Re: "Good" music

Date: 19 May 2003 13:46:37 -0700
Newsgroups: alt.music.gospel.southern
Size: 2,437 bytes

Well, composition of Gospel Music has two different components. The
first component is the lyrics and the second the music.
The lyrics can sometimes, I repeat sometimes, be judged on content
alone. And you're right, there seems to be a dumbing down of lyrical
content. I think that Gloria Gaither did a little talk on this once in
one of their recorded concerts. When we compare the content of many of
today's lyrics with the great words of Watts and Wesley and Crosby,
they don't measure up. The content is often more related to some sort
of emotional release that it is to content of praise and adoration. I
have very little use for most modern Christian church music (other
then the Gaithers and Crouch), and prefer older hymns almost
exclusively.
However, there are exceptions, and the moving of the Spirit is the
ultimate judge. It all depends on whether you can tell the difference
between rabble rousing and a true moving of the Spirit.
But consider these words:
"Long my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and natures night,
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray, I woke, the dungeon flamed with
light,
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth and followed Thee."
Almost nothing of that quality is being written today. Now, among the
entertainment songs, those by Rodney and Roger and Kirk and others,
there are some very, very good lyrics. Roger's songs "Don't Be Afraid"
and " Healing" are say very profound things.
With respect to music, there is a lot of very poor music being
written, from a musical standpoint. Many of the people writing music
don't have any understanding of musical theory, so they juxtapose
chords and write progressions that simply don't make any musical sense
and it is jarring to musicians. I've even rewritten some things that
just simply don't work, changed a chord here and there, to make them
musically palatable. Then, again, some of the composers like the ones
I've already mentioned, put together some wonderful music.
Bill Gaither used to say that people criticized him for his simple
three-chord music, and Roger Bennett once said that he was criticized
for the same thing. Only advantage is, their music is not trying to be
anything but a vehicle for what they are trying to say, and it works
well, AND can be sung and played by just about anyone.
Well, enough for now. A little theory and a little theology may help
to leaven the bread.
Larry Davis
Atlanta, GA