Puritan views on church music

Puritans railed against organs, choirs, and any form of orchestrated music in church because they believed these were unscriptural, frivolous examples of Catholic idolatry. ---- During services, they encouraged the singing of psalms unaccompanied by any instrument and with no directions for carrying the tune. The theory behind this strange practice was that singers should spontaneously express their elation in God and that artistic considerations should not overshadow substance. An excessive emphasis on artistry did not prove to be a problem, at least not in the first few generations. A) Contrary to popular belief, however, they were not against all church music. B) Amazed visitors to a New England church service could only recoil in aural horror. C) Free to pick their own tunes and cadence, the elated worshippers created a cacophony of discordant notes. D) For all of the 17th century this tradition persisted and the noise got progressively worse. E) Congregation after congregation fought out the singing controversy for over 50 years.