The trumpet is just a fad...

Filed in Music Philosophy on February 23, 2010



I got a copy of a letter today written back in 1921.  It made me laugh and I thought I would share it.  I am tempted to share it with no comments because it speaks for itself, but underneath the letter below, I will pontificate a bit.

A quick bit of history first.  The writer of this letter was Herbert L. Clarke, a famous bandmaster and cornet player.  He was writing to Elden Benge, who became a notable trumpet player and the founder of a company that built trumpets to this day.




So when is the last time you listened to a cornet solo?

I like reading this kind of stuff because it makes a point very well that we all need to remember.  That point is this: If you condemn innovation just because you are not comfortable with it and don't understand it, you are eventually going to look pretty foolish.

No one needs to hear this more than some that fight for tradition and against progress in church music.  This fight is not new.  In fact, as I read this letter, I was reminded of Martin Luther using similar language when describing the organ.  At the turn of the 20th Century, people felt similarly about using the piano in church.  Today, the fight is about drums or rhythm or any number of other things.

Here is reality.  The fight in Christian music has been far more about cultural preferences and comfort levels than many will admit.  That is not to say that there are not legitimate concerns about worldliness, association, and appropriateness.  But, too often, people pontificating on these issues are heavily biased toward what they are used to.



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Lenny
2/24/2010 12:53:15 PM

Great stuff! I love these little insights into the way people used to think.

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Janet D.
2/24/2010 6:58:17 PM

Where are your normal haters Greg? Normally when you write like this, they line up to throw rocks at you. Ha ha.

Good point though. You are wise beyond your years.

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Ed Paine
2/24/2010 11:00:59 PM

OK. First Greg, I like your music. Second, I am sure you are right that the church has a history of rejecting progress as you put it.

I will not be one of the rude people that post here, but I think you are way off base to compare the church's rejection of drums with Martin Luther's rejection of the organ. Drums create unbalanced music. Rhythm must be in subjection to the melody and harmony (as God created the body to be in subjection to the mind and soul).

Even if Luther was wrong, the church is right today to reject drums.

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Daniel Lamb
2/25/2010 9:05:47 AM

Psalm 149:1-3 Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, His praise in the assembly of the godly! 2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King! 3 Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine (a hand-drum) and lyre (a guitar)!

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Greg
2/25/2010 6:06:52 PM

Ed,

The connection of melody, rhythm and harmony to body, mind and soul is unsubstantiated in my opinion. Not sure who started that--reminds me a bit of Greek philosophy. Anyway, I reject it completely as well as the idea that there is some kind of hierarchy between melody, harmony and rhythm.

Thanks for writing and your kind comments.

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Michael Mullen
2/26/2010 10:27:39 PM

Greg, Help me with with my problem. I have tried so hard to understand this issue. I have tried so hard to not be offended by head banging and pelvic thrusting music in the church. I really have. I have spent whole weeks listening to rock-in-roll-gospel. But I cant get over it. It offends me greatly. It offends me for my Thrice Holy God. It makes me angry. I can't help it. I can't make it go away.
The main reason for this is because of what this type music has done to our nation. Today's head banging, pelvic thrusting, music is the number one factor that has moved us away from the sweet, simple, people that we were back in the 1940s. It is the reason why our little Girls dress like sluts. It is the reason why boys learn to love rebellion and the rock-in-roll life style. It is the reason why today's youth are the MTV generation. This music has moved us so far away from the Christian Nation we use to be.
I just can not see us using the very thing that has brought so much sin into our society to praise our Thrice Holy God with.
I have really tried to get over it. I really wish I could not feel the pain I feel when I hear this music used in the Church. I really do. I do not like being the person who does not follow my Church in all they do. But I really can not get over it.
Do you have any words of wisdom to help me.

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Greg
2/27/2010 10:05:55 AM

Michael,

A few thoughts about your post. First, the music you mention offends me too. Well, the performance often does for sure, and the music itself is far from my taste.

But I don't know how you can say it is the source of all our problems in society. I don't know of any research that would back that up.

And why would you say that people were sweet and innocent in the 1940's? Was the way America treated blacks African Americans in the 1940's sweet and innocent? Were the 1920's and 1930's sweet and innocent?

So, is the emergence of rock music the problem, a symptom of the problem, or just something that developed at the same time as a problem (like computers which also were a result of that time period)?

The answer to this is not easy, especially when you consider the development of music and how rock music was influenced. It takes a lot of bias to make objective statement on this topic.

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An interested reader
9/25/2011 3:23:43 PM

Michael's letter almost sounds tongue-in-cheek. If it is legit, Michael's church has a lot bigger problems than just music, if head banging and pelvic thrusting is acceptable.

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