Deep down in any creative pursuit, there is a desire for meaning, a desire for our work to exist to some purpose, a desire, even, for legacy. As composers, there is a rare privilege in leaving behind a physical (or perhaps digital) legacy. We can achieve impact in our activity through the pieces we leave behind. What legacy would you hope for in the sum of all you create? What motivates you to write? As Christians, we have a unique hope in a gospel that not only redeems us as individuals, but gives us a greater meaning in the work that we do on earth. We no longer have to seek out a meaning for ourselves, because we are pieces in a much bigger plan. In the gospel, we find the purpose, means, and responsibility for creating on earth.
Why we create
1. Made to create: the Cultural Mandate
If we study the passage in Genesis 1-2 about man’s creation, we discover that creative acts stem from the way we were made, and the reason we were made. Created in God’s likeness, this likeness gives us the authority over the creatures and resources on earth (Gen 1:26). Therefore, all our creative acts emulate a central aspect of the Creator God. Further in the passage, we see that we were made with this likeness and authority to fulfil a central purpose: to work the ground and bear fruit. In Genesis 2:5, the earth is described as barren, with no plants 'for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground.' In response, the earth was watered with streams (Gen 2:6), and man was created (Gen 2:7). Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden 'to work it and take care of it' (Gen 2:8). Just as man was made to facilitate the earth’s flourishing by working the ground in tandem with the Lord’s provision of water, our creativity brings out the earth’s potential by creating order out of the raw materials that God has placed on earth.
An example of this can be seen in Adam’s second task in the Garden of Eden. God formed each creature, and Adam gave them their names. He created a language in response to God’s creation (Gen 2:19-20). As musicians and composers, we have an immense privilege that our very work directly facilitates our call as humanity to bring out the potential of the earth’s resources, to recognize and to create pattern with sound. When we write music, we contribute to the discovery of the infinite possibilities within the realm of sound that God has created that are possible.
However, if our creative nature is part of all men, how are we distinct as Christians?
After the Fall, humanity was separated from God and no longer able to enjoy the same relationship they had had in Eden, but the tendency to create still remained. For example, the Tower of Babel would have been an architectural feat (Gen 11:1-4), and an indication of the development of culture within a society. However, this creative impulse was divorced from a key element of its original purpose: a collaborative relationship with God.
To cultivate creation well…involves discerning God’s design for creation - culture making can easily deform into hubris and abuse when we determine for ourselves what we ought to make out of the natural world.[1]
Without a relationship with God, we would be unable truly to fulfil our purpose of bringing out the best in the earth’s resources as we would no longer be part of a relationship that allows us to see the intent of our Creator.
However, through Christ’s sacrifice, we are not only redeemed from our sins, but we are also given an Agent who restores us to this relationship with God for which we were designed: the Holy Spirit. As Christians, the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Godhead, dwells within us, and reveals to us spiritual truths (John 16:13), affecting not only our knowledge, but also our output.
This is what we speak, not in words taught to us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.
The Holy Spirit’s work in the Bible was not only limited to inspiring prophets or giving powers to leaders, but also encompassed the development of skills in artistic pursuits. In the account of the construction of the tabernacle, the Holy Spirit empowered Bezalel, Oholiab and other skilled workers to be engravers, designers, and embroiderers, for the house of the Lord - see Exodus 35:30-36:1.
What's more, as 2 Timothy 3:16 says, 'All Scripture is God-breathed [that is, breathed out by the Holy Spirit] and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness', and that includes the Psalms and the Song of Songs, which are essentially poetry. So, since the Holy Spirit of God is a composer of art, we can be assured that we are not alone in our pursuits as composers. We can rely on His power and wisdom to enable us to write music that truly glorifies God.
2. Made to witness: the Great Commission
From the gospel, there is an additional aspect to our call to create and to relate. We are called now to a new purpose:
Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...
The collaborative relationship of man and God in the Garden of Eden comes through in a new context. In describing the genesis of faith in an unbeliever, Paul’s imagery of a garden aptly illustrates this:
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.
As Christians, we are called to restore our collaborative relationship with Him in part to participate in a new redemptive work: witnessing to the truth and hope of the gospel and thus making disciples of Christ.
As musicians, we have the privilege of working in an industry that in its very history and roots is connected to spirituality and God Himself. In discussion about his musical influences, James Macmillan argues:
It is in music that art did not lose its sense of connection, umbilical cord connection, with a notion of the sacred…There’s a sort of idee fixe I think, running through the development of a lot of musical modernism that points to the sacred…[2]
Many sacred pieces within the classical canon are well respected and therefore studied closely, including their texts and religious contexts. Even in the modern day, there is a respect for and interest in sacred music within the music industry, including by established composers like Avro Pärt, Ko Matsushita and J.A.C Redford. This interest provides us with a unique platform to share our faith and theological beliefs in secular forums. An interview with James Macmillan by J.A.C Redford was published in the Musical Times, where his religious beliefs and how they influenced his music were openly discussed within an academic context. To have such a discussion in a secular journal highlights our privilege in being in an industry where people who are interested in our music are receptive to exploring its influences, including our faith.
