, liturgical music was not simply a matter of liturgical adornment; aesthetic consideration –even for divine glory – was not its primary purpose. Instead, Syriac authors praised liturgical singing and melodic recitation for their pedagogical expediency and effectiveness, for their dispositional impact on the believer’s soul, and as vehicles for loud, clear declaration of faith amidst a religiously diverse society. While Syriac sources expressed appreciation for skilled and graceful singing in the liturgy, Syriac authors appear to have valued music for its functional, pragmatic capacity to serve the instructional needs of the worshipping community.