“European classical music is a gift from God. Nowadays, there are various types of music, but we still need to pay attention to the appreciation of classical music, and many classical works of classical music have expressed Christian faith, which can greatly nourish our minds,” said a renowned Christian playwright.
Jiang Yuanlai, a folk playwright living in Shanghai, gave a lecture titled “Appreciation of Sacred Music – Let the Golden Hymn Accompany us in Passing through the Ups and Downs of the Pandemic More Calmly” on April 10.
To guide people who do not know how to appreciate classical music, Jiang shared his own experiences. He also played a number of classic works of classical music on the spot, including "Maiden’s Prayer."
At the beginning of the lecture, Jiang Yuanlai dispelled a myth about the appreciation of classical music that "classical music is high art and not everyone can understand it." In fact, this idea was wrong. In the days when classical music appeared and became popular, concerts were often held in the open air and enjoyed by many ordinary people. In Vienna, for example, classical music was widely accepted.
He concluded that the first step towards the appreciation of sacred music was to change our preconceived notions."
In fact, classical music can be appreciated by everyone," he added.
Jiang stated that there are many types of Christian music at the moment, among which the most familiar and popular were in four categories: music created by pastors, such as many psalms created by Martin Luther and Charlie Wesley in the past; hymns in the form of village minors, such as China's famous Christian songwriter Xiao Min’s familiar Canaan Selected Poems; urban pop music which is popular in recent decades, such as the popular Lily of the Field by Fankoucao; and western classical music.
He said that at present, the second and third types are more popular in Chinese churches, and many classical hymns created by pastors are also used during worship, but unfortunately, classical music is not paid much attention to.
"European classical music is a precious and valuable resource with the largest quantity, the most abundant themes, and the best quality. It’s like the earth’s richest mineral deposit," he said.
Jiang claimed that during the peak of classical music, dozens of outstanding composers emerged, many of whom were devout Christians, including Mendelssohn. He explained, "They perfectly incorporated their understanding of faith in their music. Among the many outstanding composers, the most outstanding six are Bach, Beethoven, Bruckner, Brahms, Mozart, and Mussorgsky."
These great composers produced a rich body of work that contains their understanding of faith and life, and their worship and praises to God. Jiang mentioned that Barth, the famous theologian of the 20th century, said that he was most grateful to Mozart’s music, which often gave him comfort, encouragement, and inspiration.
One of the most interesting things about Western culture was that they believed that words were often limited, so they preferred to use music to express and convey more information.
“It (classical music) is something that every Christian should learn to appreciate”, Jiang said, adding that such music can nourish our souls when we are enjoying them.
The playwright shared four tips for the appreciation of sacred music, especially for new hands.
1. People need to break out of their prejudices. We should know that God’s gifts to us are rich and varied, and learn to empty ourselves so that we can be opened.
2. “Don’t seek deep understanding.” Many people want to read many explanations in writing before they can understand such music and then begin to appreciate them. But in fact, we should first relax, and not look for too many explanations. We should just enjoy them.
3. Start slowly. We can start with a few minutes of music. We can also start with adagio, music that celebrates nature or ballet.
4. Find a composer that fits our personality. Some believers find it easy to start with Chopin, while others are fond of Beethoven.
Jiang Yuanlai converted to Christianity in the 1980s, then abandoned his previous professional achievements and embarked on a career in folk culture, according to US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music. Jiang began his drama writing from the end of 1990s and was recognized as one of the most important folk playwrights in the Chinese mainland by critics.
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
4月10日，一场题为“圣乐鉴赏——让金色圣咏陪伴我们更加沉稳地穿越疫情起伏时代”的讲座举行，上海知名的基督徒民间剧作家姜原来受邀分享。
“欧洲古典音乐是上帝给我们的礼物”，他说到，当下有各种音乐类型，但是仍旧需要重视对古典音乐的欣赏，并且古典音乐中许多经典作品都有基督信仰的流露，对我们可以产生很好的滋养。
对于不少人不知道如何欣赏古典音乐的困惑，姜原来从四点进行了分享，并且现场他播放了多首古典音乐的经典作品，包括《少女的祈祷》等，一遍播放一遍跟着节奏与大家分享音乐中的起承转合和各种丰富的情感。
走出“古典音乐属于高雅艺术，不是人人都可以理解”的迷思
讲座开始，姜原来老师首先希望大家破碎一个关于欣赏古典音乐的迷思。他指出，大家普遍认为欧洲古典音乐属于高雅的艺术，不是人人都可以理解，其实这个想法是错误的，在古典音乐出现和盛行的那个年代，音乐会往往是露天举行的，很多普通民众也都去欣赏，比如在在维也纳古典音乐可以说是妇孺皆知的。
他总结说，想要进行圣乐鉴赏首先要改变我们固有的观念，其实人人都可以欣赏古典音乐。
姜老师分享到当下基督徒音乐的类型很多，最为熟知和流行的有4大类：牧者创作的音乐，比如历史上马丁·路德、查理·卫斯理创造了多首圣诗；乡村小调式的赞美诗，比如大家熟悉的小敏的《迦南诗选》；最近几十年兴起的城市流行音乐，比如凡口草创作的脍炙人口的《野地百合》、和西方古典音乐。目前在中国教会里面，比较流行的是第二、三类，在敬拜中也有不少牧者创造的经典赞美诗的使用，但对于古典音乐，反而重视的并不多。
