Church music puts off young people (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)
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Church music puts off young people
12:53pm Monday 6th August 2012 in Letters
I REFER to Richard Lester's letter (or was it Victor Meldrew), Standard, July 16.
I agree that some of the music on TV is not to my taste but have no objection to other people who enjoy it, good luck to them. However, I take strong objection to his term "happy clappy music".
As a Catholic I am not surprised that the music in the Church is old fashioned and, mostly, outdated. Unlike Mr. Lester I appreciate that some people like that music. One church service could cater for them and another for the so termed "happy clappy" people. He totally ignores the fact that such music also praises God ( I suggest he reads Psalm 150).
The lack of young people in Church is testimony to this. Go to the Baptist Church and see how many young people are there praising God and praying together through such music. Each to his own, but to make such blanket and wholly misguided and un-Christian statements is beyond the pale.
The old fashioned music is one of the reasons that I frequent the Church less because it seeks only to cater for older people and pays no regard to the younger generation, or those who prefer to move forward rather than backward.
MARIO ASCIAK Milbourne Malmesbury
Comments(5)
Crispin Mount
says...
10:01pm Tue 7 Aug 12
In 1949 an emerging Country artist wrote and performed a timeless classic with voice and guitar called the House of Gold:
People steal they cheat and lie
For wealth and what it will buy
Don't they know on the judgement day
That their gold and silver will slip away
What good is gold and silver too
When your heart's not good and true
Sinners hear me when I say
Fall down on your knees and pray.
Still so relevant,...eh?
Barbara Walsh
says...
11:28am Fri 10 Aug 12
Robert Jeanes
says...
2:52pm Fri 10 Aug 12
Olly Cromwell
says...
5:59pm Fri 10 Aug 12
Maybe keep it to Conservative group eh David, no need to broadcast the sentiment?
David Broad says...
10:37am Tue 7 Aug 12
The real problem is quality, most of the guitar clangy happy clappy dross is cringe inducingly bad by anyone's standards, while many of our traditional tunes no longer make the grade either especially when the wrong words are draped over them. Stressing, that is the emphasis of the important words by putting them on the beat is woeful in many of our old favourites amplified, although that is absolutely the wrong word, by the widespread use of the Church Organ which is generally incapable of emphasising a beat, or pulse.
Some old Music has a great bass line, good chords across the middle and good stressing when you use the right words, it's just a case of recognising what works and what needs binning,
Our choirs don't help with their poor balance and weak bass lines.
Young people are sophisticated these days, you can't con them and Church has massive competition from the internet. Music is the Christian Churches USP, its primary advantage over the dire joyless music free desert of fundementalist Islam, don't squander that advantage,