Of Chairs and Art

On Wednesday, Marty Haugen came and spoke with a group of us. I'm not a huge Haugen fan, but I love the idea of what he does. He writes religious music for the masses, as in throngs, as well as masses, as in worship services. Some of his music is flat, but a huge chunk of it is singable and most people I've spoken to like it. Again, it's good for what it is.

I do however, truly, 100% respect him. He does nothing without thinking about it and has reasons for it. I may not agree with his logic, but at least it's there.

One comment he made was that Liturgical music or arts, unlike some other arts, is closer to making a chair than creating a sculpture. He says that one can create the most beautiful chair ever created, but in the end, people have to sit in it. If it doesn't serve that purpose, it ceases to be a chair. What good is a chair that cannot be sat upon? Likewise, what good is congregational song that the congregation cannot sing?