Music and Morality – FR. Basil Cole, OP

July 17, 2018

Is music and morality connected? If so, what is the nature of the connection? Is the sound of a particular music morally bad or good in itself, or neutral? Is the indirect type of music’s influence on morality? Are there any kind of positive ways to listen to music? Can music prepare us for a spiritual life? Do you have to be a good person to make beautiful music? These questions and more include theologian Fr. Basil Cole, OP, an amateur jazz pianist who wrote a paper on the moral effects of music (don’t be confused with another Father Basil who also commented on the same subject!).

link

Basil Cole, OP Bio
https://www.dominicanajournal.org/preacher-professor-and-author-extraordinaire/

Basil’s papers read Fr https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=11968

Father CC’s Basil Article
https://www.catholicculture.org/search/resultslist.cfm?requesttype=docbrowseauth&resourceType=1&catlabel=author&catid=85

Excellent article on the Rosary by the Father Basil
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=9226

Jeff Mills review Music and Morality https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=510

Jeff Mills review The hidden enemy of the priesthood https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/articles.cfm?id=253

Jeff Mills review The whole of Christianity https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=842

Further recommended reading (not mentioned in the episode):

Elisabeth-Paule Labat, OSB, The Song of I’m here: About the Mystery of Music https://amzn.to/2lemfyy

Timestamp

3:16 Fr. Basil Call Interview

4:05 Fr. Basil’s musical background

10:01 Refutes the claim that certain music sounds are inherently morally bad or good

12:20 A common misuse of Plato’s music theory

18:28 Does music mimic or express emotions?

20:05 Why you might feel that a certain personality is threatened by the creativity of music. The Need for Risk in Art and Spiritual Life

25:31 Why philosophers don’t understand music: it goes beyond reasons and concepts

31:32 How does music teach us that we “please rightly”?

37:34 Music as a school of thought

44:34 Beauty and Morality: Indirect Relationship. Can music promote morality through happiness?

48:31 Tolerance when listening to music

51:17 Is mundane music morally degraded?

55:08Use music to cultivate true self-knowledge through false identity and narcissistic sentimentality and contemplation

59:16 curiositas Music: Music streaming seduces us into superficial music gluttony

1:01:05 curiositas: Overanalysis and music snogging

1:03:28What Frank Selpico teaches you about music and integrity

1:06:38 Do you have to be a good person to make beautiful music?

1:10:50What kind of virtue do artists need?

How to start listening to music deeper than 1:13:02

1:15:47 Excerpt from this week: Sirach 32:5