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                                                                 The Classical Heritage Foundation

Twilight of the Muses

E. Sebastian Talon                 est@classhf.com                  www.classhf.com                    Tuesday 14 June 2005

Turn on the radio, turn the dial, walk through the stations on FM, and what will you hear? Station after station of “contemporary” music will arise that might range from grunge to oldies. There might be one station serenading you with the timeless voice of Old Blue Eyes,  but strive to hear the music of Mozart, and you will be hard pressed. It seems like only yesterday when one could select from two or perhaps three classical music stations. Was that so long ago? Was it a dream? And, where did the music go? To answer that question, one must ask, where did our culture go? 

Let us begin this discussion by asking another question: what is “classical” music. When confronted with this question, some people might reply with concepts of “Western” tonality,  European (musical) technology, and Enlightenment philosophy. Others might reference diatonic tonality, through-bass derived harmony, and tonal counterpoint. Still others will envision people dressed in their tuxes sipping wine while listening to an opera that they know nothing about and perceive as an experiment in acoustical torture.  

In spite of all of these “insights” into what “classical” music might be, without a doubt, the one factor that is so frequently overlooked in striving to answer this question is the most fundamental: what is the religious foundation upon which “classical” music arose? The answer is: Christianity. Indeed, it is Christianity that makes “Europe” – Europe, the “West” – the West, and its music – classical. Clearly, the influence of Grecian philosophy, music, literature and art are fundamental in the “nature” of Western “Art” (i.e., music, literature, dance, art, etc.). But Western Art, although a direct descendent of Grecian Art, is a distinctive artistic entity of its own. And it is its Christian heritage that gives it its identity. 

If we now dig deeper into our enquiry, we find that many people “like” listening to classical music, but they don’t really know why. The reason they like it is because there is an  “underlying element” that makes classical music – “artistic”, and thus “great Art”. And it is this element of greatness that makes it appealing to the listener (even if the listener is not aware of it). So now one may ask, from where does this underlying element of greatness arise? The answer to this question is: the artist’s devotion to his religion. And this is yet another insight that is so often overlooked. 

In its most basic form, “Art” is an expression of the human experience presented in a format that is tangible, yet perceived as an entity that is mystical. It is also a direct reflection of the culture from which it arose. Culture is simply what people do (be it getting drunk, or composing music, or playing video games, or building spaceships). From a societal perspective, culture is the manifestation of people living their faith within their society. 

A given society’s Art is directly tied to its religion because it is the process of attempting to know God, through an artist living her life, that results in her Art. Indeed, a review of Art from around the world shows a direct correlation between a given style of Art and the religion of its culture. Thus, what makes Indian music unique and “Indian” is not the distinctive timbre of a sitar, or the rhythm of a certain raga, but the culture from which the music arose and the religious foundation upon which the culture is based.  

Therefore, because the diversity of religions and thus cultures is so vast, the types of “Art” are also just as numerous. Thus, striking a log as part of a ritual for a tribe on New Guinea is indeed music and “Art”. But, what makes a Beethoven symphony such an exhilarating emotional experience, is the unique combination of music (the acoustic phenomenon), the artistic endeavor (the human phenomenon), and the underlying religious philosophy (Christianity and its perception of mankind’s place in the universe) that drives the creative process. Moreover, that such a symphony is universally recognized as great Art from a variety of cultures is testament to the very unique characteristic of Christian-derived Art. What many in today’s “mainstream” media fail to realize is that classical Western Art is completely beholden to the Christian heritage that is responsible for its creation.

It is no coincidence that the “founding father” of “classical” music, J. S. Bach, was such a devout Christian, for it was his profound devotion to his faith that gave rise to the exquisite “artistry” that is classical Western music. There is such profound Art in Bach’s music because Christianity’s portrayal of mankind’s role in life so closely matched the scope of the human experience as lived by Bach himself, that it bestowed unto him a great wisdom. And it was this wisdom and insight into the nature of life that came across as an undeniable truth on a universal level, through the genius of his music. In other words, a Bach Oratorio is the musical expression of Christianity’s viewpoint of the human experience. This is striking.

