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Here is an example of the stirrings of diversity
and the reaching beyond stereotypes brought about through a felon from the Nixon
administration who found his way in prison. It is a short step
from this music to the acceptence of the Jews not as "Killers of Jesus" as Mel
Gibson seems to be saying (I haven't seen the movie so I'm reacting to the
reactors).
This was posted to a Church music discussion list
that has a large number of people who are struggling with dialogue
within their Faith. It encompasses people all across the
political, educational, musical and theological spectrem including one
heathen. I find the list invigorating and hopeful in its struggle
with issues and with what is relevant to music and not. Not unlike
some of the discussions here but with a little harder edges. At the
end of this Colson article I am including what I wrote to them.
I'm not sure why I'm posting it except for those
who are interested in the progression of the consciousness of the "people of
faith" group. As for work? Music is work and so is
"Church biz." I've known Idelsohn for years and have his book
on Jewish Music. If you go to the link you might enjoy the music and
find that it is remarkable in some of the realtionships to contemporary Israeli
and other middle eastern music. In working with a couple of
Iranians I was surprised that one in particular couldn't match pitches with the
piano but when given an Iranian poem she could improvised the most complicated
melodies and rhythms effortlessly. Culture and habit is an
interesting filter for perception.
Ray Evans Harrell
Ancient
Echoes
Hearing the Music Jesus Heard by Charles
Colson
A century ago, Abraham Idelsohn, the father of modern musicology, began a study of Jewish music around the world. By cataloguing what these otherwise different kinds of music had in common, he was able to reconstruct the music of ancient Israel-specifically, the music of Jesus' time. Now, building on Idelsohn's work, an award-winning ensemble has made it possible for us to explore a bit of Jesus' world ourselves. The group is the San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble, and the product of their work is their recording Ancient Echoes: Music from the Time of Jesus and Jerusalem's Second Temple. The Ensemble worked with archaeologists to "weave the existing clues" as to what the music of Jesus' time sounded like. The clues were found "etched in stone, sculpture, coins," and, of course, in the pages of Scripture itself. What's more, there are living clues in isolated Middle Eastern communities that have scarcely changed in the past two thousand years. The result of all this painstaking research is a reasonable approximation of the music of first-century Israel. If all of this talk about research sounds a bit academic, the results are anything but. Ancient Echoes transports the listener to a world very different from ours, and yet somehow familiar. The music's unmistakable Middle Eastern quality reminds us that when God became man, He did so in a particular place and time. As Christians, we believe that this setting was not an accident. St. Paul referred to it as "the fullness of time." As such, familiarity with Jesus' world can only deepen our understanding of Him. One of the pieces on Ancient Echoes is a setting for Psalm 114. The versions of this Psalm chanted in Sephardic synagogues and sung in medieval churches were "musically and textually" identical. This similarity suggests "a common origin" in the Jerusalem Temple before the split between Christianity and Judaism. (To listen to a sample, visit this page to listen to this radio commentary.) In our culture, most art is disposable, and people slavishly chase after the new. That makes the music of Ancient Echoes countercultural-even before you consider its links to our Lord. Things of value are never out of date. We close "BreakPoint" today with "Abwoon," the Lord's Prayer, performed in Jesus' own language: Aramaic. (Listen to audioclip.) Copyright (c) 2003 Prison Fellowship Ministries To the list:
This is
terrific. We must learn to value all of the expressions down
through the ages as our heritage and our treasures. We cannot go back to that time except through the works of art where we can personally walk those notes and sounds as they happened in the throats of the ancestors. That is the gift of art and music in particular. I have been given great gifts by the Creator by being sent Jewish Cantors and Rabbis to study voice and elocution with me as well as a great Islamic composer as well. They opened my mind and heart to the non-European roots of so many of the ideas and grounded me in another way. It seems that prison was for Colson as it was for so many people whose lives were changed. Take away their freedom and force them to meditate and turn that meditation into a prayer and wonderful things happen. Perhaps music and a different attitude towards incarceration could make us become heroes instead of villains in the eyes of the world with our prison system. Sometimes the world isn't wrong. We do terrible things to prisoners in the name of justice when it would have been more humane to simply admit murder and kill them rather than abusing them for a life time. Perhaps there is another way. A way that is more consonant with personal growth even as we take away personal freedom. Meditation, study, make available materials that would make them useful to the world and themselves rather than simply spend $70,000 a year to mistreat them for wrongful actions. Is that not more the way of compassion and the Prince of Peace? The loss of freedom is punishment but the loss of their soul is satanic. It is not enough to get a profession of faith. That way is the way of the "rice Christians" which gave rise to Communism in China. Scholarship, Art, growth, Music. We could be on the cusp of a new and better renaissance if we are wise enough. Colson changed and he was a demon when he was in the White House. So did Erlichman when he was sent to the Southwest and got to know the Indians as his "community service" for his crimes. Life and spirituality can change people. I have a beautiful painting on my wall by a wonderful painter who now represents America all over the world. His name is Joe Geschick and he learned to paint scavenging paint from the trash when he was in prison and painting on paper. Later two Indian "Wicasa Wakan", a Menomonee Pyawassett and Martin High Bear went to him and prayed with him. It changed his life and he has become one of America's greatest Native American painters. Perhaps we should remember what other sacred people have learned in prison and figure out a way to facilitate such things rather than being the demons ourselves. Ray Evans Harrell |
