beoba

http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/prayer.asp

Damn! I just barely missed "Prayer for Christian Music week!"

No.

philechat

Hey, I like Christian music!

I mean Christian classical music, not any of the gospels stuff or Xian rock.

What? Brahms and Verdi said they were agnostic?

Never mind

mnkbdky

The zenith of all Christian music is Gustav Mahler--but then again he is the best musician ever, at least so far. A close second is J.S. Bach. Third, Giovanni de Palestrina.

This contemporary Xian music is really not any good at all. It presents an unrealistic view of the world, Oprahesque.

The best contemporary Xian music would be Pink Floyd (maybe even Tool), even though they are not Xian. At least it presents a nihilistic or melancholic view of the world, similiar to Ecclesiastes. A view from which man must be redeemed. If you do not show what man has been redeemed from then it cannot be truly Xian. Xian music should, therefore, be quiet vulgar, quiet offensive, with the intent to show what man will be saved from.

Anyway, these are my thoughts. I could be wrong.

philechat

Ah, Mahler. Now it gets more interesting since his version of Christian music is often ambivalent. See, for example, the lyrics to the 4th movement of the 4th symphony--about the vision of heaven. It is among the most chilling depictions of heaven one can find, complete with the ritual sacrifices of the animals. Given that Mahler is vegeterian (under the influence of Wagner) there are even more layers of meanings piled on what seemed to be a simple song.

(shudders)

The music must be great by itself, religious or otherwise, for I tend to care less about the lyrics. Verdi's latest work (a religious choral piece called "Four Sacred Pieces") gave me mystical experiences every time I played it, as did Debussy's "The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian". Neither of them are Christians, however.

Sakpo

(This only applies if your top three applies to all musicians, not just Christian type musicians)

Only if you're limiting yourself to classical music. I'm sorry, but Charlie Parker is definitely a contender for any top 3 all time musicians list, unless you arbitrarily limit yourself to European style music.

mnkbdky

I am sorry I cannot endorse CP. Though his jazz rocks, it is hard for me to consider him a musician, since--if I recall correctly--he did not know how to read or right music. I am not denying he had a good ear or had tremendous talent. I just cannot lable someone as one of the best musicians ever if they do not know how to read or write. Perhaps I am wrong, my knowledge of history sucks. I read it and it just goes out the side of head.

mnkbdky

We enjoy the heavenly delights,
therefore do we shun the earthly.
No worldly tumult is heard in heaven!
All live in balmiest peace!
But we are quite merry at the same time!
We dance and skip, we frisk and sing!
Saint Peter in heaven looks on!
John lets out the little lamb,
The butcher Herod lies in wait for it!
We lead a patient, innocent, patient,
darling little lamb to its death!
St. Luke slaughters the ox
without any hesitation or concern,
the wine costs not a penny in the heavenly cellar,
the angels bake the bread.
Good vegetables of every kind
grow in the heavenly garden!
Good asparagus, beans and whatever we may desire!
Whole tureens-full are prepared fo us!
Good apples, good pears and good grapes!
the gardeners make room for everything!
If you want deer or hare, they come running to you
along the open road! Should a fast day perchance arrive,
all the fish swim by at once gladly!
There runs St. Peter already with net and with bait
into the heavenly fishpond.
St. Martha must be the cook!
There is truly no music on eath
with which ours can be comparted.
Eleven thousand maidens venture to dance!
St. Ursula herself laughs to see it!
There is truly no music on earth
with which ours can be compared.
Cecilia and her relatives
are excellent court musicians!
The angel voices enliven the senses,
So that everyone awakes for joy.

What a marvelous thing to look forward to. A day when all is right. When I will actually enjoy taking my head off of the pillow. A day when I will know nothing but joy and that abundantly. The day when I will meet Mahler alongside my Savior will certainly be the most joyous day of my soul's existence.

simul iustus et peccator

philechat

If Mahler is really that good a Christian in God's eyes...

I mean, he is a genius; but he is at most a nominal Catholic. He is not exactly the most religious kind you will find on earth (for a truely religious soul, go for Bruckner)--even his conversion from Judaism has something to do with the anti-Semitic atmosphere at that time. I lack your sugar-sweet hope, sir. In my opinion if humanity fucked up, that would be it. No heaven to correct or justify anything.

ajm51987

Mmmm fruit.

::Runs off to go eat some fruit::

Sakpo

Isn't a musician just someone who can play music? The ability or inability to access one form of recording music seems entirely irrelevant to this matter. Jazz is just as high a form of music as classical but due to some key differences it does not require the ability to read music (much in the same way that classical music does not require a musician to be skilled in improvisation).