The ‘Distant Music of Social Radicalism’: The debate between Pelagius and Augustine of the 4th Century CE and its Relevance to Music Education

This paper focuses on the Pelagian Debate of the late 4th Century CE between Augustine of Hippo and the British cleric Pelagius, and its little known or understood relevance to music education practice and scholarship. A transdisciplinary review of theological, historical, pedagogical, and musicological texts suggests that Augustinian notions of sin, goodness, and human nature reflect assumptions embedded in traditional classical music education paradigms. As a contrast, Pelagius’ notions of the importance of the “laity,” and criticism of church hierarchy, later suppressed and deemed heretical, can be related to tensions between amateur and professional musicians in music and education contexts. This paper will explore this debate, and Augustine’s victory, as a means of questioning assumptions embedded in music education discourse concerning talent, discipline, and human capacity for music. In this way, the debate is made relevant not only as a means of enhancing understanding of historical conceptions but also as a lens through which contemporary music education might be interrogated.