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Music in the city

Gilbert G. Brandt

Music making has always been a part of Mennonite (including Mennonite Brethren) life. Mennonite hymnals provided a variety of songs for worship. Because most Mennonites lived on the farm or had rural roots, the rural nature of the songs in the hymnbooks suited them.

Today Canadian Mennonites are urban in location, but still rural in mentality. The movement to the city began in the 1940s and 1950s, but mostly took place in the 1960s and 1970s. It occurred for a number of reasons, including necessity (farming no longer provided sufficient funds), adventure (life in the city seemed more glamorous) and education (the universities are all in cities). Yet, the parents have often remained in the country, so “home” is still the farm. On holidays and for special events, city dwellers leave their city churches to attend their “home” church.

Life in the city, although enjoyed, often seems to be considered an endurance test – live in the city only until you can afford to live in the country. Very few Mennonites choose the inner city; most want a suburban home with gardens, flowers and pets. This surely reflects our agrarian background. Does it also hinder a real connection with others who have never lived beyond the city borders?

Canadian Mennonite Brethren statistics show that 58% of our churches are “city” churches and that 68.8% of our members attend these city churches (see sidebar). Yet our worship, especially our music, is still agrarian in nature. A close look at the songs listed in our hymnbooks reveals that they focus on the outdoors – streams and mountains – and rarely on the city. Are Mennonite Brethren out of touch with the society around them?

In checking six Mennonite and Mennonite Brethren hymnbooks (see sidebar), I found an almost complete lack of songs referring to the city. A number of songs refer to the “Holy City” and “Zion, City of our God”, but they speak about heaven and do not provide any solace for those who are part of today’s city life. We seem unwilling to make the city a vital part of worship.

These hymnals generally have around 600 songs each. Some songs are in more than one hymnal, but there are still 2,500–3,000 hymns in total. Yet even among this large number, I found few songs that speak about the city. For instance, The Hymnal: A Worship Book (the “new” Mennonite hymnal published in 1992) does have a “City” category in its topical index, but it lists only four titles. Of these, one refers to the future holy city, while the other three speak about the problems in the city.

Worship Together (the “new” Mennonite Brethren hymnal, published in 1995) is scarcely better. The following are all the references I could find: “Praise God for the Harvest” (#175) speaks about farmers, but also about miners, oil workers and inventors. “What Does the Lord Require?” (#678) speaks about merchants and workers. “Lord, Whose Love Through Humble” (#202) refers to homeless children and the hungry. “In Jungles Deep and Deserts Dry” (#648) has a verse speaking about city streets, although country lanes are mentioned in the same verse. “There’s a Spirit in the Air” (#645) refers to people working and children being hungry. “We Stand United in the Truth” (#423) speaks about earthly empires and builders who “dream no more”. “The Savior Comes to Set Us Free (#268) speaks of gates of brass, probably referring to city gates, and “Lift Up Your Heads, O Mighty Gates” (#272) refers to the gates through which the King of Glory will enter. “Once in Royal David’s City” (#281) speaks of the birthplace of Jesus in a city, but in a barn within that city.

Many churches no longer use hymnals, preferring to project songs on a screen, but even these contemporary “worship style” songs are filled with references to peaceful rest, pastoral scenes and images of God and Christ. These songs also do not reflect the physical reality of our life in the city.

This analysis reveals that our music reflects an agrarian background, and the few songs that speak about the city tend to portray the city as a place of struggle, maybe even a place to shun. Although many of the present “city dwelling” Mennonites were raised in the country, there are enough church attendees who have never been part of rural society. Is it not possible to provide more music for the city dweller – the person who calls the city “home”? Where are the musicians who can provide “city” music? Who will dare to write the lyrics to reflect the time and place in which we live?

Gilbert Brandt is a member of River East MB Church in Winnipeg.

The hymnbooks analyzed were:

The Hymnbook (Mennonite Brethren, 1960). Worship Hymnal (Mennonite Brethren, 1971). Sing Alleluia (Mennonite Brethren chorus book, 1985, plus later supplements). Worship Together (the new Mennonite Brethren hymnal, 1995). The Mennonite Hymnal (Mennonite Church, 1969). Hymnal, A Worship Book (Mennonite Church, 1992). According to the 2000–2001 Planner/Directory, the Canadian Mennonite Brethren Conference has 222 established churches with 35,585 members. (The directory also includes a number of emerging churches, which do not give membership members.) Of the 222 churches, 129 are city churches. They have 24,478 members out of the total of 35,585. This means that 58% of Canadian MB Churches are city churches and 68.8% of all members attend these city churches.

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Last modified November 5, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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