The Significance of Music

I thought it was especially interesting that during Augustine's explanation concerning his reception into the church, he mentioned the importance of music in the realm of a church service. Augustine writes, when he began attending church, "It was the time that the practice was instituted of singing hymns and psalms after the manner of the Eastern churches, to keep the people from being altogether worn out with anxiety and want of sleep" (173). Being a pretty regular churchgoer, I see where Augustine is coming from when he writes that hymns aid people in not falling asleep during the droll of a pastor in a one hour long service. My pastor in Urbanna posseses this droll to a great extent. In our services, we rely on the choir not only to keep us awake, but to give us motivation to pay attention and focus on the rest of the service. Although my upcoming statement may only be an assumption, it seems to me that the gift of music has aided immensely in the spirituality of many people of all religions as it triggers alertness and the ability to become involved in the contents of the service.