Introduction (Joel Buursma)

This post was written by Joel Buursma, and posted on August 19, 2007  | Filed Under uncategorized | Double-click any word for more info | View other posts by Joel Buursma | | For info on this author, visit http://www.sdgmusic.org/voices/2007/08/19/introduction-joel-buursma/

Greetings to all who find themselves at this site! My name is Joel Buursma. I have made my living working with computers for the past decade or so, but I am also a long time choral and classical music enthusiast. I suppose I have been an amateur singer, in one form or another, for most of my life. I come from a home of musicians where fine music was often played and discussed. My religious perspective is that of an evangelical Christian.

Ever since my college days, I have found “classical” music to be my favorite genre of music, with jazz a not-distant second. I find in it the right combination of beauty and complexity, which I find wanting in other genres. I find it so often to be a font of delight to which I can keep returning. I love that great artist works can be examined from multiple perspectives and on multiple levels. I love that the artist is allowed to reflect upon and revel in the great mysteries and experiences of life without necessarily needing to subject them to cold scientific dissection.

But my interest in “classical” music goes beyond that. In fact, attending and especially participating as a choir member in performances of great sacred music (a few of them, actually, under the baton of Maestro Nelson) have provided me with some of the most profound spiritual experiences of my life. At times, I find this hard to articulate (after participating in a performance of J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, I found myself quite speechless), but I hope to take a crack at it. I hope also to share thoughts on specific musical works and performances.

Without further ado, let me close this introduction with a quote by author Philip Yancey from his book Rumors of Another World: What on Earth Are We Missing?

“I credit three things — classical music, the beauties of nature, and romantic love — as responsible for my own conversion. The first two convinced me of the goodness of this world, and prodded me to search for the One who had made it….”

Clearly, this is something worth writing about!

Share This

Comments

Leave a Reply




Close
E-mail It