What became of schubert, more recently aka jim5559?


I am posting this in the “Music” forum because the contributor in question is one of the most musically astute individuals to ever post here.

It has been more than a year since his last post and I wondered if anyone knows the reason for his absence. I hope he is well. He is missed.

PLEASE! Let’s keep responses on track.

Thank you.

frogman

Yes indeed @roxy54. The early Bluesmen and Rock ’n’ Rollers were denounced for singing the "Devil’s Music", and the 1950’s and 60’s Soul singers were denounced from the pulpit in the same Baptist churches whose choirs they had once sang in. Those included Sam Cooke, the first of the choir boys (no irony intended ;-) to go secular. Aretha and others followed his lead.

Jerry Lee Lewis was very conflicted about singing Rock ’n’ Roll (there’s a great debate between he and Sun Record’s founder Sam Phillips about that subject, captured on tape), and Little Richard returned to his Baptist platform for a while. Elvis felt no guilt, but his favorite musical situation was to sing Gospel music in the Jungle Room at Graceland, accompanied by The Jordanaires.

Johnny Cash recorded a few albums of spiritually-based songs, and Dylan of course did his three Christian albums (which I really like). More recently we have Marty Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives, who did an album entitled Saturday Night/Sunday Morning ;-) . And of course the Angel From Montgomery (as her close friend and collaborator John Prine may have called her)---Iris Dement. Iris was raised Pentecostal (you know---the "snake handlers"), but sings like the Devil, so to speak. And Buddy & Julie Miller, both coming out of the Contemporary Christian field, as did T Bone Burnett and his ex-wife Sam Phillips. All some of my favorite musical artists. Schubert would never understand why.

Schubert and I traded quite a few PM’s over the years. Mostly on the subject of Classical music. He is (tense I will use until with proof otherwise) one of the most knowledgeable music lovers I have ever “met”. True, he is intolerant of Pop and Rock, an area were we disagreed, but fantastically astute on the subjects of Classical music, musicians and great recordings. Jazz, a new musical interest is another genre that he considers “serious” music. He is also an extremely generous person. Very religious and pious.

I went back over our PM correspondence and was reminded of a couple of things. I share a couple of these with only positive intention and in the interest of offering some insight into the man. Schubert, if you read this, I hope you don’t mind.

Six years ago he mentioned that he was 83 years old. This would make him 89 or 90 today.

Once, when discussing our mutual love for the music of Leos Janacek he offered to send me a book on Janacek in appreciation of an ADC cartridge stylus that I had sent him and that I had no use for. The sent book was accompanied by several dozen CD’s, each accompanied by a note with a very insightful and handwritten mini review. Each one a fantastic recording. When I expressed my discomfort with accepting such a generous gift, his response was: “In Christian Ethics to receive well is more blessed than to give”.

 

The problem with schubert was (?) he had (?) no sense of humour. Ya know, being filled with joy is a very Christian thing (and self-righteousness a very un-Christian one). That joy can be accessed through ANY kind of music.

The main problem, as I see it, is the intolerance often demonstrated by many of those who profess to be the most tolerant. 

@frogman 

You are correct about that, and I'm at least as guilty as any of intolerance at times; but as @bdp24 points out, it was a really flawed point of view on Schubert's part to dismiss the joy that others found in types of music that he didn't care for.

It struck me as surprising for someone who was a cultured man, but then we humans are nothing if not a collection of contradictions.