Kyrkomusikens medierande kraft : En studie om urvalet av musik i katolska kyrkan, Svenska kyrkan och frikyrkligheten i Sverige

This study investigates how music is selected and used within the three largest Christian traditions in Sweden: the Catholic Church, the Church of Sweden, and the Free Churches (the Pentecostal church, the Baptist Church and the Mission Church). The aim was to explore how and why strategies for music selection differ between these traditions. Based on qualitative interviews with priests, pastors, and church musicians, the study examines these strategies through the theoretical lenses of Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, doxa, educational capital, cultural capital, and illusio, as well as Birgit Meyer’s ideas about mediation and immediacy. The findings reveal distinct strategies in music selection across the traditions. The Catholic Church prioritizes hierarchical and conservative approaches, emphasizing historical authority and musical quality. The Church of Sweden balances tradition and modernity, focusing on accessibility and the needs of the congregation. The Free Churches, in contrast, adopt a more flexible and pragmatic approach, emphasizing more contemporary music and individual contributions. The differences reflect each tradition’s theological and cultural identity, as well as their approach to engaging their congregations, which also gives us great insight into the different power-dynamics and relations within the churches. This study highlights how music serves as both a cultural and theological medium within church practices, but also demonstrates the role of music in shaping and maintaining religious identity.