Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!uwm.edu!psuvax1!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: cca04@seq1.keele.ac.uk (P.J. Mitchell) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: "Christian" Rock Message-ID: Date: 17 May 91 06:17:49 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of Keele, England Lines: 33 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu From article , by srh@cblph.att.com (Steven R Houser): > Another tidbit that has some bearing on this discussion: I heard that many > of the melodies of Charles Wesley's hymns were borrowed from old tavern > songs. Can anyone confirm or refute this? > > [I can't speak for Wesley, but I can say that a lot of church music > from the Renaissance and earlier is polyphonic invention based on > tenors that were originally secular melodies. --clh] It is quite true that Wesley used "popular" tunes, which would have been sung by people in taverns/pubs/bars. I can see nothing whatsoever wrong with this, and he said he did it so that the congregations at his open air services would be able to sing his hymns as they would already know the tunes. These congregations were mainly composed of working people who had no positive experience of "church" and most certainly wouldn't have known the contemporaneous hymns and their tunes. Indeed many of the would probably been put off in a big way if Wesley had used such tunes. In a wider context this is a fine example of taking the Gospel to the people and not setting up your own stall and expecting the poeple to come to you. To condem people because they like a tune that you don't is just arrogant and exclusive. In my opinion we NEED many more Christians in popular music of all types, because people listen to music, and condeming such music only alienates those who like it instead of drawing them in. -- Paul Mitchell (CMA#86(18) MAG#65715 DoD#0145) | Physics Department, JANET: p.j.mitchell@uk.ac.keele.seq1 | Keele University, Keele, USENET: p.j.mitchell@seq1.keele.ac.uk | Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, U.K. BITNET: p.j.mitchell%seq1.keele.ac.uk@ukacrl | (+44 or 0)782 621111 ext 3966