Even outside of the sacred, music within a secular context is also a platform for the discussion of our culture’s ideas, perspectives, and values. As Christian composers, we have the opportunity to engage in those discussions and share biblical perspectives on modern issues through our creative output. For example, how we see the reality of sin and redemption, the balance of the fallenness of the world with the inherent good within the world, can affect our approach to musical narrative, tension and resolution, dissonance and consonance. If we can add our unique viewpoints as Christians into secular discussion, we can defend the truths we know from the gospel and the Word, and we can also provide a peek into the impact of the gospel on our own outlooks.
3. Made to steward our unique gifts: our accountability
Lastly, we are individually responsible for the unique gifts we have been given. Romans 12:3-7 highlights the diversity within the body of Christ, and the call to use our distinct gifts to the fullest, to play our role in building up the kingdom of God. Our particular set of circumstances - being given the right natural qualities, exposure to music and life experiences, and opportunities to develop skills in musical education - have all nourished a singular ability to create music. We are responsible for the resources we have been given and will be held accountable for what we do with them. The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) gives us both an encouraging example to follow, and a sobering warning. Those who invested their resources and brought returns were rewarded and given more responsibilities. However, the servant who sat idle was not only reprimanded, but banished from the household altogether (v.28-30). Just as the servants in the parable were held accountable for the financial resources they were given, we too will have to give an account for the opportunities we have and the resources we have been assigned.
For composer Dan Forrest, this manifests in his ambition both to create beauty in his music, and actively to develop his compositional skills:
I will make the most beautiful music I can, not because music-making is my ultimate end, but because I want to press my gifts to their maximum potential toward the true ultimate end: glorifying God. This is equally true of my ‘secular’ music and ‘sacred’ music.[3]
What does this mean for us as Christian composers?
Intentionally involving God in the process
If we are accountable for our output, we have to be intentional about our creative processes. J.A.C Redford in an interview with Amber Salladin[4] described his creative process as a prayer:
The prayer when I am writing music - that form of prayer is some of the deepest prayer that I engage in. The choices that I have to make in terms of what note follows the last one, they are all informed by this huge enveloping thing which is a relationship with the God who made me…
Just as every person has their own process and patterns in relating to God in their quiet time and prayer life, there is no one solution here. Yet, in the light of our calling as creators in collaboration with God, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, it is important that we develop our own processes to actively involve God in how we create.
Intentionally reflecting biblical truth in our works
We can also be intentional in ensuring that the music we create reflects the truth of the Word. Whether engaging with secular or sacred themes, biblical truth should still be our compass. With sacred sources of inspiration, we can be conscious in ensuring we understand the doctrine behind them and how it relates to what is written in the Word. With sacred texts, we can be thorough in our translations and understanding of their contexts to ensure that we reflect each word’s true meaning in our settings.
Intentionally taking responsibility for the dissemination and use of our music
Lastly, we can be intentional in how we share our music, and how our music is used. Music is a formidable tool that can both regulate and manipulate our emotions. It can unite people across cultures, but also create delineations between people groups. Looking at historical examples like the music of Verdi and Wagner, music can have tremendous political power, and be used or abused accordingly. As composers, we have to be aware of the potential power of our music, and be conscientious in ensuring that it is used for good purposes. In the modern day, where we have the legal rights to control the use of our music, as well as the public platforms to be able to defend our music and its original intentions, we can be more actively responsible about how our music is used.
Conclusion
As a student, I was moved by the beauty of music, the raw energy I found in performing it, and when writing it, the thrill of exploring something new. I was motivated to create because I saw the power of music in my life, and I wanted to bring that beauty out in what I did. However, as music became more tied to my professional life and my finances, my creative activities became dictated by my projects and deadlines, and my vision for my creative output and what I wanted to achieve naturally also began to narrow. In a career where it is easy to see individual works as the goal, we need to be intentional about seeing and reminding ourselves of the big picture.
J.A.C. Redford once said:
I think of Eric Liddell’s phrase in Chariots of Fire, "When I run I feel His pleasure…" When I write music I feel His pleasure, it is the way I can run… [We] all do different things, and in Lewis’ perspective, every one of those things is necessary for God to be completely praised… each one of us has a particular way of praising God and for me it’s music.[5]
As composers, we have been given the extraordinary gift of being able to glorify God through bringing out the infinite possibilities within sound in all that we write. We have the power of the Holy Spirit not only to understand, but also to express truths of God's world beautifully, and to do so in a way that witnesses to the hope and truth of the gospel. Lastly we have the responsibility of praising the Lord through stewarding the gifts He has given us to the fullest of our ability. When we intentionally set these truths as our motivations to compose, and when we actively connect our creative processes with our relationship with Christ, we can create not only for Him but with Him. We can experience His pleasure, and know that what we do contributes to a bigger picture that is infinitely bigger and more meaningful than anything we could ever think up for ourselves.
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[1] https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/article/cultural-mandate-and-the-image-of-god/
[2] MacMillan, James, and Richard McGregor. 2010. 'James MacMillan: A conversation and commentary.' Musical Times 151: 69–100.
[3] https://danforrest.com/what-i-believe/
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK9BrYOAFQ8
[5] ibid.