Does sacred music still matter in this century? Many composers think so.
Western society is becoming more and more secularised. There are fewer and fewer people going to church, and liturgy is of less importance to those still going. Furthermore, the age-old rigid traditions of faith seem to clash with the avant-garde ideal of modern art. If an artist speaks to the Supreme Being, it will not be through the language of the church.
And yet, this story denies one of the most popular music genres of this century: ‘New Spiritual Music”. While most composers are depending on funds and subsidies, composers like Arvo Pärt and John Tavener have a large following. Their minimalist, provocatively simple and instantly recognizable style speaks to the hearts of millions of people, and not just the religious ones. Their music isn’t everyone’s cup of tea though. Many people think it’s too easy, as if the composer has skipped some of the work, but they do create magical sounds with very limited means. In this episode, we listen to Missa Wellensis, the last work of John Tavener. As there is no Credo to the Mass, one wonders if the composer supported the Apostles’ Creed.
This programme also features music outside of the church, which still should be seen as sacred music. La Passion de Simone from Kaija Saariaho tells us about Simone Weil, a French-Jewish mystic that was killed during the Holocaust. Saariaho had been fascinated by the work of Weil her whole life and decided to use her life’s story in a passion. This is no coincidence: after all, Jesus was a Jewish mystic as well.
Some consider James MacMillan to be part of the same musical tradition as Pärt and Tavener, which is not entirely the case. Though Macmillan also writes church music, his style is much more complex and richer in contrasts. His interest lies more in the dramatic side of faith, like the suffering of Jezus, which explains why his Stabat Mater is seen as his best work. This monumental work lasts more than an hour; we will only listen to the beginning.
At the end, we listen to the short work Baba Yetu from Christopher Tin. The text is sacred, as it’s a Swahili setting of the Lord’s Prayer, but it was not written for church at all, as it had a worldly purpose as the theme song for the computer game Civilization IV. Players of this game are leading a 6000-year old civilization; they can build Wonders of the World and wage wars. This needs bombastic music, which is exactly what Tin delivered. The complete Soweto Gospel Choir was flown in and there is more than enough brass and percussion. Baba Yetu was the first composition for a game that received a Grammy, and it’s probably the first game music in our programme. This type of applied music is becoming more and more important though, so it just might be the first of more to come.
Playlist
1. John Tavener: Missa Wellensis
2. Kaija Saariaho: La passion de Simone (parts)
3. James MacMillan: Stabat mater (first part)
4. Christopher Tin: Baba Yetu
