Who Said That?

"The whole plan of singing should be constituted not to give empty pleasure to the ear, but in such a way that the words be clearly understood by all.  And thus the hearts of listeners be drawn to desire of heavenly harmonies in the contemplation of the joys of the Blessed.  They shall also banish from church all music that contains whether in the singing or in the organ playing things that are lascivious or impure."

You know the drill . . .  Leave your guess in the comments section below.  Please no google searches, or cheating.

Update on Saturday, October 11, 2008 at 04:02PM by Kim Riddlebarger

This comes from the Council of Trent (1545-1563), specifically the Canon on Music to be used for the Mass.

Comments

[John Yeazel]

Thank you Alice for the correction. I let my presuppositions get the best of me before I knew the facts. I even let that thought pass through my head-that his first wife might have died. Most of the reformers that I know of lived remarkably selfless and holy lives even though that was the last thing they talked about or emphasized in their writtings and ministry. They got the message that the least we can do for the Saviour of our souls is live a holy life out of gratitude for what he has done for us. I have a tendency to be weak on sanctification (as Rod Rosenbladt says) and try to give hope to those who know they are not as sanctified and holy as they should be.

[Merritt]

I would say someone more modern like Mike Horton or Scott Clark. Maybe one of the Westminster divines too.

[Merritt]

It sounds like something Catholic though so i am thinking my first guess was probably wrong and I don't think Luther or Calvin said it. Maybe it was a pope like Pope Leo or somebody like that.

[KL]

Calvin

[Felix]

Probably some prude fake like Rebecca St James.

[John Yeazel]

I love the comments on this Who Said That blog- particularly the one about Lemmy and the Motorheads.

[John Yeazel]

I could see Calvin saying this more than Luther. Also, Bill Gothard might be a good guess also. The one who took the music classes and said it was from the Council of Trent also seems reasonable.

[Timinator]

John Calvin

[M Cotten]

Chas Wesley

[KyleinWI]

Just a comment about Luther and the bar songs. That is a myth.

4. Luther's Hymns Were Originally Tavern Songs
Some involved in Contemporary Christian Music use this argument to validate contemporary styles of music being used in church: if even the great Martin Luther found value in contemporary music being used in Church, shouldn't we likewise do the same? In actuality, Luther used only one popular folk tune, I Came From An Alien Country, changed the words, and named the hymn, From Heaven On High, I Come to You. Four years after he did this, he changed the music to an original composition.

http://www.aomin.org/aoblog/index.php?itemid=2081

[John Yeazel]

Busted again!- I appreciate people piping up and correcting me when necessary. Actually, if I remember right, I heard Francis Schaeffer make that statement about Luther and bar songs. It was in reference to a question about what he thought of contemporary Christian music. He seemed to endorse it- I believe this was sometime back in the late 70's before all the controversy about contemporary music used in Church services reached its boiling point.