Klarinet Archive - Posting 000631.txt from 1998/12

From: James Rosen <mgervick@-----.edu>
Subj: [kl] Bible and music - changed question
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 18:16:58 -0500

<How could you ignore the Messiah (Handel) this time of year?
Gary>

The class is only on the Hebrew Bible, so I thought that this would be an
inappropriate topic.
Now, however, I have expanded, and will include both sections of the
Bible. A friend of mine is working specifically on Oratorii, so I have to
keep their use to a minimum.
The question I hope to answer is: How does the society in which a
composer is writing effect his use of the Bible in text. I plan to compare
(among others) Mozart's Catholic writing (requiem in d), Bach's Lutheran
writing (hundreds of cantatas - are there any major works by Bach?) and
Lloyd Weber's secular writing (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat). If there are any other major Christian religions to which
"big-name" composers subscribe(d), I would like that information, if
possible.
For those with any other thoughts (thank you Gary and Craig), I need
more of other peoples' analyses than the names of possible pieces. With all
the pieces yet written, I could easily write a thousand pages. I must,
alas, keep it down to fifteen, and a ten minute presentation.

Thanks again,
James

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