Applied Music: Is it a Counter Proposal or an Alternative to the Church Music? - Focusing on choir and praise team -

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to examine diverse worship scenes in Korean church, especially on choir which has been playing various roles and functions as the center of gravity of the church music throughout the long history of church, and, on praise teams which has been newly emerging with applied music that has its background on popular music since the 1980s. This essay tried to seek for reasonable alternatives to face the change and challenges coming from the shift from the choir to the praise team. It also aimed to explore on how to understand and approach these changes and challenges in an appropriate way as being Christians in the 21st century. To achieve the goal, first of all, understandings and viewpoints on worship of people who participate in all kinds of worship were collected through wide and broad method to approach those ideas such as video clip, survey, article, internet, and interview, etc. As looking over the worship scenes in Korean church, through the conceptual understanding and approaching of the 'worship of worshiper' for the last 30 years, the purpose of this essay focused on seeking and recognizing the value of mutual existence of classical liturgical service music (which its form and procedures are based on the long tradition of classical music) and modern praise and worship music (which follows expressive forms of popular music of the western Europe since the mid 20th century and also which was influenced by American and English revival movements in the 19th century) through mutual communication rather than opposition trying to hold fast onto its reason of existence. Choir is now representing the older generation, and praise team the younger. Within a church, there exist two types of worship and praise forms. There are being compared and opposed to each other which in result producing estrangement between the generations, and further more hostility. Yet, the two are representing each generation through playing the most significant roles in modern church music, however, they have failed to establish the standard of common value in cooperation and relationship. Therefore the essay reviewed biblical and historical origins in order to find the essential linkage for the communication and union of those two. In addition to that, the essay briefly provides conceptual understanding and approach to the definition of the worship, classification of worship music, and the relationship between worship and music. And also, it compared various functional roles that the praise involves. Most of all, by musically classifying and analyzing the composition of choir and praise team, positions at services, and each roles and functions of the two, appropriate plan had been sought in order to achieve mutual communication and union. In the conclusion, the essay dealt on the various applications, roles, and plan to expand the function of the choir in the 21st century worship ministries, and necessary conditions for the united ministry of choir and praise team and its operations. I pray that through this essay, worshipers could see the necessity for change and mutual communication in the church music with broader viewpoint and understanding, in order to prepare the future.