I hope is some opera that talks about the angel MORONI

 

Is that the one who manifested as a talking fish?

 

A couple years before his passing, pianist Grant Johannesen (himself a Mormon) championed 18 Mormon composers on a cycle of piano pieces called Mormoniana -

http://www.mormonartistsgroup.com/mormon_artists_group/Mormoniana_prospectus.html

http://www.byumusicstore.com/mormoniana-cd/

 

It inspired an opera by the guys who created South Park.

 

Well, a musical theater piece. I haven't seen it yet, but its supposed to be hilarious.

 

Perotin -
I am a Mormon myself, and have read the Book of Mormon many times. I am not aware, though, of any music that has been written about it, apart from some hymns that are particular to our church that draw as source material from the book. I will be curious about this as well.

As for The Book of Mormon, the Musical, well, it is what it is. I understand many find it hilarious. I haven't seen it - don't plan on it either. Not that I can't stand a work that parodies my belief - I just don't care for the South Park style humor, or the incessant vulgarity. An article in The Daily Beast described it as, "The Book of Mormon may be the most obscene show ever brought to a Broadway stage." And - while I wouldn't expect a parody of my religion to really be all that accurate - I understand that quite a bit of what is in it is based more on caricatures of Mormons by non-Mormons rather than actual Mormon doctrine.

 

An article in The Daily Beast described it as, "The Book of Mormon may be the most obscene show ever brought to a Broadway stage."

You did read the whole article from which you extract your quote?

How about this, mined from the same review...?

But their musical also has an uplifting message: the Mormons save the African villagers and come to realize that the moral of the story is more important than whether it's true. "We may laugh at [Mormons'] silly beliefs," Stone says, "but at the end of the day, we really liked them. We wanted it to be a feel-good musical. And one that inspires people as well."

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/03/06/south-park-musical-book-of-mormon-is-magical.html

 

There is at least one opera that I know of. It is based on the Abinidi story. BYU produced it a couple years ago. Although there are song cycles and other works, they do not seem to have gone beyond the Mormon audience. I must say that they Leroy Anderson setting of "The Lords Prayer" from his oratorio "The Book of Mormon" is the one I lime the best of the many settings out there. It can be heard at 47:50 in this recording of the oratorio. Actually the name of the oratorio is "From the Book of Mormon"

 

I guess I'm going to have to look up that oratorio now. Can it be purchased commercially?

 

I'm really surprised that there isn't more Mormon music - classical, popular or folk - that deals specifically with the stories and beliefs unique to Mormons. Surely there must be more examples from other genres?

 

There are - but more what you would probably call Mormon pop. More pop-influenced than classical influence. Retailers like Deseret Books probably offer them for sale. There are also several Mormon-specific hymns. Our hymnal contains many standard hymns known to most Christian groups, and then some that are unique to us. You can more than likely hear several of those on recordings by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

This website gives a pretty good selection:
http://deseretbook.com/LDS-Music/c/2#q=&page=1&sort=popularity&facets=category:2

As for popular, well, you have to understand that it would be a pretty niche market. The average non-Mormon is not really looking for such music. Other than the Mormon Tabernacle Choir - probably the most well-known Mormon musical group worldwide -, then you have the Osmonds, who didn't necessarily sing Mormon-themed stuff, or now Gladys Knight, who has done some recordings - I don't know exactly how specifically Mormon they are - since she became a Mormon.

 

Ironically enough I live here in Utah and can only think of Saturday's Warrior which isn't classical. I can't think of a Mormon classical composer either .

 

Ugh - I was hoping Saturday's Warrior wouldn't be brought up. I have never been a big fan of this Mormon "pop" stuff. I have seen it, and it didn't do anything for me. There are other Mormon pop groups as well. Not a big fan of Christian "pop" either.

 

I don't live in Utah, am not a Mormon, and find the Mormon religion absurd. Well, other religions too! Still, when I saw the Book of Mormon at the Pantages Theater in LA, I came away feeling somewhat cheapened and unclean.

 

Interesting Ken! You feel the same about religion as I do about atheism!

 

Personally, I'm waiting for their big broadway musical mocking Muslims. But, then, I guess this was easier - Mormons don't generally issue fatwas calling for the death of people who mock their religion. Mormons are safe for mocking. I don't think you would have people, either, praising to the heavens a musical mocking Muslims. You wouldn't get top-level politicians and potential presidential candidates (e.g. Hillary Clinton) going to see a musical mocking Muslims. But Mormons are okay - they are safe.

 

How about a musical about turning the other cheek?

 

Well, you wanted to point out that the review in the Daily Beast goes on to praise The Book of Mormon, and how it really has an uplifting message, and Stone and Parker really do like Mormons. Okay. I think anybody who cares anything about the musical already knows enough about it - and, like I said, my original comment was simply about the vulgarity in it, so I didn't feel that the other comments were germane to my statement.

The other comment goes to whether a similarly cleverly crafted musical that mocks atheists with incorrect caricatures of what they say would gain as much traction, or if this particular musical has gained as much traction primarily because it is fun and safe to mock Mormons - you are being edgy.

