secular songs of praise

[brunello97]

Edit it out if you please but <removed by moderator>

Easy big fellow, there is a place for that type of thinking, but this isn't it. Please take that argument elsewhere.



Mick

[baptist mando55]

I have to stand firm in my conviction. I AM NOT ASHAMED!!!

[Bill Stokes]

Thanks and praise to the excellent Mandolin Cafe for providing a forum.
Kudos to Bill Kilpatrick for an interesting thread. Thanks to all for comments and music. (Well, almost all. See above.)
Just wanted to get that in before this thing goes way south.

[mandocrucian]

<removed. This doesn't help keep us on topic or lessen the heat now starting.>

[billkilpatrick]

soooo ... good - sounds great on mandolin:

http://www.chordie.com/chord.pere/ge...steryBe.chopro

[chriss]

Please review the posting guidelines.

Topics started for or end up being used to discuss religion, politics or sex as well as other hot button issues meant to create discord are prohibited. Posts or threads deemed inappropriate or unrelated to our subject matter are subject to immediate removal at the discretion of the forum owner and/or lead moderator.

The original intent of the thread is being met and does not discuss religion, please refrain from injecting it here. Since the membership comprises a wide range of beliefs the rules mark that topic as out of bounds to maintain a level of congeniality lacking elsewhere. There are plenty of other places to discuss your beliefs on the web, this is not one of them.

[mandocrucian]

PRAZE TO THE "HAZE"!



IT'S SO KRAZY

[Douglas McMullin]

I thought the thread was called "secular songs of praise."

Great content prior to recent injection of religion though, so please keep the suggestions coming!

[billkilpatrick]

[brunello97]

I didn't realize there was a live version of this song around, but should have known better: Van Morrison's "The Eternal Kansas City". A bit slower than the original (and missing the choir) but check out Dr. John on the electric piano.

[Mo Soar]

Not wild about the video, but I've always liked the song by Chrissy Hinds. It's pretty much a tribute to the power of love (lol, cue Huey Lewis). Didn't we have "Stand By Me" earlier in the thread?

[Andrew DeMarco]

Self-proclamation of faith in this thread seem a bit inappropriate. It's great that you have such a strong faith, but this thread isn't about you or your faith. On quite the contrary it's about secular songs of praise! And luckily, secularists or non-religious folks don't need your understanding or permission to 1. write, 2. enjoy, or 3. share their favorite music. And no, it's not offensive to you or anyone else! I love lots of songs that mention gods and love songs that don't mention these things too!

I praise my parents for all their sacrifices for my success. I praise our Forefathers for founding such a lovely country. I praise our military members for protecting my freedom. I praise Scott for creating such an awesome website! I praise Bill Monroe, Sam Bush, Chris Thile, and many other mandolinists for creating such wonderful stimulating and inspiring music. Etc...

Thank you again for such an awesome forum for discussion, and it's so interesting to see the great videos being posted!

Here's a song by the Punch Bros praising one's dynamic, Patchwork Girlfriend:

[Dagger Gordon]

FWIW, it's worth remembering that a non-religious person such as myself can greatly enjoy quite a lot of religious music. I greatly enjoy (for example) The Blind Boys Of Alabama, Gaelic Psalm singing and the Pakistani singer Faiz Ali Faiz. I respect their beliefs and appreciate the musicality.

But this is an interesting thread and deserves to be debated on its own terms.

[jackmalonis]

FWIW, it's worth remembering that a non-religious person such as myself can greatly enjoy quite a lot of religious music. I greatly enjoy (for example) The Blind Boys Of Alabama, Gaelic Psalm singing and the Pakistani singer Faiz Ali Faiz. I respect their beliefs and appreciate the musicality.

But this is an interesting thread and deserves to be debated on its own terms.

Good point, I was just about to say myself that IMO no music should be thrown out because of a religious (or non-religious) connotation. When songwriters write a song, they write based on their own experiences, biases, and beliefs, and while their lyrics are reflective of themselves, they do not have to reflect upon the listener's "self" for one to appreciate the song musically.

