Modern music is derived from ancient music. Nothing new here, we all build upon the past. Rebecca's music often includes violins or other symphonic elements. There is a lot to say about Christian music of the past. Bach, Beethoven, and so on.
What about Wagner? Wagner is a disputed figure. Wagner's antisemitism is one major source of dispute - as is the case with Mel Gibson's alleged antisemitism in more recent times that has put some shadow over his impressive movie The Passion of the Christ. But we must not judge someone by one action alone - this isn't honest. Gibson comes from a Roman Catholic tradition. Wagner comes from the past - that's even worse. However, Wagner has known the kind of wonderment, the preoccupation with Christian thought that characterized so many composers of the past. But was this man honest?
Talking about Wagner is difficult without some introduction on what's true and what's an exaggeration. Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883) was the product of a racist culture, we must judge him against the background of his time. It was in many ways a very unfortunate time to live in - but no one can choose his own time frame from the historical roller. And of course, it wasn't very helpful that Houston Stewart Chamberlain, often associated with Nazi racial philosophy, admired Wagner's work and marrying Wagner's daughter Eva. Brushing up the image of Wagner isn't easy. Nevertheless, the man had long died when Hitler came to power - let us not forget that.
An impressive work like his The Ring of the Nibelung, the four-opera cycle that seems to have inspired Tolkien into writing his The Lord of the Rings, has also been interpreted in more dark, racist ways. Nationalism and racism have been plaguing German artists, philosophers, politicians, even the Pope (as Pope Ratzinger had his own struggle with the extremism that ravaged German Hitler-Jugend). Biographers of Wagner have often put a terrible burden upon the shoulders of this man, who could not possibly have escaped his own time.
Parsifal is something very special. This opera has been criticized in many different directions: Schopenhauerian pessimism, Buddhist compassion and reincarnation, nature as holy (or 'wholly' - think holism today), and of course, the much debated question of antisemitic content in the opera. But much of it is questionable. More recent literary research on Wagner leaves more space for a balanced view. Parsifal does in no way hint at antisemitism unless you put it in the text, based on conclusions from other sources. Which is what a biographer like Gutman did.
Of course, it is undeniable that Wagner has been occupying himself with the racialist philosophy of Arthur de Gobineau. But, while Gutman claims that this is reflected in Parsifal, there is no real confirmation for this tendentious interpretation in the story iself. After all, Parcifal was already written in 1877, while Wagner showed no significant interest in Gobineau until 1880; and already as early as 1881, it becomes clear (from Cosima's diary entries at that time) that Wagner had begun to form an opinion about Gobineau's racial theories which was, on the whole, negative. His pamphlet "Heroism and Christianity" starts with friendly, careful phrasing about Gobineau (they were still considered friends, even while they had started to part), but Wagner's answer was an anti-racist plea.
At that time, however, anti-racism could be seen as contrasting with Judaism. (The Jews would, later on, find themselves more and more in a terrible position: attacked by a secular, virulent racist program on the one side, and at the other side by Christians who thought of Jews as racists). We know today what a madness this really was, but Wagner lived in the Germany of that time - long before Hitler, which also means long before the consequences of German philosophy started to become clear.
Now when you observe Wagner's works - most of them suggest a significant influence of Christian thought. Most of those great composers of the past have been interpreting Christian thought indeed. But Parcifal - Wagner's final opera - is an abundant example of that process. What is it that invited great artists to rethink, work out, experiment with, recreate, reformulate, object against or embrace (part of) the biblical materials, and often come to surprising, interesting interpretations?
Working with Biblical materials
When non-Christians (or non-explicit Christians) get involved with Christian thought, the 'biblical materials' are often treated as 'raw material' that require elaboration. Elaboration can be seen positively as processing the materials, elaboration as real labor: working hard on preparing yourself to interact with the raw material, so it makes sense for you.
In my opinion, seeing the biblical texts as 'raw material' isn't necessarily such a bad thing. It might be more dangerous when people (including Christians) treat biblical materials as an end product, because that is where 'fundamentalism' often starts - more particularly where bible literalism takes over. It is not just about holding on to the Word of God then, but about holding on to our own interpretations, especially to what fits best with what we see as God's will. It seems to me that seeing the bible as 'raw material' is in a way less dangerous.
And after all, isn't the real end product - according to Jewish thought - a product to achieve in the future? The much anticipated end product is mankind itself. Even the new world to come is in reality a world where people act differently. Obviously, there is still an awful lot of homework to do before it would really look like an end product.
What is the benefit of considering such figures like Wagner?
First of all, they experienced this sense of marvel at the great God story that often seems to have escaped Christians. On the other hand: people like Wagner clearly missed our 'Christian certainties'. And this could be an interesting experience for us to discover.
