Both Eternity and Christian News call our attention to the fact that in 1985 it is three centuries ago that two of our most famous Christian musicians, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) and George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) were born. Bach has been acclaimed the greatest musician of all time, “the most profound and original musical thinker the world has ever seen.” His work had been virtually forgotten until in the mid-19th century it was rediscovered by Mendelssohn. Today he has come to be acknowledged as the musician, as Newsweek put it, “to whom almost everything in music past and present is somehow indebted.” That periodical observed that, “No composer in history, in short, has been so widely jazzed up, watered down, electrified and otherwise transmogrified, debated and admired as this German provincial. So it is hardly surprising that this 300th birthday next March will rank as a world-class anniversary.”
Of Bach, the provincial choirmaster‘s over I ,000 works almost 300 are cantatas. The Christian News article called attention to the fact that the flood of recent reports and stories fail to emphasize that Bach was first and foremost an orthodox Christian whose life’s motto required that he do all his work ‘in Jesus’ name’ and ‘ to the glory ofGod. ‘ Even when not in direct service to the Church, he nevertheless took for granted that he was serving God. ” It cites an observation that “Bach did not distinguish between a sacred and secu lar calling in life. His life gave evidence he agreed with Luther when he insisted that all honorable service glori fied God. Bach thus showed that he was in truth a member of God’s royal priesthood.”
After expressing disappointment with a recent TV special on Bach, the article observes, “Liberal churchmen, who now are praising Bach, pay little attention to Bach’s theology. They should read ‘Bach’s Musical Response to Biblical Criticism.”(our May, 1981 OUTLOOK article which Christian News reprinted in its magazine and later in its Encyclopedia). That article cited an observation of Jan Zwart in the Dutch De Reformatie that Bach in 1724 had composed a cantata vigorously attacking the criticism of the Bible and sectarian strife in the church. “During that time Bach came to compose a splendid cantata that can be designated as a song in praise o f sound doctrine. In it he made use of a poem ofLuther based on Psalm 12. This is not surprising because in Psalm 12 David was speak.ing against those who no longer took the Word of the Lord seriously. A situation which was also becoming painfully obvious in Bach’s time.” “The Cantata was not exaggerating when it exposed to ridicule those who take ‘foolish reason as their compass.’” “Whether they realize it or not, those leading in this critical movement are engaged in a wicked business. Luther and Bach knew it and, following the inspired psalms, taught the church to sing its prayer and praise to God for deliverance from and victory over the enemies.”
Christian News concludes its quotation by observing, “Bach opposed the Bible critics of his day. True Christians today should follow Bach’s example.”
Although Bach and Handel were born only 80 miles and a month apart, they never met and their worlds were widely different. Handel was a celebrity in his day. Christian News cited Newsweek’s comment that “When, by 1800, his ‘Messiah’ reigned as the most popular music the world had ever known, almost nothing of Bach had been heard for half a century.” In the recent Christmas season we were reminded again of the way in which Handel’s marvelous arrangements of the Biblical texts concerning the predictions, the coming, and the return of the Messiah make singing and hearing it a uniquely moving experience, an anticipation of the triumph to come, to aJI who believe in Christ our Lord.
We should be better acquainted with and make much more extensive use of the enormous Christian musical legacy the Lord has granted us in the works of these composers whose 300th birthday the world is observing.