If we're talking about secular songs of praise, I think that musicality should be praised above all, wherever one can find it. Music doesn't have to please you lyrically for it to be rewarding tonally.

But as you said, it's for another thread. Sorry to interrupt the heaps of great music!

[hank]

Not a simple song that we can play on mandolin but none the less awe inspiring is Alan Hovhaness's Mysterious Mountain. No words are sung or spoken to divide us with conceptual bigotry only manipulation of the harmonies on the grandest of scales. The Mountain takes an investment of your time and full attention with a system capable of it's reproduction but if your willing to stop all other activities relax and truly listen with all you are transcendence may be found there. To find it stop all internal dialog the same way we do when playing musical instruments at our best and just listen as deeply as you can.

[billkilpatrick]

that ... is way beyond my mandolin ability - "symphonies of secular praise" might be a good follow-on thread for those who can!

[brunello97]

that ... is way beyond my mandolin ability - "symphonies of secular praise" might be a good follow-on thread for those who can!

Years ago when I was working in Paris I used to have to ride a (very) crowded Metro line in the AM. Before the doors would close the PA would sound the first three notes from Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man". It never failed to put a smile on my face in the morning.

Mick

[billkilpatrick]

there was a tv show with walter cronkite that used the "fanfare" - might make an interesting mandolin adaption:

[Bill Stokes]

"symphonies of secular praise" might be a good follow-on thread...

If we go there: Carl Nielsen's symphony #4, Titled "The Inextinguishable," by which he refers to the human spirit.

Thanks and praise to the Sheriff!

[Astro]

How about, America The Beautiful ?

Its a pretty tune, mandolinable, and certainly a song of praise. And at least the first verse is poetic on a grand scale. Some parts after that get pretty dated. Its a long one.

I'd consider it acceptable as secular even with the "God shed his light on thee".

I think the deity reference becomes part of the vernacular for believers and non believers and therefore works both ways.

[brunello97]

Close, but no cigar for me, Astro. I like the song (and prefer singing it to the SSB or the woeful GBA) but I'm hoping the thread can continue to shrug off the non-secular encroachments. No disrespect meant to your proposition, but these days I'm more appreciative of "James Brown shedding his grace on thee".



Mick

[Astro]

Well, James Brown does reference Noah and the arc in this song which could be considered "non secular encroachments".

Plus its pretty ironic hearing his soulful rendition of what I guess you would call a song in praise of women in that he was repeatedly arrested for domestic violence, assault on women including bashing his last wife in the head with a lead pipe and shooting a gun at her, rape(a former manager), and so many infidelities that all 4 wives (3 officially) pretty much learned to live(in fear) with it. He fathered 9 kids with the 4 known partners, rarely saw any of them as he toured the world as the hardest (literally) man in music and "fathered" at least 3 other children outside of marriage (proven and settled in court after DNA testing). In addition to being arrested for theft at an early age, he was arrested in later years for assaulting a police officer and numerous drug possessions and illegal firearms possessions. He preferred angel dust (pcp) but was happy to abuse most anything he could get his hands on.

He could be an explosive performer too, but I'll pass on him as exemplifying a song of praise.

[bratsche]

there was a tv show with walter cronkite that used the "fanfare" - might make an interesting mandolin adaption:

I doubt it, but it works pretty well for violas, don't you think?

bratsche

[billkilpatrick]

[QUOTE=bratsche;1076776]I doubt it, but it works pretty well for violas, don't you think? bratsche

... very coplandesque - reminds me of "the new world symphony" - i'm at 2:40 and i have goosebumps - beautiful

[billkilpatrick]

arto - "america the beautiful" was the first song i thought of - i also made the mistake of thinking it was an irving berlin song. it would be perfect if it weren't for the celestial shedding and crowning. it's got an interesting history, albeit very "churchy:"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_the_Beautiful

i did a mandolin rendition of "man's world" - i guess it is a song of praise. just a tad chauvinistic, though ("isn't that right, dear?") -