Major keys...

[Dave]

I'm looking to prepare a talk on attitudes to the arts within the church, and I am trying to trace some sources for a comment I once heard about music.



Apparently, centuries ago, the church banned songs in major keys, as they were considered too joyful and frivolous for Christians to sing. Christians back then were expected to be solemn and serious all the time.



I'm keen to know if this can be verified, as I obviously don't want to say anything that's incorrect.



I only heard it mentioned in passing years ago, and can't remember any of the details. The speaker may have said Ionian mode instead of major scale (if that sounds like a load of Greek to you, it is, but now is not the place for a discussion on scales and music theory).



I want to contrast this to the fact that books have been written recently in which minor keys are condemmed as being too miserable and sad for believers. Also, in Jewish society, minor keys are often associated with joy and celebration. So some of the songs that Jesus sang (and almost certainly danced to) were probably in minor keys.



Conclusion being that we should be reluctant to say that A is right and B is wrong, as we interpret music and other art forms from our own cultural perspectives. We are frequently unaware that these have both changed over time and are anything but universal.