User

Hello, In case you don't know me my name is User and I attend a fundamentalist Christian school. And I happen to have been placed in a Speech/Debate class.

Today a young man was trying to argue that all music other than Classical music was "evil" and "worthless trash." He claimed that only Classical music was good enough for Church, and other "lesser" musics (Rock, Rap, etc.) should be discarded as the Devil's tools. I was half paying attention, until something clicked in my mind. Quite a few of these "godly" composers were non-theists including such heavyweights as Beethoven, Wagner, and Mozart. We ran out of time, so we're going to have the post-speech Q&A session on Monday.

If you have any information on major Freethinker composers, please respond before Monday.

Thanks.

Doctor X

Well, at least he recognizes that "Christian Rock" is "worthless trash" and "evil."

There is hope for the lad. . . .

--J.D.

beastmaster

What does he mean by "Classical music"? The "classical" period of music is from 1750-1800. Is he referring strictly to the music composed between 1750 and 1800? Surely he doesn't mean that Baroque (1600-1750) and Gregorian chant are the Devil's music! And what about post-classical music including Romantic (1800-1900) and Modern (20th C.) music? What's in and what's out? Is Eric Satie in? Stockhausen? Harry Partch? Iannis Xenakis? The Carmina Burana? What about the compositions for machines/player pianos/computers by George Antheil, Conlon Nancarrow, and Raymond Scott?

It seems to me that Gospel music would be more at home in a church than even Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.

What does he mean by the Church? Is he referring to the Catholic Church? Why would a fundie Protestant defer to the Pope's taste in music?

User

Very good points...I believe he was referring to Classical music in the broadest sense possible. And he is reffering to ANY church from Catholic to our school Chapel service.

LOL...I would really like to see them get some John Cage into the Chapel line-up.

Autonemesis

You aren't familiar with the content of Wagner's Ring cycle operas, are you? Here is a synopsis. Ask your opponent whether this is an appropriate work to perform in his church. Then compare it to the Bible.

Lolabrigida

If I remember correct, Bach was used to getting raised eyebrows by the clergy because some of his compositions for mass sounded too much like 'pub music'. I don't think he was a non-believer though. Just a thought.

Paganini was thought to have sold his soul to the devil. They also had rumors that he was a mad man who learned to play the violin in prison, eeking out a murder sentence, and the violin only had one string. A woman in the audience during one of his performances swore up and down that she could see satan standing behind him guiding the bow. After he died, none of the clergy would give him a "Christian" burial and his remains stayed outside of the city in an ice shed.

Tschiacovski was a nut who would conduct his works with one hand and the other on top of his head. When someone asked him why he did that his response was "So my head doesn't fall off!!"

These are all off the top of my head. I took piano lessons not so long ago and the music teacher would tell me some of the funnies these fellows did. Don't know if any of them were true 'freethinkers' though.

Deacon Doubtmonger

Hans Werner Henze wrote a Requiem which he openly declared to be atheistic instead of religious.

abe smith

The asserter is displaying junk thinking; thinks LABELs make the entities.

conkermaniac

Yep...I'm sure "4 Minutes, 33 Seconds" would be a lovely choice.

conkermaniac

I doubt most Christians know who Satie is, but if they did, I'm sure that Gymnopedies is out.

Did your piano teacher tell you that Tchaikovsky was a closet homosexual? I would have to say that that's the most interesting thing about him. He actually tried to arrange a marriage with one of his students to prove that he wasn't gay, but it ended up failing miserably, and he tried to commit suicide by jumping into a freezing river.