MODERN CLASSICAL MUSIC AND THE BIBLE

Among all the various genres of music, probably one of the narrowest niches in terms of both rarity and listener interest is found in the conjunction between 20th century classical orchestral and vocal music and biblical subject matter. I must admit that even I, with my admittedly elitist artistic tastes, do not even enjoy listening to some of the pieces listed below.

However, look at it this way, if you can manage to sit through many of the “praise” band presentations of today's typical church services without falling asleep or into a coma, then some of the pieces below can't be much worse. Fortunately, on your computer you can experience streaming at least selections from most of the compositions I have highlighted for free or a nominal fee just to see if you are interested in hearing more.

Paul McCartney – Liverpool Oratorio

    Yes, even one of the Beatles has tried his hand at the ancient church form of the oratorio. But I probably shouldn't have mentioned this piece at all. Although it is meant to be sung in church with a choir, organ, and other musical accompaniment, the subject matter is strictly secular. In addition, it is not really a very successful piece of music, unlike the other pieces below.

The Genesis Suite

    This might be a much better place to begin your musical journey since it consists of short offerings from a variety of composers ranging from giants of 20^th century music such as Stravinsky and Schoenberg to popular producers of Hollywood film scores. If you want to learn more about the background to this unique composition, read my blog titled “The Genesis Suite.”

Leonard Bernstein – Symphony #1: Jeremiah; Chichester Psalms

    Even this very popular American composer turned his great talents back to his Jewish roots for his first of three symphonies and Chichester Psalms, “reflecting on man's closeness to God.” When asked once regarding his religious beliefs, he replied, “Music is my religion.” This is a good illustration of the fact that just because a composer chooses a biblical story or theme for a work, that does not necessarily mean that he treats the Bible as sacred.

Lee Holdridge – Lazarus and His Beloved

    This is another rather accessible piece by a sometime film composer.

Arthur Honegger – King David

    This piece for narrator, choir, and orchestra goes through all the highlights and low points in David's career. The Swiss composer showed his interest in other biblical themes in pieces such as Symphonie Liturgique and A Christmas Cantata.

Alan Hovhaness

    This somewhat mystical composer comes from an Eastern Orthodox Church tradition, and his faith is expressed in various ways through most of his pieces, such as Mysterious Mountain, God Created Great Whales (which includes recorded sounds of actual whale songs), Prayer of St. Gregory, Alleluia and Fugue, and Celestial Fantasy.

Russian composers are well represented in this category due to the powerful association of the Russian Orthodox Church with the Russian identity:

Modesky Moussorgsky – Night on Bald Mountain

    This very popular composition contrasts the forces of the evil which are portrayed through most of the piece being defeated at the end by God's power, symbolized by the church bells heard as day approaches. Leopold Stokowski did a reasonably good job in the Disney film “Fantasia” of blending the end of this composition with a rendering of Schubert's Ave Maria.

Prokofiev – The Prodigal Son

    Even during the Soviet Era in Russia, this composer produced this opera, also accessible through the orchestral suite derived from it. He was reportedly an adherent of the Christian Science belief.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov – The Russian Easter Overture

    This is the earliest of the composers listed here. His music had a great influence over later composers, especially in Russia. The Overture is an other popular concert piece expressing the joy of celebrating the conquest of Christ over the tomb.

Igor Stravinsky

    This Russian emigre, who ended up in my old stomping ground of Southern California, is a personal favorite of mine. Stravinsky changed his musical style about as often as Pablo Picasso varied his modes of artistic expression. And some of his compositions are more obvious than others in reflecting his sincere Russian Orthodox faith. These include Symphony of Psalms, Threni (based on the book of Lamentations), and Canticum Sacrum.

Several other composers should be added who turned to biblical subjects for their musical compositions even though the composers themselves may or may not have been particularly religious:

Arnold Schoenberg – Moses and Aaron

    This is an unfinished opera recounting incidents from the Book of Exodus.Schoenberg himself was raised a Jew, but later converted and joined the Lutheran Church, finally returning completely to his Jewish roots.

Richard Strauss – Salome; Death and Transfiguration

    The most known selection from the first of these pieces is the sensuous Dance of the Seven Veils. It should also be pointed out that the second of Strauss' compositions listed above is a tone poem that does not directly refer to Christ's death and resurrection, but the hope of an individual sufferer for a happier afterlife.

William Walton – Belshazzar's Feast

    Listed last alphabetically, but high on my personal list, is a composer with definitely Christian credentials since he was chorister of Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. As the title of this exciting piece indicates, the subject matter is drawn directly from Daniel 5.