Freemasons 'n' Music

07 Oct 03 - 09:26 AM (#1031198)
Subject: Freemasons 'n' Music
From: sian, west wales

I just happened to come across a really interesting BBC Radio 4 programme, Music for the Brotherhood, which some 'Catters might find extremely interesting!

I see that the presenter, Tim Healy, has done a few of these. I must also find the time to hear this other one about singing together. Looks interesting ...



sian

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07 Oct 03 - 09:47 AM (#1031203)
Subject: RE: Freemasons 'n' Music
From: GUEST,Santa

Morris dancers with one leg of their trousers rolled up? Come back Bill Tidy, where are you when you are needed?

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07 Oct 03 - 11:19 AM (#1031254)
Subject: RE: Freemasons 'n' Music
From: sian, west wales

And the goats. Don't forget the goats.

Gee - just thought: I wonder if the Welsh Counting the Goats songs are really Masonic Ritual in disguise?

Apparently Robbie Burns' "A Man's a Man" is a Masonic song ...

sian

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07 Oct 03 - 06:30 PM (#1031429)
Subject: RE: Freemasons 'n' Music
From: GUEST,ozmacca

Given the great gift which art in general, and music in particular, has, that is, to bring like-minded people together. Also given the aims of the Freemasons to help their fellow man and in doing so, bring a degree of unity and fellowship to the world, it's hardly surprising that many great composers, poets and other artists have been 'masons.

Quite apart from the mutual aid aspects of the society, and the membership's tendency towards social libertarianism, the sheer attraction of being in contact with other great exponents of the arts would have brought many of these powerful intellects together.

To say nothing of the pageantry and mystique of the ceremony, and the majestic solemnity of the rolled up trouser leg.

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07 Oct 03 - 07:04 PM (#1031461)
Subject: RE: Freemasons 'n' Music
From: John Routledge

The Magic Flute was performed in Manchester UK a few months ago preceeded by a 45 minute talk explaining some of the Masonic symbolism.

The whole opera seems to be symbolic as witnessed by the new entry which will be appearing in the latest "Groves" dictionary.

However as intended by Mozart the opera is still enjoyable on many levels :0)

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07 Oct 03 - 10:57 PM (#1031557)
Subject: RE: Freemasons 'n' Music
From: GUEST,sorefingers

Interesting topic since Mozart was indeed indebted to the Craft, surprised to learn that Leopold - his father - was a later member.

Leopold wrote a fine book on playing the Violin which is very well worth the effort reading. I got it at the Public Library, it's in paperback as well.

:0)

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07 Oct 03 - 11:44 PM (#1031570)
Subject: RE: Freemasons 'n' Music
From: GUEST,AR282

I often wonder if the mumming plays of Europe were the forerunner of the Masonic 3rd degree ritual called "The Murder of Hiram Abiff." Dale Cockrell was of the opinion that mumming plays might have been the origin of blackface minstrelsy and he has some excellent points. But I don't recall that Professor Cockrell linked the mumming play to the 3rd degree ritual.

The mumming play consisted of a troupe of young bachelors going from door to door offering to the occupants a play performed in the kitchen for donations. Permission being received, one man took a broom and swept off part of the kitchen floor and within this hallowed area, the play commenced.

The casst of characters ran something like: hero, damsel (played by a man), villain, doctor, singers, etc. Hero and villain battle for the damsel. The villain wears blackface. During the battle, the villain slays the hero with sword or knife. At this point, mock blood and realistic acting is employed to produce fright among the audience a real slaying has just taken place. Ladies of the house were known to faint during the mock-slayings.

Other characters lament over the hero's death and a doctor is brought in. The doc announces that he has special powers learned from his travels to exotic foreign lands. He beds over the body and does some mumbo-jumbo and the body quickens and rises. He vanquishes the villain and takes the damsel's hand and there is great celebration with much song and dance. One man would go through the audience with a hat or tray or cup and and people would throw in what they thought appropriate.

I am struck by the similarities between the mumming play and the 3rd degree ritual and believed that the ritual may have derived from the play. The blackface villain represents the darkness and the hero is the autumn sun. During that time of year, the nights grow longer than the days and so the dark villain overcomes the hero. But after the passing of the winter solstice, the days begin to lengthen once again and the solar hero is likewise resurrected and the earth celebrates by blooming forth with life.

According to a friend who is a Mason, they do indeed recognize within the lodge that Hiram Abiff is the sun. The above astro-theological explanation was Professor Cockrell's explanation of the myth underlying the mumming play. So we see the connection.

Some of the early American minstrels were preserved on 19th century postcards and they are often astonishing. One depicts a blackface character with a broom and a hero and a man in drag as the damsel and several musicians. The title of the postcard is "Fun in the Kitchen" which again points directly to the mumming play as the originator of blackface minstrelsy since the mumming play itself was never known to have reached the shores of the United States.

I was struck by the blackface man with the broom because the broom or besom was supposedly to many pagans what the cross was to Christians. Yet the story plot is quite similar to that of Jesus. But also of many earlier saviors. Then Eliade relates that New Guinean boat captains often don blackface and put a broom up in the mast. And the blackface character in the mumming play was quite often a ship captain by trade. It's all very odd, isn't it?

