Last Thursday, 10/28, in class we discussed the concept of including genealogy into music. The example of Abhram’s family lineage brought into music was a very interesting and attention capturing way of learning about specific genealogies. I wanted to recognize in this blog post how such an uninteresting topic can be completely transformed by music.
We also looked into John Rutter, who is a composer who commonly composes music of Biblical reference while himself does not believe in God. We looked specifically at his song, Requiem which embodies the pain of sorrow that encompesses grief. We discussed whether or not we thought it would be okay for non-religious people to set sacred text to music. I think it is. I think it is hard part of that concept is that people can witness the beauty of religion and continue to disbelieve, but I think the exposure of religious music and as long as the text is not being twisted, there should be no issue with who composes religious music. John Rutter is just one example of a great composer, and I hope to witness more artists like him.