Johann Sebastian Bach set the standard for improvisation which is expressed in many musical forms, especially in jazz. He made a significant impact on the world of music, as organist for several churches in Leipzig, Germany.   

Mementos of his legacy were nearly destroyed during World War II by the Nazis and Communists. Then, Leipzig was nearly leveled by Allied bombs that rained down thundering destruction.

The story is told that during the rebuilding of the city, workmen restoring St. Thomas Church found a casket in the debris. Curious, they took a pry bar to the casket and discovered inside a figure dressed in 18^th century clothing, surrounded by music manuscripts. The person was in the process of using a large rubber eraser on the scores. One of the men stuttered, “Who, who, who are you?”

“Bach.”

“Wha-, what are you doing?”

“Decomposing.”

That, my friend, is one of the problems with part of our contemporary music, and as you know, decomposition emits a foul odor.

I want to take you back before W.W. II to get into this story.

When I was a kid we sat around our floor model Philco radio to listen to the National Barn Dance, the news, the Brown Bomber Joe Lewis boxing matches, and the Major Bowes Amateur Hour – the original gong show. The Major Bowes’ announcer always started with the words “The music goes round and around, and where it stops, nobody knows.”

I’ve got news for you. It doesn’t stop. In the book of Revelation, chapter 5, we find millions of people in heaven singing praise to God. Music originated in heaven and the chief musician was Lucifer. God inspired Ezekiel to write in the 28^th chapter that Lucifer was full of wisdom and perfect beauty. He was the choir and orchestra conductor, leading the angelic host in praise and worship of God.

The time came when the harmony was shattered by discord. According to Isaiah 14, Lucifer became arrogant and proud, saying, “I will be like the Most High.” Like many musicians who want to be in the spotlight, Lucifer wanted to become the object of worship. According to Ezekiel 28 he persuaded one third of the angels to worship him.

In speaking to musicians, I tell them that Lucifer got a third of the angels to join his union. They went on strike, refusing to worship God, and God kicked them out of heaven. I guess they have a “Right to Worship Law” there. Today, Lucifer is called Satan.

Now Satan is really steamed! He lost a steady gig in the most wonderful place of beauty and joy. Now he has to forage to find his own gigs. In heaven he was Mr. Music. Now he hates heaven, hates God, and hates himself. The beautiful angel of light has become the angel of darkness and is determined to destroy music and the makers of music – the musicians.

I classify music as sacred or demonic. The way I use this term doesn’t necessarily mean Christian or religious, it just means that all good things come from God. Admiring the Houston skyline, I have been moved to praise God for the beauty of its architecture. Now, mind you, some of the architects may have been atheists, but even without their admitting it, the inspiration came from God.

God created music, harmony and rhythm. It is all good, whether it is the strains of a majestic pipe organ, choir, symphony orchestra, jazz, R&B, country, swing, opera or pop.

Bach wrote across the top of every page of manuscript, “To the Glory of God.” When an artist thanks God (or doesn’t thank God) for the inspiration to paint a lovely landscape, that painting, in a sense, is sacred. Even the Apostle Paul said to think about things that are lovely and praiseworthy. (Philippians 4:8) Good music is worthy of praise.

The fallen archangel devised an insidious plan – destroy music and musicians. History records a group of musicians known as Club 27, whose lives were slammed to the ground by drugs. It encompasses 35 aspiring artists who died at age 27 in the late 20^th century. You may recognize the names of some, such as Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain.

More than 355 big name musicians succumbed to life snuffing drugs. Thousands of lesser known entertainers suffered horrible deaths due to the drugs of the street and or alcohol. The typical work environment is drenched in beguiling bandit booze, saturating second hand smoke, and buxom bordello babes. So what’s a man to do? Thank God there are entertainers with strong moral standards such as Kirk Whalum, who have not caved in to the lure.

So what happened to our music? With the advent of Elvis Presley and the Beatles, bands that were once horn driven became guitar driven. There is nothing wrong with guitars. The great classical guitarist Andres Segovia was remarkable. In the big band era Les Paul held his audience spellbound. Wes Montgomery had a unique sound, using a lot of octave melodies. Other fine guitarists would include Django Reinhardt, Carlos Santana, Pat Metheny and Joe Pass, just to name a few.

The blight on music today is the limited ability of many players. Learn three chords and bingo, you’re a musician. Consequently there has been a dumbing-down of music in society and sadly in the church. Compound this trend with 60’s guitar smashing, anti-authority, and free sex philosophy. The downward spiral continued with rappers spewing cop-killer lyrics, female degradation, and language punctuated with expletives, into the 21^st century, contributing to the demise of good music. This is what I call demonic music; to call it music is an oxymoron.

As our nation drops lower and lower in academic accomplishments among developed countries, we also sink to lower depths in our morals and music. But all is not lost. Take heart. Our public schools and colleges are turning out some serious musicians. I am jealous.

My instrumental training began in the seventh grade when the high school orchestra director sent me home with a sousaphone, saying she didn’t know anything about it, but when I learned how to play, brings it back. Not even a book! Three weeks later this 7^th grader was playing in the high school orchestra. I was disappointed in the choice of instrument, but very happy much later when I spent years playing tuba in a fine symphony in Muncie, Indiana.

I taught myself to play sax at age 13 and have performed on four continents. I often wonder where my music would have taken me if I had had access to the professional training available in our schools today.

So, while much of popular music is in a retard state, there are many serious students of music, who, like salmon swimming upstream, are reclaiming lost territory.