When I saw this thread on one of my favorite (ish, depends on who's posting and on what topic) websites, my first thought was to post it here, but I feel like I've posted here, too much.
But... this is a discussion too wonderful to pass up with you folks. So read the post, and a lot of the comments, too! And tell me what you think. And Adelle and Cam, I won't mind if you copy-paste your comment from my other blog into this one. I might do the same.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
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don't mind if I do...
ReplyDeleteinteresting. I found nothing inappropriate about her voice. there wasn't even too much style added in. it sounded very simple. I wonder if people really did tell her that... it's hard not to feel like she's exaggerating about what happened!
it's funny what people say to other people, it really is. Even if I thought something like that were inappropriate, I don't think I would ever go and tell them that because that would probably really hurt their feelings. I'd let the bishop do it. And if the bishop thought that was necessary, then maybe it really was inappropriate.
Again, I enjoyed her beautiful voice. I read a few of the comments on her post as well, and I really agreed with the ones saying that if you are trying to draw attention and glory to yourself, you're on the wrong track; but if you are doing things for the right reason, the congregation should be able to feel the spirit if you're doing it right.
also very interesting to think about what would it would be like if the church had been restored in a different country, and the music went along with their religious traditions.... hmmm...
I think that I would be open to more types of media in sacrament meetings. For instance, I would love a nice, beautiful trumpet solo rendition of something like "where shall I turn for peace" or a nice, classical guitar arrangement of a hymn. I also would love it if we had more "black spiritual" type music every once in a while in our sacrament meetings. There's this group that meets in SLC that is a support group for Black members of the church, and they have a couple of inserts into their hymnbook-- singing hymns in that style is a very different experience from singing a sacrament hymn in the standard way.
ReplyDeleteI stand outside the polynesian ward's sacrament meeting and hear the harmony and amazing, soulfoul singing and wish we could have more of that... I feel like singing is a losing battle in some congregations and we could use a little of Gladys Knight, yes, in our sacrament meetings.
I think it's a hard boundary to find... the difference between singing out, singing soulfully, and not singing for your own glory. I think there is a difference... and there have been plenty of classical sopranos who have done a by-the-book version of a hymn that has made me cringe because it's ALL about the "performance" and skill of the performer and not the spirit of the hymn. At the same time I think some are inclined to call a certain sound or type of performance "innappropriate" because it's more pop-y or soul-y sounding.
Honestly I feel like it's sad, how unenthusiastic we are in our sacrament meetings about music. It seems to me half the people don't even sing. And in primary, it's like pulling teeth, I feel sorry for the poor primary chorister. Compare that to the polynesian primary... holy cow! It's hilarious. The primary chorister has to yell to get them to stop for a second!
I have so many confusing, conflicted thoughts about this... I guess in summary I feel that our current definition of what is "spiritual" in sacrament meeting is too narrow... but I also agree that the rule should be to provide music that provides the spirit, and not for the glory of the performer.... maybe?
From what I heard in the recording, that particular rendition wouldn't have occurred to me as having a problem.
ReplyDeleteCommenting more generally: There's an interesting parallel to singing in D&C 25: the song of the righteous is compared to a prayer. Some public prayers are from the heart, some seem tainted by a self-conscious focus on the person's own eloquence. This issue has been often commented on, including statements by the Savior. On the other hand, when I start noticing it during a prayer and criticizing it, I realize that I, myself, may be having a problem of my own . . .
Back to music: the issue of musical culture and how that relates to spirituality can get hard to fathom. Often this gets mixed up with the issue of authority as well as localized tastes and reactions--and artists of all types do find themselves struggling with these kinds of issues. I do think that religious traditions in general have a tendency to emphasize emotional responses as a way for people to get the sense that something transcendent has happened. And music, of course, can reach deeply into one's emotions. However, music can also reach deeply into one's spirit as well. If I'm mixed up about this general issue of emotion vs. spirit, I will probably be mixed up in its musical application.
Some years ago I wrote a song about the Death and Resurrection of Jesus and my wife sang it in sacrament meeting. The piece didn't sound too terribly "modern" to me--I kept asking family members, "what do you think?" and no one told me definitely. However, I think everyone else at church thought it was over the line--maybe way over the line. One friend did tell me, "It's about time we had something modern in church," and everyone else said nothing and turned their eyes away. I don't remember anyone else at Church ever saying anything to me at all, maybe because they knew I wrote it (which is probably a second problem--causing even more focus away from the purpose of the meeting). (My girls have a copy of the song in a collection I gave them last Christmas) At this point I don't trust my own ear as much as my estimation of other people's--and that's what music in Church is for--for the group.
As with many things, looking back now, I can realize that I needed the Spirit to help me decide things. And I have utmost respect for authority, too. I can't sufficiently unravel the cultural issues brought up initially, myself.
I once heard a rumor that my mother and Janine Blackham played an instrumental arrangement of a Beatles tune in sacrament meeting. Talk about inappropriate! :)
ReplyDeleteI think a skillfully and soulfully played harmonica could make a great musical number in sacrament meeting. Or a quiet banjo accompanying a singer. Or a brass quintet at Christmastime! Today I heard an opera-trained vocalist sing an arrangement of "Come Thou Fount" that steered away from the traditional melody and chord structure. It was refreshing to hear another "perspective" of an old hymn.
It is hard for me to understand how some things are generally accepted as appropriate and others inappropriate. If our church had been restored in Africa instead of America I'm sure many things would be different.
I guess a lot of our perspectives come from our cultural heritage.
Yeah... it's so interesting to me, what different people call a spiritual experience. I actually think that Heavenly Father works through me in emotions sometimes. Usually calm, peace, warmth, but sometimes it's a huge burst of happiness, accompained by peace and sudden understanding, that leaves me a quivering mass of stereotypical over-emotional mormon mom-type at the pulpit.
ReplyDeleteMusic does that for me, too. If something really means something to me, I'll feel strongly about it... and quite often that is very conducive to the pure understanding or sudden enlightenment the spirit brings.
That whole "emotions vs real spirit" to me is a tough thing. Some people do feel pretty strong emotions when they feel the spirit! (Aunt Linda? Mom?) Anyway.
Michele- correction: it was me and Denise Evans who played Ron's arrangement of "Yesterday" in Sacrament meeting when I was 12. Denise's mother made us matching long, purple dresses which we wore. All of the old ladies in the ward loved it. Little did they know that we were playing the very music they despised. I was just an innocent 12 year old. Uncle Ron was the devious one, with his trickery. (okay, just kidding, none of us knew any better, and the arrangement was very nice).
ReplyDeleteI don't remember this incident or the arrangement--or I'm not quite sure if I don't remember it the more I think about it. In matters of memory and mind there is that thin ice--just this morning a student during first period pointed out that I was wearing an umatched pair of shoes. I quickly covered, saying, "Isn't today 'mismatch' day?" They said no, that was last week (it was last week, so for me it was kind of a meta-mismatch mismatch). I think they suspected the truth.
ReplyDeleteAs for ideas about emotion and spirit (or Spirit), I would have to be satisfied with a good definition of both terms to really have a handle on it. But I do believe they are distinct, and I think one can accompany the other, and lead to the other as well.
So funny!! Laughing so hard I'm choking here.
ReplyDeleteSo if "Yesterday" can bring the Spirit into a meeting, then really, where does it end??
:)
(Uncle Ron, I'm wondering if you could come up with an Aerosmith/Hymn medley that might pass bishop approval.)
Ha! So the rumor was true! That is so funny. Too bad we can't find that arrangement somewhere.
ReplyDelete