My heart is steadfast, O God;
I will sing and make music with all my soul.
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
Psalm 108:1-2
Music touches the human spirit in a way that nothing else can. The question of why music matters is inextricably linked to the spiritual character of music and its unique ability to embody and express creativity and beauty.
This encapsulates the reason why I began the Classical Music and the Bible Project. Beauty, which can be communicated so powerfully through the arts, points us to the fact that we were created for something beyond this world.
I believe that classical music, in particular, has an important role to play in this regard.
Classical music can fulfill these tasks by reaching beyond language and borders and touching the human spirit when nothing else will and connects us to our Creator.
Many composers of the past were keenly aware of this and drew inspiration from Scripture for their compositions, which continue to impact us today. As Michael Marrison, Professor Emeritus of Music at Swarthmore College, wrote in Bach and God, “Thanks to Bach (and Handel, Haydn, Josquin, Mozart, Schütz and Zelanka), though, I will probably never be a comfortable agnostic.”
People remember and relate to Biblical texts in a unique manner when it is communicated through the music of composers such as Bach, Handel, Stravinsky, Rossini, etc. My aim is to help to connect with the texts, themes and personalities from the Bible through the use of classical music, and to thereby help you to connect better both with the music and the Scriptures.
