聖奧古斯丁《懺悔錄》中論及音樂的快樂和危險

我記得，當我第一次找回我的信仰時，聽到教堂的贊美詩，我不禁熱淚盈眶。甚至到了今天，我仍為歌唱本身而不是其內容感動不已。當人們以清澈的嗓音和適當的旋律歌唱時，我承認這個習俗是有很大用處的。

因此，我徘徊於危險的悅愉和被認可的道德規範之間，雖然我傾向於批准在教堂中使用歌曲（但我並不是說我對這一問題的意見是不可改變的），這樣就可以使較脆弱的心靈因聽覺上的愉悅受到鼓舞而進入度誠的思想中。當我偶然為歌唱本身而不是其內容感動時，我承認是犯了令人痛苦的罪過，於是我但願沒有聽到這種歌唱。
- (聖奧古斯丁：《懺悔錄》10:33)


When I recall the tears that I shed at the song of the Church in the first days of my recovered faith, and even now as I am moved not by the song but by the things which are sung-when chanted with fluent voice and completely appropriate melody-I acknowledge the great benefit of this practice.

Thus I waver between the peril of pleasure and the benefit of my experience; but I am inclined, while not maintaining an irrevocable position, to endorse the custom of singing in church so that weaker souls might rise to a state of devotion by indulging their ears. Yet when it happens that I am moved more by the song than by what is sung, I confess sinning grievously, and I would prefer not to hear the singer at such times.
-(St. Augustine: Confessions 10:33)