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Jovial Monk wrote on May 11
th, 2022 at 8:58pm:
Jan 1979 I was in Notre Dame 5.00pm on a Sunday, heard the organ recital there. Out of this world!
Only better one was walking into Chartres Cathedral late in a winter day and the organist was practicing something, Monteverdi I think, then walking back to the front of the cathedral the sun shining straight on the marvellous rose window and the music almost visibly surging from front to back to front again of the cathedral was powerfully moving.
We do not need god, we need more beauty like that in the world.
Even if belief in God is a delusion many need the ‘certainty’ otherwise their terror of mortality unhinges them. Many also fear only the threat of eternal punishment ( or reincarnation as a slug etc in Buddhism ) can induce 'moral behaviour’. The pseudo-academic disciple of Biblical Apologetics has been developed to explain away centuries of theological gibberish in so called holy books.
Unseen by many is the possibility any entity/being/creator of all that exists would be so far beyond our understanding attempts to delineate what such a being is constitutes an overreaching arrogance of vast proportions. On the other hand a claim can be made that if the God of the Bible exists such and entity is a twisted sado-masochist.
However, we also need to admit the ancient necessity of some kind of belief system as a means of controlling our tribal viciousness. A careful reading of the Old Testament reveals this didn’t always appear to work.
I confess I become annoyed when lovers of music such as Bach,s organ works , cantatas etc put forward their existance as proof of the reality of a biblical God. Given the states they’re able to induce such beliefs are almost understandable. And let’s not forget J S B himself believed the Almighty was speaking through him. On the other hand, having been an organ scholar myself, I can see how the ability to perform such works can in and of itself appear to be a ‘divine gift’. The rampant sexual molestation of alter boys et al. I witnessed soon disabused me of such notions. I could provide the sordid details of my experiences but this isn’t the place to do so.
I spent a year in my late thirties visiting most of the great organs of Europe, some of which I got to play briefly. Believe me the instrument in Notre Dame has an absurdly difficult touch. How anyone could play that thing day after day and not induce arthritis of the hands is beyond me. Magic indeed but a real struggle.
If you’re ever in Melbourne when there’s an organ recital at Scots Church Collins St try to attend sitting directly opposite the instrument. The acoustics aren’t great but what Rieger & Co achieved here is staggering.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajofs4waeL0
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