What makes such great Art possible is the Judeo-Christian philosophy that places mankind in a position of devotion to a being greater than himself, that represents a wisdom so great as to not be grasped by mankind with his limited abilities. That being said, such philosophy also states that through such devotion, mankind himself may come to achieve some degree of wisdom approaching this sublime state of being, and in so doing, come to achieve things well beyond his own imagination or ability. It is this “state of mind” that lies at the heart of the “artistic greatness” of Western Art. Such principals are quite lofty in their scope and far removed from daily life. Yet, this is why they bestow greatness unto their artists. As history has shown, the implementation of Christianity for the past two thousand years has been far from perfect. However, regardless of how one measures the theological merit or societal success of Christianity, the beauty of Bach’s music cannot be denied. Likewise for the writing of Shakespeare, the painting of Michelangelo, or the science of Newton.

What is crucial to understand is that without a “traditional” Christian culture in place, the artistic quality of “Western” Art will wither and die. This in turn begs a very provocative question: has our own culture in the US today undergone enough of a cultural and religious change as to render obsolete the artistic support provided by Christianity to Western Art? Stated otherwise, can the observed decline in artistic “merit” (as measured from a “classical” standard) as seen in our society today be the result of a decline in Christianity and the culture it supports? The answer to this question is – yes.  

Indeed, this answers our original question – the decline in classical music in our society today is not due to changing trends in music, or the business constraints of the entertainment sector, or the attitude of the youth, or the power of the internet; is due to the decline of our Judeo-Christian culture. And this religious decline has occurred because of the ascension to a position of cultural dominance of a newly emerged perspective of ethics as derived from the cultural revolution of the 1960s. This is known as Aquarianism (or in extreme cases, New Age Fundamentalism). This new religion has dramatically altered the political, educational, and cultural landscape of our nation. In addition, it has completely redefined the position of “classical” music as well.  This is why there are so few classical music stations.

It is no coincidence that when compared to “classical” Art, “modern” Art (be it music, movies, literature, painting, etc.) appears self-indulgent, adolescent, and overly dependent on technological effects. It is! This is because the religious platform from which New Age Art operates is very different from a Judeo-Christian platform. Aquarianism celebrates self-indulgent and adolescent behavior on a theological level and positions mankind himself (rather than an omnipotent being) at the apex of the human experience. Such a philosophical position has profound consequences in artistic perspective and realization. A cursory review of “modern” art bears this out. Our nation’s culture and its Art, have indeed changed.  

In the movie Dances with Wolves, Lt. Dunbar stated that he came out west to see the West  before it was gone. So too is the preservation of “classical” Art (especially music), before it is gone, the underlying purpose of the Classical Heritage Foundation. And so in today’s world, a violist may look over the pages of a Beethoven string quartet she is about to play to an audience so diminished - it is almost invisible. As Aquarianism overtakes Christianity, the culture that has defined our nation’s Art for over 2000 years shall dissipate as well; and the music of Beethoven will stand beside the plays of Sophocles and the teachings of Jesus, as the Art and philosophy of the “ancients”; something now forgotten in the dusty archives of history. 

As I walk into my cathedral, I close my eyes and hear the voices of the Muses whispering an omen: “As you embrace your lyre, you must bare your soul and come to terms with God. And then, if you are strong, our gifts of art shall flow unto you. And you may sing of love and hate, of sorrow and joy, of insight and ignorance, of life and death. And such songs shall dance with the angles and bring hope and inspiration unto all mankind. But when you turn your face from God, so shall you become deaf. And from your voice will come deceit and confusion, and you will know sorrow and despair, and mankind will suffer and lament. For we, the Muses, will have left you. And only our memory will be found among the ashes of your empire, scattered in the wind, forever lost across the endless oceans of time.”