Even stranger is that Freemasonry did eventually create a real Hiram Abiff when some NY Masons in 1826 murdered a defector known as Captain William Morgan. Curiouser and curiouser.

With minstrelsy gone pretty much, the 3rd degree ritual of Freemasonry may be the only surviving remnant of the mumming play. And if both mistrelsy and Masonry have the same source in the mumming then minstrelsy can be said after a fashion to Masonic music.

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08 Oct 03 - 12:36 AM (#1031586)
Subject: RE: Freemasons 'n' Music
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Hero, damsel, singers, villain, doctor, etc. appear as well in Italian and other street and folk theatre, so the source need not be mumming. I have figurines of some the characters from Comedia della Arte (forgive my spelling, I won't bother to check).

We used to have a story (SW US and Mexico) of why the early Catholic missionaries so often were depicted holding a cross in front of them- it was to keep branches and spiderwebs from getting in their face. Now surely the natives would equate this with sweeping and would associate their besoms with the cross.

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08 Oct 03 - 12:55 AM (#1031589)
Subject: RE: Freemasons 'n' Music
From: katlaughing

Very interesting info in this thread. Thanks. As a past member of Job's Daughters which is the young women's org. under the aegis of the Masons, much as DeMolay is for young men, I take particular interest, as well as from being a Rosicrucian. Though, I can't say I remember anything about turned up trouser legs.:-)

kat

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08 Oct 03 - 01:57 AM (#1031599)
Subject: RE: Freemasons 'n' Music
From: Manitas_at_home

Why the past tense, AR282? Mumming is still alive in England and Ireland (also souling and pace-egging) with many traditional teams and lots of revival teams.It's more often performed in more public places than kitchens these days. The villain doesn't always wear black face- sometimes the whole cast is painted or masked- aand sometimes the villain is more chivalrous than the hero.

I'm not sure of it's survival in mainland Europe but there is a Polish equivalent called the Calusari. In the Carribean and Africa they have Jokkonu or John Canoe.

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08 Oct 03 - 04:30 AM (#1031649)
Subject: RE: Freemasons 'n' Music
From: sian, west wales

As John mentioned, the one interviewee on the programme emphasized that a great many Masonic songs and other music are intended to work on many levels.

sian
(oh look! a Google Ad on learning Welsh "really fast". I love this new Mudcat sub-text game!)

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08 Oct 03 - 11:07 AM (#1031787)
Subject: RE: Freemasons 'n' Music
From: C-flat

And a site to buy Masonic regalia. Clever stuff!
I also listened to the programme with interest and it's fascinating to discover how many great composers were involved with Freemasonry.
Some of it's most famous were, Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, Souza, Hadyn, the list goes on.
It seems that because composers needed sponsors, the Masonic lodges provided a great opportunity for latter-day networking, and without that network many of todays' household names may have been in the poor house.

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08 Oct 03 - 11:25 AM (#1031796)
Subject: RE: Freemasons 'n' Music
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

There are Black Freemason's lodges. Don't think that they are recognized by the main group, however.
My grandfather, a Mason, always rolled up his pants legs when camping or working in the garden, but I don't think it had anything to do with ritual.
I was once a DeMolay. It had its perks. When the Scottish Rite held their annual meetings, I would get out of school to assist in serving meals in the great hall. The temple had a great library. I especially remember a great illustrated set of the Thousand and One Nights.

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09 Oct 03 - 02:19 AM (#1032238)
Subject: RE: Freemasons 'n' Music
From: Phot

There is a musians lodge in the province of Somerset, its called the St Cecilia lodge. You'll find more info on the Somerset freemasons web site.

Wassail! Chris

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22 Dec 07 - 12:28 PM (#2220952)
Subject: RE: Freemasons 'n' Music
From: the lemonade lady

Singing when one has had one's tongue cut out wouldn't be that easy. Sign language anyone?

Sal

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22 Dec 07 - 12:29 PM (#2220953)
Subject: RE: Freemasons 'n' Music
From: John MacKenzie

Only know the rude ones Sal, talk to Rock Chick she has the qualifications.
G

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22 Dec 07 - 12:34 PM (#2220955)
Subject: RE: Freemasons 'n' Music
From: number 6

"Given the great gift which art in general, and music in particular, has, that is, to bring like-minded people together. Also given the aims of the Freemasons to help their fellow man and in doing so, bring a degree of unity and fellowship to the world, it's hardly surprising that many great composers, poets and other artists have been 'masons."

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22 Dec 07 - 06:31 PM (#2221122)
Subject: RE: Freemasons 'n' Music
From: Alan Day

I have been organist(in name only) in my lodge for a few years now and play the concertina.I got this job when the organist moved away from our area and I was asked to take the job. I have now played in a number of Lodges and although the concertina is very rare as far as freemasonary is concerned it is well received.There are some very interesting songs and hymns, many of which vary from lodge to lodge,all traditional.
As well as being an organisation with traditional it also does great work for charity.An example of a recent local situation was a School for Autistic children that was being forced to close due to lack of funds.Our Lodge undertook to raise money for this organisation as soon as it came to our attention and it now remains open.
Al

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