And along those lines, I loved the joke the other day on The Daily Show where one of the reporters was interviewing an atheist with a vendetta against a diner that gives a 15% discount for praying - "A rabbi, a priest, and an atheist go into a bar. The rabbi and the priest slam the door in the atheists face because he was being a d*ck and they didn't want to be around him."

 

Well, you wanted to point out that the review in the Daily Beast goes on to praise The Book of Mormon, and how it really has an uplifting message, and Stone and Parker really do like Mormons. Okay. I think anybody who cares anything about the musical already knows enough about it - and, like I said, my original comment was simply about the vulgarity in it, so I didn't feel that the other comments were germane to my statement.

The other comment goes to whether a similarly cleverly crafted musical that mocks atheists with incorrect caricatures of what they say would gain as much traction, or if this particular musical has gained as much traction primarily because it is fun and safe to mock Mormons - you are being edgy.

And along those lines, I loved the joke the other day on The Daily Show where one of the reporters was interviewing an atheist with a vendetta against a diner that gives a 15% discount for praying - "A rabbi, a priest, and an atheist go into a bar. The rabbi and the priest slam the door in the atheists face because he was being a d*ck and they didn't want to be around him."

I don't care for the musical, I've not seen it, have no intention of seeing it, and am not a fan of South Park. I wasn't posting to counter your opinion with my own, nor to use someone else's opinion to counter yours either. I just didn't think it fair to leave other readers with the impression that some definitive adverse judgement had been passed on the musical by that article.

As for the references to atheism, they seem to be irrelevant to a discussion about The Book of Mormon.

 

Why was it disgusting?

I recall the complaints were orchestrated.

 

Mostly due to profanity, and a LOT of talk of raping virgins and babies, clitorectomies, and a song that repeatedly, and in graphic ways, says, "F*** you, God."

 

Sorry, you were asking about Springer, I was talking about the Book of Mormon.

 

Nope, I just like to respond to everything I have read in one post, where possible. At any rate, I interpreted your comment about turning the other cheek as a dig against me for not turning the other cheek regarding a musical that mocked my religion. If that was not the intent of post #22, then I apologize.

 

Quoting one source while responding to another--- 'switching contexts'--- is sophistry. It'd never stand in a court of law. . . well, in a non-Orwellian one.

 

And regarding the lyrics to "I Believe," they refer more to joking caricatures that others make of Mormons.

Thomas S. Monson, the current prophet and president of the church, doesn't so much talk directly to God, as he receives revelations from God for the world - essentially the same role of prophets referenced in the Bible.

The issue of blacks in 1978 is how others interpret it - we hold that it was not yet time for them to receive the priesthood, as determined by God.

We don't believe that we each receive our own planet. We don't believe God lives on Kolob. We don't believe that Christ resides on his own planet. Those are not Mormon doctrines - those are distortions that others use to mock us, straw men.

 

And regarding the lyrics to "I Believe," they refer more to joking caricatures that others make of Mormons.

Thomas S. Monson, the current prophet and president of the church, doesn't so much talk directly to God, as he receives revelations from God for the world - essentially the same role of prophets referenced in the Bible.

The issue of blacks in 1978 is how others interpret it - we hold that it was not yet time for them to receive the priesthood, as determined by God.

We don't believe that we each receive our own planet. We don't believe God lives on Kolob. We don't believe that Christ resides on his own planet. Those are not Mormon doctrines - those are distortions that others use to mock us, straw men.

You speak for all Mormons?

 

Okay to get back onto point for this thread... I can name two prominent classical music celebrities who are Mormon related... The 5 Browns

and Lindsey Sterling who isn't really classical music:

 

Okay to get back onto point for this thread... I can name two prominent classical music celebrities who are Mormon related... The 5 Browns...

I don't think very many Mormons are pointing with pride to the 5 Browns these days, or at least to the father.

How would you justify spending what another has earned?

-- Unless you advocate slavery.

Or capitalism.

 

Any chance that we can bring this thread back to the OT? Like discussing the Mormon influence on classical music and not about religious specifics? Thanks.

 

It's a non-starter, as Dr. Mike mentioned in his first post. This thread has more than run its course, which is going nowhere.

 

It brings to mind a lawsuit in Canada where a syndicated writer was sued for violating some speech law for saying something disparaging about Islam. I also hear about such similar laws over there in the UK - is that true? And does it only apply to Islam? Or do they only enforce them when the subject is Islam, for fear of the potential rioting that might ensue?

 

That would depend on whether the writer was attempting incitement. The law does not distinguish on any particular religion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_and_Religious_Hatred_Act_2006

 

I hope nobody is surprised where this thread has gone; where else could it go?

Before it's closed, I 'll just offer the thought I had when I saw the thread title. The Book of Mormon is pretty much downer reading for me; too much killing going on, for reasons I don't get. I envision the appropriate music for the Book - not the church actually - as being a combination of Renaissance "Battaglia" and elements of Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony's finale