THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN CHURCH COMMUNITIES

: A CASE OF A POLISH CHURCH COMMUNITY IN LONDON

Abstract

Music has been intrinsically connected to culture, and it is virtually impossible to find any culture without music. The role of music cannot be studied or understood when taken out of a given context. Music has also been present in religious communities, especially exerting an enormous influence on worship practices in all Christian traditions. This study looks at a specific context of Polish church music in London a decade after Poland’s inclusion into European Community. Music appears to play a significant role in religious lives both in church and outside of the sacred contexts amongst Polish immigrants. The main aim of this research is to explore the role music fulfils in these immigrant communities. This will be achieved by looking at the functions of music, the meaning of music, and identities in music within these church communities. Through the employment of mixed methods, this research aspired to clarify the connections between the functions, the meanings, and the identities. It described a case of a church community, and its congregants’ music participation, in the Polish church in North London. The main fieldwork of the study was one Catholic parish around which the musical activities took place. The research questions related to the functions, meaning and identities were explored quantitatively and qualitatively. From the quantitative point of view, the study employed a survey. 78 Polish church attendees answered a questionnaire about the role of music in church communities. The findings suggest a close relation between music and religion for the church attendees and that Polish church music might contribute to the continuity and stability of culture and the sustenance of the ethnic identity. The qualitative part employs the data collected from the interviews with 31 interviewees conducted individually and in groups. Some valid data from observations of the church choir and the liturgical music workshops are also used to explain the relation between musical experiences and identity. The interview findings reveal high musical engagement amongst participants at services, church choirs, or liturgical music workshops. The study shows that music can fulfil various functions from the sociopsychological perspective. Such functions as emotional expression, integration of the society or validating of social institutions and religious rituals pervade the research. Some new functions such as prayer facilitation and induction of ineffable experiences are also suggested. Furthermore, the role of music in the church is studied through the construction of musical meaning and identities. The emergence of different identities is quite evident within the communities of musical practice, where the shared language, music and practice boost the sense of belonging. The findings suggest the emergence of postnational group identities and identities in music in the context of an immigrant church. This research shows a dynamic picture of the role of music in a migrant church in London. Although limited to this particular sample, it suggests some practical implications, such as the need for a more professional attitude towards music in churches, which should be addressed by the church authority and the laity alike. Thus, for the church’s musical potential to be realised, good music leadership and good soil for the formation of communities of musical practice in local churches need to be provided.

Date of Award	24 May 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Roehampton
Supervisor	David Hargreaves (Director of Studies) & Antonia Zachariou (Co-Supervisor)