而在欧洲古典音乐是数量最庞大、主题最丰富、品质最优良的一个亟需重视的宝贵资源，仿佛大地最丰富的一个矿藏一样，姜老师说在古典音乐最高峰的时代，有几十位杰出的作曲家涌现，多位都是虔诚的基督徒，他们把他们对于信仰的理解融入其中，包括门德尔松等人。而在这众多杰出的作曲家中，最卓越的有六位：巴赫、贝多芬、布鲁克纳、勃拉姆斯、莫扎特、穆索尔斯基。
这些卓越的作曲家创作了非常丰富的作品，蕴含了许多他们对于信仰和人生的理解，也充满许多对上帝的敬拜和赞美。姜原来提到著名的20世纪神学家巴特说到自己最感谢的就是莫扎特的音乐，常常给他很多安慰、鼓励和灵感。
姜老师说到，西方文化中一个很有意思的点就是认为文字常常是有限的，因此他们崇尚用音乐的形式来表达和传达更多丰富的信息。
“（古典音乐）是需要我们每一个基督徒都应该要学会鉴赏的，”姜老师说，这些音乐可以让我们在享受的同时灵魂得到滋养。
进行圣乐鉴赏的四点心得
那么，如何进行圣乐鉴赏呢？一个从来都没有欣赏过欧洲古典音乐的“小白”该怎么入门么？
姜原来老师针对这些和许多人切身相关的问题，进行了四点分享：
1.大家要突破成见。要知道神的礼物是丰富多彩的，要学会倒空自己，让自己的器皿能够打开。
2.“不求甚解”。许多人总想从文字上看到很多说明才觉得可以理解，然后才可以欣赏。但是首先放轻松，不要寻求过多的解释，只要享受就可以了。
3.要循序渐进地入门。可以先从听几分钟的作品开始，也可以从柔板、慢板开始，还可以从歌颂大自然的作品、芭蕾音乐开始。
4.找到适合自己个性的作曲家。有的信徒就从肖邦的作品入手比较容易，有的则很喜欢贝多芬的作品。
特写 古典音乐是神给我们的礼物：基督徒剧作家分享四点如何进行圣乐鉴赏
“European classical music is a gift from God. Nowadays, there are various types of music, but we still need to pay attention to the appreciation of classical music, and many classical works of classical music have expressed Christian faith, which can greatly nourish our minds,” said a renowned Christian playwright.
Jiang Yuanlai, a folk playwright living in Shanghai, gave a lecture titled “Appreciation of Sacred Music – Let the Golden Hymn Accompany us in Passing through the Ups and Downs of the Pandemic More Calmly” on April 10.
To guide people who do not know how to appreciate classical music, Jiang shared his own experiences. He also played a number of classic works of classical music on the spot, including "Maiden’s Prayer."
At the beginning of the lecture, Jiang Yuanlai dispelled a myth about the appreciation of classical music that "classical music is high art and not everyone can understand it." In fact, this idea was wrong. In the days when classical music appeared and became popular, concerts were often held in the open air and enjoyed by many ordinary people. In Vienna, for example, classical music was widely accepted.
He concluded that the first step towards the appreciation of sacred music was to change our preconceived notions."
In fact, classical music can be appreciated by everyone," he added.
Jiang stated that there are many types of Christian music at the moment, among which the most familiar and popular were in four categories: music created by pastors, such as many psalms created by Martin Luther and Charlie Wesley in the past; hymns in the form of village minors, such as China's famous Christian songwriter Xiao Min’s familiar Canaan Selected Poems; urban pop music which is popular in recent decades, such as the popular Lily of the Field by Fankoucao; and western classical music.
He said that at present, the second and third types are more popular in Chinese churches, and many classical hymns created by pastors are also used during worship, but unfortunately, classical music is not paid much attention to.
"European classical music is a precious and valuable resource with the largest quantity, the most abundant themes, and the best quality. It’s like the earth’s richest mineral deposit," he said.
Jiang claimed that during the peak of classical music, dozens of outstanding composers emerged, many of whom were devout Christians, including Mendelssohn. He explained, "They perfectly incorporated their understanding of faith in their music. Among the many outstanding composers, the most outstanding six are Bach, Beethoven, Bruckner, Brahms, Mozart, and Mussorgsky."
These great composers produced a rich body of work that contains their understanding of faith and life, and their worship and praises to God. Jiang mentioned that Barth, the famous theologian of the 20th century, said that he was most grateful to Mozart’s music, which often gave him comfort, encouragement, and inspiration.
One of the most interesting things about Western culture was that they believed that words were often limited, so they preferred to use music to express and convey more information.
“It (classical music) is something that every Christian should learn to appreciate”, Jiang said, adding that such music can nourish our souls when we are enjoying them.
The playwright shared four tips for the appreciation of sacred music, especially for new hands.
1. People need to break out of their prejudices. We should know that God’s gifts to us are rich and varied, and learn to empty ourselves so that we can be opened.
2. “Don’t seek deep understanding.” Many people want to read many explanations in writing before they can understand such music and then begin to appreciate them. But in fact, we should first relax, and not look for too many explanations. We should just enjoy them.
3. Start slowly. We can start with a few minutes of music. We can also start with adagio, music that celebrates nature or ballet.
4. Find a composer that fits our personality. Some believers find it easy to start with Chopin, while others are fond of Beethoven.
Jiang Yuanlai converted to Christianity in the 1980s, then abandoned his previous professional achievements and embarked on a career in folk culture, according to US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music. Jiang began his drama writing from the end of 1990s and was recognized as one of the most important folk playwrights in the Chinese mainland by critics.
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
'Classical Music is God's Gift to Us,' Christian Playwright Says
