Dear Readers,
From medieval courtly love songs to modern gospel, music has changed over the centuries, and with it, forms of expression, styles, and listening habits. Some of these forms speak to us, others leave us rather puzzled. And yet there are people who find beauty, comfort, or joy, precisely in them.
In gospel music, for example, groove is essential. Without it, the music may be technically correct, but it feels lifeless. Accents are often placed between the beats. Not everyone perceives this consciously—and not everyone finds it immediately beautiful. There are even gospel choirs that don’t implement this. Still, it is a fundamental element.
We humans tend to categorize music (and many other things) quickly, as right or wrong, good or bad—often depending on whether we personally like it and what we think we know about it. This kind of judgement, however, falls short.
Applied to music, this could mean:
“Not my style—but I see that it means something to you.”
“I struggle with these lyrics,” instead of “Anyone who listens to this is wrong".
Jesus taught tolerance. Tolerance does not mean liking everything. It means accepting what is different without devaluing it—while consciously deciding what one wants to listen to oneself.
Because not everything I dislike is therefore bad.
Kind regards,
Wolfram Laube