The recession has been brutal to many orchestras in the United States. Cities such as Indianapolis, Chicago, Richmond, Minneapolis, and Atlanta have sadly witnessed their concert halls locked and the silencing of symphonic music for parts of this year.
Orchestras’ financial problems have a relation to the economy, market forces, aging population of concertgoers, etc.—but a spiritual component is often overlooked. The Christian gospel highly influenced what we call “classical music.” Brahms’ Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, and Bach’s St. Matthew Passion are among the many masterpieces that use vocal texts from the Bible and centuries of Christian theology.
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