Choral Evensong service halted by buskers mid-way at Bath Abbey

[amateur51]

But, you will note, amsy, that this is not because it is about the Church but about the affect on the forum of a particular topic. No one has actually complained of it being here, but if it is people's wish that it be removed on the grounds that is a current affair (though perhaps it's not any more ) I will remove it to P&CA. I await instructions.

Your servant, sir,

If I may use the title of the memoirs of the late Lord Attenborough "Entirely up to you, darling"

[MrGongGong]

Two (more imaginative?) ideas

1: In the open air sound is very fragile indeed.
The first time I went to see Hawkwind was at Castle Donnington in the 1970's
The speaker stacks were as big as the front of Bath Abbey on both sides of the stage
A small gust of wind and the whole sound (however many thousands of watts it was ?) blew away leaving the sight of the band on the stage with little to hear.
A small wind machine would easily blow the amplified sound off towards the poor people in Bristol

2: Stockhausen once proposed a system of phase cancellation areas for public spaces. Entering the area sophisticated electronics would analyse the sound and broadcast an anti-phase signal thus rendering the area entirely silent. This, as we now know today, is technically "possible" but almost impossible to achieve with the kinds of complex sounds that exist in public environments.

[jean]

I'm STILL rather disappointed that no-one has commented on Boris's championing of the buskers against Camden Council:

[jean]

Two (more imaginative?) ideas...

Now you're just showing off.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

A small gust of wind and the whole sound (however many thousands of watts it was ?) blew away leaving the sight of the band on the stage with little to hear.

Well, there you are! When God doesn't want to hear Music, He has his own methods ....

[jean]

Interesting that we send ten times more postings about Bath and elsewhere buskers than about the excellent music regularly broadcast from Evensongs when broadcast live. Hmm.

Not really; we have philosophical questions here, and posters being deliberately provocative (though I won't say that never happens on CE threads, and when it does, the threads are longer).

There's also that interesting undercurrent of antipathy to the poor old C of E. It's just so obvious to some people - buskers good, the church bad, with agendas coming out of its ears that have nothing really to do with music at all.

But when you have a rather different sort of line-up, with Boris backing the Buskers, no-one has anything to say at all because it doesn't fit the comfortable stereotypes.

[Honoured Guest]

But when you have a rather different sort of line-up, with Boris backing the Buskers, no-one has anything to say at all because it doesn't fit the comfortable stereotypes.

Why don't you tell us the basic facts of your Boris Johnson story, and then tell us your opinion on it?

[amateur51]

But when you have a rather different sort of line-up, with Boris backing the Buskers, no-one has anything to say at all because it doesn't fit the comfortable stereotypes.

I think the sight of Boris schmoozing up to buskers with votes fulfills most comfortable stereotypes of almost all politicians. He'll soon tire of them once he discovers that Uxbridge isn't big on buskers (or Cathedrals for that matter).

[french frank]

Well, there you are! When God doesn't want to hear Music, He has his own methods ....

As for

In the open air sound is very fragile indeed.

part of the problem, as has been said, is that the space in front of the Abbey is very enclosed. So sound doesn't get wafted away towards Bristol, it hits the surrounding walls.

I was looking up some of your links to Acoustic Ecology. They do seem to talk about the current 'deterioration' of urban environmental quality. I don't think, for example, the idea is that you open your ears to it all and treat it as music ...

E.g. "Surely, in order to live a life that is socially and ecologically responsible, we must begin by learning to listen to the other voices that surround us. I am referring not to the familiar drone and chatter of our dominant speakers, with their loudspeakers, satellites and sound bites, but to the voices of those others, human and non-human, who are marginalized, neglected, and poisoned by socially and ecologically harmful practices."

Perhaps this is an invitation to Mr Morgan and Mr Powell to come into the Abbey on a Sunday and listen to that unfamiliar environmental soundscape ...

[jean]

Why don't you tell us the basic facts of your Boris Johnson story, and then tell us your opinion on it?

I already have:

In London Camden is involved. I would be surprised if the problem is restricted to either place.

I have missed links to this on this thread.

But as far as I've been able to discover through my own research, the wicked Camden Council with some nefarious agenda not unconnected with its historic right to tell people what to do is proposing to license buskers, and the lovely Boris Johnson is championing their right to play unlicensed whenever and whereever they want.

Is that it?

But we never had a thread on it and we're never going to, which rather proves my point I think.

I exaggerate there, as I so often do, but I should think my view of the Camden affair is obvious. If you'd like me to explain further, I will.

My point was that it's antipathy to the Church and deep suspicion of its probable motives that has kept this thread going for so long.

[MrGongGong]

:

I was looking up some of your links to Acoustic Ecology. They do seem to talk about the current 'deterioration' of urban environmental quality. I don't think, for example, the idea is that you open your ears to it all and treat it as music ...

Indeed

It's an interesting field and there's a lot of interesting research going on.

poor old C of E

It's certainly old
but i'm not sure that it's terribly "poor".
Maybe part of the "antipathy to the Church" that you detect (and, like most folks, I know some wonderful people who are very much part of the CofE as well as others who are part of none) is to do with the way that it has been embedded in our society and given undue influence and power ?

[Beef Oven!]

Not keen on churches, and buskers are tossers. Hopefully they'll fight each other to death.

[doversoul1]

Now you're just showing off.

Have you just noticed it?

[teamsaint]

Indeed

It's an interesting field and there's a lot of interesting research going on.



It's certainly old
but i'm not sure that it's terribly "poor".
Maybe part of the "antipathy to the Church" that you detect (and, like most folks, I know some wonderful people who are very much part of the CofE as well as others who are part of none) is to do with the way that it has been embedded in our society and given undue influence and power ?

I agree with your sentiments in bold, Gongers.

However, I don't see that being antagonistic to the things that the church is supposed to do, which includes formal worship, is the way to address the unacceptable face of the establishment and its church. Picking the right battles to fight is important.


Here is a little story.
When the queen visited Salisbury a couple of years ago, she called at the military museum for lunch, visited the Cathedral, made a cursory (sub 30 mins?) inspection of the activities put on by the locals, , unveiled a plaque to herself,and then went home to one of her castles.
Told me all I needed to know.

[MrGongGong]

However, I don't see that being antagonistic to the things that the church is supposed to do, which includes formal worship, is the way to address the unacceptable face of the establishment and its church.

I'm not.
I never suggested that anyone should disturb or antagonise anyone else either.
Some folks jump to conclusions based on "common sense" which used to say the sun went round the earth and other nonsense.

When the queen visited Salisbury a couple of years ago, she called at the military museum for lunch, visited the Cathedral, made a cursory (sub 30 mins?) inspection of the activities put on by the locals, , unveiled a plaque to herself,and then went home to one of her castles.
Told me all I needed to know.