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Indrid Cold · 03-27-2021, 05:33 PM

This does not mean that all the composers and theoreticians were in agreement. Lutheran composers differed greatly over the destination of the soul. None argued the existence of the soul (that I know of, at least) but they argued over its nature and what happened to the soul after death. This was due to the intermingling of the thoughts of various theologians upon the nature of the soul and of heaven. Due to this intrusion of the theological, the arguments often became ridiculous as we will see.

Luther held that the soul departed the body upon death but did not enter heaven, did not experience rapture. Rather, the soul remained in a state of suspended animation until the Last Day. Only then was its destination determined. By the 17th century, the prevalent belief was that the soul left the body upon death and went immediately to its destination. Lutheran theologians, however, believed that the grave was a place of rest, of sleep. While the soul departed the body and the latter then rotted into a skeleton, on the Last Day, the body and soul would be reunited and the body transformed into an eternally youthful, healthy one. Luther referred to Paul’s writings about the spiritual transformation after death writing: “It [life] is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” Luther’s exegesis was promising a new life transcending sin and infirmity after death.

The ontological and epistemological ramifications of the heavenly music doctrine was highly important to composers and theorists as Bach. The reason is that music provided the clearest example of what heaven was like. A 17th century theorist named J. A. Herbst wrote that the heavenly music “will be performed in the angelic, heavenly choir, with the highest perfection…in all eternity to the praise and glory of God.” This was a topic among which the clergy and the theologians wrote and sermonized on often. Bach’s contemporary, theorist Johann Mattheson (1681-1764) of Hamburg, agreed with Herbst and asserted that he represented the mainstream that the music of heaven was composed of “the most perfect harmony.” Heinrich Müller, whose books are found in Bach’s personal library, wrote that the heavenly music gives us not only a glimpse into heaven and its workings but it also allows us to embrace death rather than fear it. Moreover, Müller said, the music of heaven and the learned polyphony and counterpoint provide a parallel to earth and heaven. Müller and Mattheson both felt that music provided the clue to eternal life and there was a “heavenly concert” which we would someday join in.

In matters as these, the absurdities begin to surface sooner or later. If there is a concert going on in heaven, some asked, then do the “musicians” have to tune the instruments, would intervals have to be tempered? The answer was no. These were earthly concerns and of no consequence in heaven. How would a non-physical body play an instrument? Mattheson said a transfigured body would play a transfigured instrument. Therefore, someone who played an instrument in their earthly life would have no problem playing an instrument in heaven. Moreover, if a young boy had a musical gift but had died young, he would go to heaven (provided he was saved, of course) and play to his heart’s content. In heaven, his talent would not be squandered. This was important for aging Mattheson because he had been a musician and composer forced to give up playing music earlier in life because of his progressive deafness. In heaven, his hearing would not only be restored, it would be utterly perfect.

This belief of the transfiguration of the body after death was called ars moriendi or "the art of dying." Bach apparently believed in something similar. In the Calov commentary found in his library Bach had underscored a passage that read: “Afflict to the limit these old bodies of ours so long as may obtain others not sinful, as these not given to iniquity and disobedience; bodies that can never know illness, persecution or death; bodies delivered from all physical and spiritual distress and made like unto Thine own glorified body, dear Lord Jesus Christ.”

The prevailing belief that in heaven, everything was better than on earth had glitch in it which the skeptics took advantage of. If there is a heavenly choir and orchestra, they said, would not there have to be air in heaven? Without air, music cannot be heard. While the miracle of the brain turning air vibrations into sound was (and still largely is) mysterious, the way the brain picked up the vibrations was not. It was purely mechanical. The tiny bones or ossicles moved to the air pressure. Without that air pressure, the brain could not perform its miraculous operation. Hence, if heaven was different from earth, why would it have air? Singing was especially problematic for the believers of ars moriendi. It would require the singer to have lungs, a larynx, vocal cords, diaphragm, etc. The singer would have to draw air into lungs and so she is essentially breathing. The same with a heavenly trumpet-player. He would have to draw air into the lungs to blow through the trumpet’s tubing. If there is air in heaven, it would make more sense to say it is there both to transmit sound and also to breathe rather than just one or the other. If one must breathe in heaven then it is perfectly reasonable to assume one must eat in heaven and one must sleep in heaven and one must bathe in heaven, etc. So how would heaven be any different than earth?

Of course, the believers had all manner of replies to these questions. The prevailing belief was that heaven had an orchestra and choir who sang and played in etherically beautiful harmonies in learned counterpoint. People believed that earthly counterpoint and polyphony was an approximation of the music of heaven that provided a glimpse of heaven and eternity. People believed the body of matter was transfigured into a spiritual body possessing eternal youth and health. People believed that one joined the heavenly choir or orchestra upon entering heaven and became as angels. In addition to this, numerology, astrology and alchemy were also relied on quite heavily among composers and musicians. Where was Bach’s place in all this?

