Re: FW: [2ND-GEN:7773] Re: Perry Como

[IKochinska <IKochinska...>]

Usually, the Messiah is sung in English, the language the text was written in,
so there' s no question that an English-speaking participant would know what
he or she was singing.  As for church members' reactions, I don't think many
people knew, and most were concerned with how the music sounded.  For me,
there was a vast difference between singing great music, in whatever language,
in a church with very high musical standards, and singing mediocre music,
which I briefly did, in another church.  I guess the "filter" has more to do
with the quality of the music than the setting.
On the other hand, I worked the holiday season in a store a few years ago, and
found it incredibly oppressive and alienating.  Partly because of the
assumption that this is Christmas time for everyone.  But also because most of
the "holiday" music that inundates the airwaves is incredible drek, to mix
metaphors.  It's generally the drekkiest stuff that's put on as the equivalent
of Musak.  I'm not sure a really drekky version of Ma-oz Tsur would make me
feel any better.  Now that I don't work in a store, I avoid spending more than
5 or 10 minutes inside....
Ilana