Post-Pentecostal Depression

by Robert P. Imbelli

We need festal time, to express our full joy at the coming of the Holy Spirit. Continue Reading »

6 Jun 2017

Harmony and the Scriptures: Lenten Reflections on Harnoncourt and Bach

by Michael Maria Waldstein

I became aware of the clash between Harnoncourt and Richter, right around the time when my own musical taste became more mature and critical, at age fifteen or sixteen. I was a Richterian; Harnoncourt struck me as harsh and uncouth. Continue Reading »

23 Mar 2017

Christ's Three-Fold Coming in Music

by Nathaniel Peters

When taken neat, the Oratorio’s musical beauty and theological simplicity drive home the power of Christ’s coming in all its forms. Continue Reading »

23 Dec 2016

Briefly Noted

by Elliot Milco

Saint Paul Lives Here (In Minnesota)by zach czaiawipf and stock, 66 pages, $7.50 A fter years of controversy over the mishandling of sexual predators among the priests of his archdiocese, Archbishop of Minneapolis-St. Paul John Nienstedt resigned last June. Now facing criminal prosecution, the . . . . Continue Reading »

6 May 2016

No Apology for Bach's Theology

by Nathaniel Peters

As the cantor of Leipzig, Bach was responsible for composing music for Sunday ­services, which produced reams of choral ­music, mostly cantatas. Because of this, it would be difficult to find a composer who wrote more sacred music. Like Victoria and Bruckner, Bach’s works stem from his own devotion. But more than any other composer, Bach uses complex music to articulate theology. . . . Continue Reading »

3 May 2016

The Tragedy of the Resurrection

by Carl R. Trueman

Pace common wisdom, the resurrection makes human life truly tragic.
Continue Reading »

29 Mar 2016

Happy Birthday Dear Sebastian!

by Paul T. McCain

[caption id=”attachment_5721” align=”aligncenter” width=”480” caption=”Happy 325th Birthday Kantor Bach!”][/caption]Our beloved fifth evangelist was born on this day in 1685. Since many male relatives in Bach time shared a common first name: fathers, . . . . Continue Reading »

21 Mar 2010

Bach and Japan: How Beauty Serves the Truth of the Gospel

by Paul T. McCain

If you took a moment to watch the YouTube video I posted in my previous note about Bach, you will rejoice in Mr. Suzuki’s clear and forthright witness to Christ and the Christian faith. Nearly ten years ago my friend Dr. Uwe Siemon-Netto wrote a piece for FIRST THINGS, and I thought it might . . . . Continue Reading »

8 Jan 2010

News Flash: J.S. Bach was a Christian - Why Suzuki Gets Bach

by Paul T. McCain

One of the world’s premier interpreters and conductors of Bach music is the Japanese musician Masaaki Suzuki. And he gets Bach, unlike many Westerners. I am sick and tired of discussions of Bach by secularists who do everything they can to avoid, dismiss, denigrate and intentionally ignore the . . . . Continue Reading »

8 Jan 2010

J. S. Bach in Japan

by Uwe Siemon-Netto

Twenty-five years ago when there was still a Communist East Germany, I interviewed several boys from Leipzig’s Thomanerchor, the choir once led by Johann Sebastian Bach. Many of those children came from atheistic homes. “Is it possible to sing Bach without faith?” I asked them. “Probably . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Jun 2000