03-27-2021, 05:33 PM	#2 (permalink)
Indrid Cold Groupie Join Date: Mar 2021 Posts: 27	This does not mean that all the composers and theoreticians were in agreement. Lutheran composers differed greatly over the destination of the soul. None argued the existence of the soul (that I know of, at least) but they argued over its nature and what happened to the soul after death. This was due to the intermingling of the thoughts of various theologians upon the nature of the soul and of heaven. Due to this intrusion of the theological, the arguments often became ridiculous as we will see. Luther held that the soul departed the body upon death but did not enter heaven, did not experience rapture. Rather, the soul remained in a state of suspended animation until the Last Day. Only then was its destination determined. By the 17th century, the prevalent belief was that the soul left the body upon death and went immediately to its destination. Lutheran theologians, however, believed that the grave was a place of rest, of sleep. While the soul departed the body and the latter then rotted into a skeleton, on the Last Day, the body and soul would be reunited and the body transformed into an eternally youthful, healthy one. Luther referred to Paul’s writings about the spiritual transformation after death writing: “It [life] is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” Luther’s exegesis was promising a new life transcending sin and infirmity after death. The ontological and epistemological ramifications of the heavenly music doctrine was highly important to composers and theorists as Bach. The reason is that music provided the clearest example of what heaven was like. A 17th century theorist named J. A. Herbst wrote that the heavenly music “will be performed in the angelic, heavenly choir, with the highest perfection…in all eternity to the praise and glory of God.” This was a topic among which the clergy and the theologians wrote and sermonized on often. Bach’s contemporary, theorist Johann Mattheson (1681-1764) of Hamburg, agreed with Herbst and asserted that he represented the mainstream that the music of heaven was composed of “the most perfect harmony.” Heinrich Müller, whose books are found in Bach’s personal library, wrote that the heavenly music gives us not only a glimpse into heaven and its workings but it also allows us to embrace death rather than fear it. Moreover, Müller said, the music of heaven and the learned polyphony and counterpoint provide a parallel to earth and heaven. Müller and Mattheson both felt that music provided the clue to eternal life and there was a “heavenly concert” which we would someday join in. In matters as these, the absurdities begin to surface sooner or later. If there is a concert going on in heaven, some asked, then do the “musicians” have to tune the instruments, would intervals have to be tempered? The answer was no. These were earthly concerns and of no consequence in heaven. How would a non-physical body play an instrument? Mattheson said a transfigured body would play a transfigured instrument. Therefore, someone who played an instrument in their earthly life would have no problem playing an instrument in heaven. Moreover, if a young boy had a musical gift but had died young, he would go to heaven (provided he was saved, of course) and play to his heart’s content. In heaven, his talent would not be squandered. This was important for aging Mattheson because he had been a musician and composer forced to give up playing music earlier in life because of his progressive deafness. In heaven, his hearing would not only be restored, it would be utterly perfect. This belief of the transfiguration of the body after death was called ars moriendi or "the art of dying." Bach apparently believed in something similar. In the Calov commentary found in his library Bach had underscored a passage that read: “Afflict to the limit these old bodies of ours so long as may obtain others not sinful, as these not given to iniquity and disobedience; bodies that can never know illness, persecution or death; bodies delivered from all physical and spiritual distress and made like unto Thine own glorified body, dear Lord Jesus Christ.” The prevailing belief that in heaven, everything was better than on earth had glitch in it which the skeptics took advantage of. If there is a heavenly choir and orchestra, they said, would not there have to be air in heaven? Without air, music cannot be heard. While the miracle of the brain turning air vibrations into sound was (and still largely is) mysterious, the way the brain picked up the vibrations was not. It was purely mechanical. The tiny bones or ossicles moved to the air pressure. Without that air pressure, the brain could not perform its miraculous operation. Hence, if heaven was different from earth, why would it have air? Singing was especially problematic for the believers of ars moriendi. It would require the singer to have lungs, a larynx, vocal cords, diaphragm, etc. The singer would have to draw air into lungs and so she is essentially breathing. The same with a heavenly trumpet-player. He would have to draw air into the lungs to blow through the trumpet’s tubing. If there is air in heaven, it would make more sense to say it is there both to transmit sound and also to breathe rather than just one or the other. If one must breathe in heaven then it is perfectly reasonable to assume one must eat in heaven and one must sleep in heaven and one must bathe in heaven, etc. So how would heaven be any different than earth? Of course, the believers had all manner of replies to these questions. The prevailing belief was that heaven had an orchestra and choir who sang and played in etherically beautiful harmonies in learned counterpoint. People believed that earthly counterpoint and polyphony was an approximation of the music of heaven that provided a glimpse of heaven and eternity. People believed the body of matter was transfigured into a spiritual body possessing eternal youth and health. People believed that one joined the heavenly choir or orchestra upon entering heaven and became as angels. In addition to this, numerology, astrology and alchemy were also relied on quite heavily among composers and musicians. Where was Bach’s place in all this?