Episode 886: How Music Orders Our Affections, with John Ahern
About this episode
Dr. John Ahern discusses the profound impact of music on our emotions and its role in shaping our affections and desires.
In this re-released lecture, Dr. John Ahern explores why music moves us so deeply, arguing that music works not only through text and melody but through deeper structures—harmony, rhythm, form, and repetition—that shape our emotions often before we consciously notice them. He traces the rise of “art music” as a kind of substitute liturgy and contrasts ancient, churchly, and modern ways of understanding music’s power over the soul. Along the way, Ahern shows why debates about worship music run emotionally hot: music is not neutral background, but a force that orders—or disorders—our affections, desires, and imagination. _____ John Ahern is the director of the Te Deum Music Fellows Program at Theopolis. Learn more and apply, here: https://theopolisinstitute.com/te-deum-music-fellows-program/ _____ Give to our work and become a partner! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the new Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! ______________________ Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres ________ Theopolis on Youtube www.youtube.com/c/Theopolisinstitute Theopolis Blog: theopolisinstitute.com/theopolis-blog/…
People in this episode
Guest: John Ahern
Topics covered
- music
- emotions
- worship
- affection
- art music
- liturgy
Keywords
- music
- affection
- emotions
- art music
- worship music
- liturgy
- harmony
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Theopolis Institute, Te Deum Music Fellows Program, Theopolis, Theopolis Blog, Theopolis on Youtube, Theopolis App
More episodes of The Theopolis Podcast
- Episode 889: Ornament Between Work and Rest, by Dr. John Ahern
- Episode 888: The Gift of Land and Mission (Judges 1)
- Episode 887: Judges - A Comedy of Horrors
- Episode 885: The Church as the New Humanity (Q&A Episode)
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