Don't get me wrong on this: there is not necessarily anything wrong with Christian certainties. You are reading this on a site called Rebecca St James reference; obviously, Rebecca has a couple of 'Christian certainties' of her own, and obviously I have no problem with that. I love the fact that others are feeling more certain than I do, and what makes me a fan of Rebecca is the fact that I can relate to certainties IF these certainties relate to the person who promotes them. Which is another way of saying that I perceive Rebecca as an authentic Christian. However, there can be little doubt that some Christians are not very 'compatible' with Christian certainties. The net effect of Christian certainties upon certain Christians does not look like very Christian: haughtiness, overconfidence, nonchalance, lack of interest in the fate of unbelievers, and so on.
Wagner did not possess our certainties, but he had a desire to find out what really matters in this world - a desire that might inspire us.
Seeing the Light
Just like Arthur Schopenhauer (who had a major influence on Wagner), Wagner observed the chaos in his world, having no ready-made answers to it. The world was seemingly determined by an irrational and evil will. Wagner wrote some masterpieces that seem to carry us through the depths of despair. You may perceive his as a completely pessimistic world view - but you could also see a man who was desperately wrestling with the darkness in order to find the way out.
We can observe different places, levels of despair if you want, but we cannot easily judge about what kind of direction someone is taking. Despair is not necessarily a choice, not even a constant state of the heart - but often a temporary state, and at the inside, a couple of eyes may be seeking for the light, not finding it, yet. The reason for this sorry state could be the 'blindness' of the non-believer, as we Christians often call it - but we cannot always be that sure about the nature of this human condition. In many cases this can hardly be the entire truth. We could ourselves be a part of the problem, why people do not see the light.
Music is a wonderful way of shining the light - because music is a universal language and is capable of expressing just about everything about life, even afterlife. But also about death (and 'after death').
Besides the pagan (and Buddhist) influences in Parcifal, Christian influences are most prevalent.
For instance, there is a profound emphasis on sexual and spiritual purity in the Parcifal story (both are connected, as explained in other postings on this weblog: you cannot be pure in one way while you are impure in other ways at the same time). This may require significant struggling with the powers that try to fill our spirits with the products of a consumer-oriented program that pays no respect to the moral qualities and responsibilities of the human being. Parcifal gives a profound impression of this struggle. In order to see the light, you may have to pass through the valley of death first, or at least through the shadowlands (in C.S. Lewis and Rebecca St James language).
The long journey towards the light
But what's also prevalent in Parcifal is the sheer longueur, the length, the duration of the journey. You may see the light, but still, have to walk a long road before you arrive at the right place.
The story of Parcifal may look odd in many ways, but if you 'get into it', you may recognize so much of your own life. We may often think that our story should move more quickly. But, when translated into today's language, what that means is: move on to consumption - because consumption is about the funny stuff. Reduce pain, increase pleasure - the god of hedonism, ruling our spirits maybe more than any other god.
In Parcifal, no such non-sense. Parcifal makes us come to our senses, which for human beings does not only include the five or more senses we (more or less)share with animals, but also the spiritual-intellectual senses (often identified as mind and understanding). It takes time to arrive at the point where we make sense. Till we have faces, as one of C.S. Lewis marvelous books calls it, in an attempt to explore the human condition and Psuchè in the light of the higher powers, the powers we cannot control, but who may look like non-sensical unless some divine light shines upon it, revealing the true nature of the things. The human mind is a labyrinth to those who have no compass, and for those who have a compass, it still is a huge domain, rich but frightening. Logical thought, or even Wittgenstein and all the linguistic insights of these days may never make the light really shine. The light shines when an authentic story reveals to us the meaning of things, of life. The entire Bible consists of truth-by-storytelling. Wagner was getting it - as most composers got their part of it, understanding the rich palette of colors that music offers.
Music gives faces to things, it tells stories, paints images on our minds. Wagner, for all his missing certainties, was not left in the cold entirely - not as we would be tempted to think today. There were still those strong Christian fibers throughout German society then, just like elsewhere in Europe. Wagner was like telling a John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress story, but more as one would see it from a dark place. And Germany was rapidly becoming a very dark place then.
Today, some very dark clouds seem to have appeared once again - world threats (such as radical Islam, as 9/11 proved, but also virulent forms of atheism and other radical anti-Christian ideologies are emerging). Christians are often weak, still. If this does not change for the better, meaning a radical change of hearts, taking a stand for Jesus, there may be little hope for the world. But, while even Parcifal - a 'young fool' - managed to get through it, while Hitler was going to come down with great force, as Lucifer will, at a certain point in the future, there must be hope. The 'young fool' Parcifal reminds of Dostojewski's The Idiot (who pictures in fact Jesus Christ, the innocent who is a fool to the world). These days, you have to be a bit of a fool to stand for God in a world who - once again - wants to get completely rid of Him and his rules. Music is one way to remind us that truth is composed of the simplicity of a pure heart. No matter how many people perceive that as foolishness. The simple belief that there is more to earth than meets the eye is enough for many 'intellectuals' to boast out loud against such 'nonsense'.
What would they know? They have rejected the most basic lessen of life: realizing that we are witless fools when we stand before the Great God.
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