Here's my story of one of the things that irked me the most while in the Morg.

I've always been "blessed" with musical talent. I put it in quotes because anyone can be "blessed" with special talent should they work hard enough at it, which was the case for me.

When I was around 16 years old my current piano teacher referred me to her old teacher who taught university level students because she felt she could no longer help me progress (this was such a huge boost to my self-esteem, and still is!) So the teacher at the univesity took me on as his student, and all was going great!

The one problem with my studies was that I didn't own a real, acoustic piano at home, so my teacher suggested I try to get in as much acoustic practice as possible.

So every week I would show up to mutual about an hour early to get in some practice on an acoustic piano. I had asked my young men's president if that was ok, and he said go for it. But one week the old guy who takes care of the church (I forget his official title) came in furious and sat me down for a good 10 minutes berating me about how I was "defiling" the chapel with my worldly music, and he told me I was never to touch the Chapel's piano again (which was pretty difficult as I was also the priesthood pianist). This confused me because I was playing Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata, which certainly doesn't seem very disrespectful to me, and would always stop playing before anyone else showed up. Needless to say, he and I never really got on with each other well after that.

This experience has always been one that upset me the most. But who knows, maybe I was just a selfish kid trying to take advantage of the church and defile the chapel!

I was reading the CHI today, and saw that the building could be used for practicing the piano. It may have said organ too, which would mean the chapel.

Playing Beethoven is disrespectful, but kids running around spilling Cheerios and screaming, teens and adults gossiping and texting isn't? BTW, the choirs at other churches regularly do Beethoven, The Morg may not be aware of it but he wrote religious works and they are a heck of a lot better than the Mormon junk like Janice Knapp Perry.ANother point; last Sunday I attended mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine and the organist was a Mormon. Bet it was a relief to be able to play some classical stuff instead of Mormon hymns. He was good and he got an ovation. Oh, wait, that is disrespectful too



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/2010 07:38PM by bona dea.

That guy was jerk. And of course, there will be others like him.

My ex was allowed to use the chapel for recitals. It was also used for other community-type events.

Some folks will never understand why it's so easy for me to stay away from church.

Space Toaster, that was the piece I learned at your age and I practiced on the chapel piano because mine at home was a pos. I was told I could only enter the chapel if I wore

*sacred pause*

'appropriate church attire.'

I asked if I could wear nice dress pants and was told no. I questioned the ward leaders why a man can wear dress pants but a woman has to wear an uncomfortable, outdated, ugly dress. The response I got was because we need to dress our best for the Lawd. I knew then there was no point arguing so every week after school I would make a special trip home just to don my ugly, baggy, outdated dress because that was the best way to show respect to the Lawd while I practiced Beethoven on the chapel piano.

You had to go home and change just to go play respectful classical music? That is so ridiculous.

And speaking of Janice Kapp Perry, I don't know if it's just me, but I dislike her music sooooo much. All of her stuff sounds so dang similar. I listened to a new piece of hers recently without knowing the author, and within 15 seconds I could tell who it was.

Applause being disrespectful was also one of my gripes with the church. I did a lot of musical numbers for sacrament meeting (these were honestly my main draw to attend sacrament meeting, I love performing), but it just doesn't compare to performing at any other place. Everyone enjoys hearing applause and knowing that it's all for them, and it's healthy every once in a while.

The old fart was making a power play, nothing else. He would have said squat if you were practicing some Mormon hymn.

Most people would be happy you were filling their chapel with beautiful music, but this guy was just born to be miserable. Not quite sure what make some people that way, and in my recent experience, a lot of older men. Curmudgeon sums it up.

That's why I love my new church so much. They have a full band and at least 3 singers every week. 2 drum sets and numerous,different types of guitars. And we clap like crazy. I would love to see the look on every one of the members in my old ward if they were able to view this. Priceless I'm sure.

I caught crap for playing classical guitar in sacrament meeting. The bishop thought it was fine but to certain ward members it was a hippie instrument.

Then I caught more crap for playing electric guitar in a band with other ward members at a stake talent show. Our songs were approved but again, certain people were out to get us. I had a 100 watt Marshall half stack and played at a tolerable volume. I wish I would have dimed the thing and then stomped on the overdrive pedal and let those A'holes in the audience have a full blast.

