Posted by Rick Denney on July 05, 2002 at 11:06:31:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: why play wagner? posted by BP on July 04, 2002 at 10:33:02:
Wagner had jewish friends, too. And I'm sure Bruckner has atheist friends. I have a few myself. Our friends don't define our beliefs, or even our convictions, unless we partake with them in behavior that defies those beliefs and convictions.
Likewise, I can listen to Wagner and enjoy the music because it is good. I can hardly understand opera singers when they are singing in my language. And I've often been guilty of singing along with a favorite old rock-n-roll tune, the words of which I utterly renounce. Once, a fine pianist played Mozart during an offertory--a bold move in that conservative Bible church. The congregation applauded when he was done, and me along with them. We usually don't applaud after offertory music. But we live in the world, and we responded in a secular way to secular music, and if anyone was offended they kept it to themselves. I doubt many of them would approve of Mozart's lifestyle or world view.
Rick "who thinks this topic leads to bigger topics" Denney