Why we support chamber music
26/03/12 05:28
The myth of perpetual growth is just that: a myth. Bigger is not always better. But that doesn’t stop us from basing our society and our economy on the myth. It is a matter of simple math, really. If you combine the fantasy that each succeeding generation should be more wealthy than the previous one with the growth in world population it is obvious that the planet does not hold enough resources to sustain the growth. At some point something has to give. While we do have the resources to provide adequate nutrition and simple shelter for all of the world’s population, we do not have the resources, ability or will to provide everyone with high levels of luxury.
There are a few people who have discovered the beauty of living more simply. They find joy in homes that are smaller, easier to clean and maintain and demand less energy to heat and cool. They are content with less consumption and invest instead in quality items that last a long time. They given themselves the gift of time by freeing themselves from the grind of working more and more hours to sustain an ever growing lifestyle.
Urban planners tell us that successful cities are attentive to neighborhoods. Individuals and families might identify with the greater city, but they are only able to make their homes within a network of neighbors where they can become known. There is a natural limit to the capacity of a person to know others on a first-name basis. There is a limit to the number of friendships that can be nurtured with a finite amount of time. People are happiest when they find themselves to be surrounded by community. And community is a function of smallness not of largeness. People feel lost and experience a loss of community when institutions grow too big.
It is for this reason that big banks do their business through many small branch offices. It is for this reason that mega churches focus on small group ministries. It is for this reason that the most successful chain of coffee houses plans small neighborhood gathering places instead of large bustling centers.
It is because we believe in community that our church is pleased to sponsor chamber music. Chamber music is composed and performed with specific attention to the size of the production. The name “chamber music” is a reference to the size of the room where the music is to be performed. It is not concert hall music. It is not grand opera music. It is chamber music. And the size of the room dictates the size of the audience.
Ear-splitting rock concerts with masses of bodies crammed into rooms by the thousands or fans spilling beyond the boundaries of an outdoor venue while the thumping sound of the giant speakers carries far beyond even the massive crowd may be cultural events. In general they are not good places to make new friends or form neighborhood networks.
Chamber music is based on the simple conviction that bigger is not always better. The result is that concert audiences are small enough that the members of the audience get to know one another. Yesterday, as the time for the concert at our church came, one regular attendee came rushing in at the last minute. I was standing next to the man punching tickets at the door to the room. He greeted the concertgoer like this: “Good. We can begin now that you’re here.” They weren’t literally holding up the beginning of the concert for this one ticket holder, but it was noted that her presence was treasured and her attendance was appreciated.
Our congregation is pleased to sponsor chamber music in our town precisely because it is one of the ways that we build community. There are larger venues in our community. There are bigger halls. And there are musical events with bigger audiences. But we are investing in a style of music that is more intimate: a gathering of friends.
Yesterday’s concert was a delightful trio of piano, oboe and bassoon. The Polenc Trio presented a thrilling and delightful concert that demonstrated their unique instrumental combination and their practiced artistry. Double reed instruments often play a supporting role in a symphony orchestra. Hearing them in our sanctuary provided a different way to get to know the virtuosity of the instruments in the hands of masters. After a 90-minute concert, the audience was still begging for more. They were rewarded with an encore.
As is the custom with the Black Hills Chamber Music Society, the concert was followed by an artists’ reception, where the audience had the opportunity to speak face to face with the performers. Over a few light refreshments, they were able to express their appreciation of the music directly to the artists who performed it.
The press gives plenty of attention to a few megachurches. These giant institutions count their members by the thousands and boast growth rates of 5% per year and sometimes more. But there are other statistics that are often ignored. 45% of participants in megachurches do no volunteer work in the church. And even with their massive sizes, their members represent a small minority of American Christians. The majority of Christians belong to much smaller churches. Congregations of less than 500 members are still preferred by the majority of American Christians. It can be difficult to become involved in a congregation that has thousands of people. It is easy to get lost in the crowd. It is easy to believe that you are not needed when the church is too big.
It pleases me to know that our congregation continues to invest in things that are not based on continual growth, but rather is content to remain small, intimate and a gathering of friends. We are in the relationship business, not in a race to become the biggest, though we sometimes forget this fact. It is easy to become seduced by the popular notion that you have to grow in numbers to remain vital.
There was no lack of vitality in yesterday’s concert. You do not have to be big to be alive.
There are a few people who have discovered the beauty of living more simply. They find joy in homes that are smaller, easier to clean and maintain and demand less energy to heat and cool. They are content with less consumption and invest instead in quality items that last a long time. They given themselves the gift of time by freeing themselves from the grind of working more and more hours to sustain an ever growing lifestyle.
Urban planners tell us that successful cities are attentive to neighborhoods. Individuals and families might identify with the greater city, but they are only able to make their homes within a network of neighbors where they can become known. There is a natural limit to the capacity of a person to know others on a first-name basis. There is a limit to the number of friendships that can be nurtured with a finite amount of time. People are happiest when they find themselves to be surrounded by community. And community is a function of smallness not of largeness. People feel lost and experience a loss of community when institutions grow too big.
It is for this reason that big banks do their business through many small branch offices. It is for this reason that mega churches focus on small group ministries. It is for this reason that the most successful chain of coffee houses plans small neighborhood gathering places instead of large bustling centers.
Ear-splitting rock concerts with masses of bodies crammed into rooms by the thousands or fans spilling beyond the boundaries of an outdoor venue while the thumping sound of the giant speakers carries far beyond even the massive crowd may be cultural events. In general they are not good places to make new friends or form neighborhood networks.
Chamber music is based on the simple conviction that bigger is not always better. The result is that concert audiences are small enough that the members of the audience get to know one another. Yesterday, as the time for the concert at our church came, one regular attendee came rushing in at the last minute. I was standing next to the man punching tickets at the door to the room. He greeted the concertgoer like this: “Good. We can begin now that you’re here.” They weren’t literally holding up the beginning of the concert for this one ticket holder, but it was noted that her presence was treasured and her attendance was appreciated.
Yesterday’s concert was a delightful trio of piano, oboe and bassoon. The Polenc Trio presented a thrilling and delightful concert that demonstrated their unique instrumental combination and their practiced artistry. Double reed instruments often play a supporting role in a symphony orchestra. Hearing them in our sanctuary provided a different way to get to know the virtuosity of the instruments in the hands of masters. After a 90-minute concert, the audience was still begging for more. They were rewarded with an encore.
As is the custom with the Black Hills Chamber Music Society, the concert was followed by an artists’ reception, where the audience had the opportunity to speak face to face with the performers. Over a few light refreshments, they were able to express their appreciation of the music directly to the artists who performed it.
The press gives plenty of attention to a few megachurches. These giant institutions count their members by the thousands and boast growth rates of 5% per year and sometimes more. But there are other statistics that are often ignored. 45% of participants in megachurches do no volunteer work in the church. And even with their massive sizes, their members represent a small minority of American Christians. The majority of Christians belong to much smaller churches. Congregations of less than 500 members are still preferred by the majority of American Christians. It can be difficult to become involved in a congregation that has thousands of people. It is easy to get lost in the crowd. It is easy to believe that you are not needed when the church is too big.
There was no lack of vitality in yesterday’s concert. You do not have to be big to be alive.