Johann Sebastian Bach
In St. Louis we have “Bach at the Sem” a series of concerts Concordia Seminary featuring the works of Bach and other classical composers. The Bach Society has been an important and popular part of St. Louis for decades. Their Christmas concert brings in a packed audience.
When the Missouri Synod’s Board of Director were in the process of selling the license for KFUO FM there was a mighty uproar. The station played the music of a wide range of composers, but Bach is always a staple of any classical station. My Indian born endocrinologist and his wife commented on the sale at one of my appointments. They always had their office music tuned to 99.1. So did numerous other people throughout the area. But money (mostly from baseballers Andy Benis and Albert Pujols) won over culture. Even after the sale, letters expressing grief poured into the Post Dispatch. I tuned into the new JOY station the other day. I listened through about five songs. Like much of pop music today, it all sounds the same. Comparing Bach to modern pop Christian music is like comparing an inch thick New York steak to a bowl of Cream O Wheat.
What KFUO needed was for Labron James to put his announcement that he was leaving Cleveland for Florida on KFUO and not buy the time on ESPN. JS and others need some ballplayers on their side.
The Treasury of Daily Prayer quotes Martin Luther, who was born 200 before Johann Sebastian,
“I would certainly like to praise music with all my heart as the excellent gift of God which it is and to commend it to everyone…Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise…After all, the gift of language combined with the gift of song was only given to man to let him know that he should praise God with both word and music, namely, by proclaiming [the Word of God] through music and by providing sweet melodies with words.
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