Rubicon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I caught crap for playing classical guitar in
> sacrament meeting. The bishop thought it was fine
> but to certain ward members it was a hippie
> instrument.
>
> Then I caught more crap for playing electric
> guitar in a band with other ward members at a
> stake talent show. Our songs were approved but
> again, certain people were out to get us. I had a
> 100 watt Marshall half stack and played at a
> tolerable volume. I wish I would have dimed the
> thing and then stomped on the overdrive pedal and
> let those A'holes in the audience have a full
> blast.


Satan has domain over electric guitars!!!!

This was one of my pet peeves when I was a member. It didn't matter who was in the Bishoprick, everyone who was older than me, felt like they where in charge of me, and felt free to tell me when I was not "showing my reverence". Just a bunch of old tools!

It's a **feeling** of awe. Having respect is not the same as putting on an outward (possibly fake) display of respect.

Mormons seem to think that respect is merely a function of what people wear, how they talk, and if they play nothing but mormon hymns or something else in their chapels. Outward signs of actual respect are open to interpretation.

*You* were showing more respect with your music than he was with his cantankerous assertions.

That guy was a creep. I wish you'd had an official certificate of piano use to flash in front of his arrogant mug, something like a TR for chapel use.

my two'penneth worth - When cleaning/being a key holder was a paid job I looked after the chapel. I took a cassette player and played all kinds of music (quite loud sometimes so I could hear it in whichever part of the building I went), which helped get me thru the job. I never felt I was being disrespectful after all it was a multi-purpose building, and cleaning toilets and the like, you needed a distraction.
I used to sing in the choir (which was really quite good even if I do say so myself) and the range of music sung was vast. I think that there is nothing better than to hear music/songs coming from a church building. It adds to what it stands for.
Some people can't help themselves getting on this 'power' trip.
Hope you still enjoy the piano.

All over the world there are churches renowned for their architecture, art, history or other cultural features. Many of these churches are in use as places of worship as well as tourist destinations.

We visited Notre Dame in Paris and Stephens Dom in Vienna, also on a Sunday mornings. Mass was in progress while many tourists wandered through the cathedrals looking at the treasures. The tourists were reminded to be respectful of the worshipers and for the most part I think it works. In Notre Dame a boys chorus was singing; it was an amazing thrilling sound in that space. In Vienna, we actually stood for the mass; a chamber orchestra and chorus was doing a Haydn mass.

In Salzburg there are something like 24 churches in the historic city centre, and many of them are the site of concerts in the afternoons and evenings. Some of them are places where Mozart himself conducted his music, and many times the mass is conducted with chamber orchestra, chorus and soloists performing a mass by Mozart or Haydn along with the priest. It would make your hair stand on end to hear the soaring mass in these spaces. It can be remarkably moving.

Sometimes I wander into one of the churches and just sit, looking around me. Sometimes, if I’m lucky, a chamber orchestra and soloists will be practicing, and I am treated to a small, almost private, recital. It’s wonderful.

These cranky old farts with their insistence on ‘respect’ and proper clothes and only church music blah blah blah seem like they’re interested in nothing but power trips. And they seem remarkably ignorant of the world, music and sacred spaces.

Bah.

I hope the Morg continues to be full of stupid old sh*ts like that.

That cult is a control freak heaven.

As for Janice CRAP Perry, I'd rather hear Yoko Ono screaming than to listen to any of the elevator muzak Perry cranks out.

As a child I only attended Sunday school and primary classes, since my parents weren't LDS and didn't care if I attended sacrament meeting or not. Occasionally a friend would invite me to attend sacrament meeting with their family, but not too often so I didn't have that much experience with the etiquette. One time that I attended, there was a special musical number and I started clapping at the end. I received some dirty looks that silenced me quickly. It was so mortifying as a child who just didn't know the rules and thought clapping was the right response.

When I was older, my piano teacher held our spring recitals in the LDS chapel. She would always announce at the beginning that it was acceptable to clap. :/



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2010 11:30AM by emadee.