Requiems and Worship

Well, first of all, this post certainly got me thinking. My initial response to Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim was, I bet you she's not a musician. But, before I go much further, here's the link to the article I'll be more or less referencing. No guarantees that what she writes about is all that I write about.

Talk about a conversation starter, right? I mean what to address first, there are so many options. Before we get to the "Closer to God" bit, let's just have a moment to discuss classical music genius.

First, I believe that Mozart and Bach are the revered composers they are today because of their ability to support and integrate the meaning of the text within their music. When I perform these sacred works, I may not understand the direct translation of what the vocalists are singing, but through the music I instinctively know what is being communicated. If all the power were merely in the text, Bach and Mozart would not have done their job. These works are masterpieces because of the power of both the music and the text. If it was just one or the other, I know they would not be revered such as they are. But, let's get one thing straight. When I perform a work like Mozart's Requiem, I make it a point to read the text. Yes, by listening to the music, I could roughly determine what the composer chose to communicate through text. But, they're master works because of the integration (not the isolation) of text and music. I agree with Corinna that failing to study both, would only be a disservice to the audience (or congregation) as well as the composer. However, I think it's excessive to be asking the musicians to have both the text and the music memorized for the performance.

Let's move on to the title: Can Classical Music Bring You Closer to God? I'll admit, my most cherished memories of worship to God have in fact been playing such pieces as Faure's and Mozart's Requiem, and ever Mahler's Symphony No. 2 "The Resurrection". Some of them have been for paying audiences, others for church congregations. They have all been opportunities for me to worship, or (as Corinna puts it) moments to be brought closer to God. I'll repeat that for good measure. I can and do worship God regardless of the audience, the building, or the music. That might ruffle some feathers. If you've ever been to church, you'll have heard church "worship music". From church to church it can sound vastly different. For certain, whatever church you go to it will sound different than your classical music requiem as performed by your local orchestra. My personal feeling on the matter is this: God can be and is worshiped with music (Yes, God can be worshiped other ways, but let's not open pandora's box). Stop trying to put labels on what type of music God likes. Music is Music.


I'll end this by saying, what an example for believing artists today that the forefathers of our faith and music took such detail to give God their best.