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The founders of the Religious Society of Friends believed that programmed singing was not in keeping with their desire for worship to be spontaneous and authentic - not ‘in the spirit’. Their prohibition against music in worship, together with a long-standing emphasis on quiet contemplation and plain and simple living (which characterized music as an unnecessary amusement) has led to the popular perception of Quakers being against music. |
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This exhibit examines the complex relationship between music and Quakerism from the founding of the movement to its present. Among the types of documents on display are 17th-century religious tracts against music, writings that reveal the changing attitudes toward music among Friends in the late 19th century, musical portrayals of Quakers from various eras, and compositions by contemporary Quaker musicians. |
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