The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #65403 Message #1080596
Posted By: GUEST,Frank
27-Dec-03 - 04:21 PM
Thread Name: Can An Atheist Sing Believer Songs?
Subject: RE: Can An Atheist Sing Believer Songs?
I believe that context is everything. If a religious song is sung with the understanding that unlies it, I don't believe you have to be religious to sing it convincingly. For example, Simple Gifts can be sung with conviction by a non-Shaker. Hebrew texts may be sung by Gentiles. Early pro-musica antiqua was predominantly Catholic and masses are done by Protestants and Jews.
I think that most of the performers on this list are kind of like actors in that the songs they sing have a limited bearing on their cultural backgrounds. Can you sing a sea chantey without having served on a vessel or a cowboy song without being at home on a cutting horse? I think so.
Frank