Music Composed by the Devil Himself

[acacia12]

Originally Posted by Tarpeian Rock

What happens if you play it backwards?

[L Marshall]

It's no more of a sin than listening to The Devil Went Down to Georgia

[SwizzleStick]

Originally Posted by MelindaUK

I listen to it nearly daily ever since I first heard it played by an old man one winter night on coming back from dinner with my boyfriend and walking back to my house. It was almost like a strange dream. The window to his living room was open and he was playing the violin, I just stopped and stood there to listen to it even though it was snowing, when it was over I stepped closer to that window and asked the old man what he had just played, he told me it was the "Devil's Trill". I can't get this melody out of my head, it's so beautiful, it's difficult to imagine that it may have been composed by the devil. I also wonder what harm music could possibly do, it doesn't hurt anyone, it doesn't corrupt my morality so why is it bad?

I'm sorry, but this whole scenario sounds really odd to me. Perhaps it really was just a strange dream. An old man had his window open one winter night when it was snowing such that you could hear him playing a song? That is odd in itself. The elderly generally get cold easier than younger folks, so having a window open when it is snowing outside is pretty odd. Did it scare him or startle him at all to have a strange person speak to him through said open window? Maybe the old man was actually the bad dude himself trying to lure you to the dark side with his music, kinda like the Pied Piper of Hamelin?

[AdamPeter]

Originally Posted by WingsOfEagles

The devil went down to Georgia...

HAhahahahahaha!!

Very good!

Seriously though...It was a dream. Most likely the composer invented a tale about his music or actually had a dream to this effect.

It is incredibly superstitious to believe everything we hear about the devil and put down as fact.

[defenderoftruth]

seems we (us folks on the forum) are here for fun and games. Check out Melinda's other threads/posts with age inconsistancies etc.

I smell a troll. (and it ain't me)

[Sarabande]

Originally Posted by Bill Martin

My opinion: It wasn't composed by the devil; it was composed by Tartini.

Considering that my last dream involved me driving down a highway to meet Daniel Boone at Home Depot (which was very important for some reason), I wouldn't put too much stock in dreams.

The tritone (a.k.a. Devil's Chord or Diabolus in musica) was once avoided by the Church and composers especially for sacred music because it sounded so dissonant and evoking evil to the ears at the time, that it had to have been from the devil. There are stories of the Church excommunicating composers for using it... how true they are is another story, but it does demonstrate how serious people were at the time with its use. The Church no longer .feels that way about the chord and composers can use tritones as much as they like now.

If someone really feels that a piece of music or anything can be bad for them, then by all means avoid it. Although the piece is beautiful, there are just as beautiful works from the time period. I think the story is just that... a story.

[Binary]

Originally Posted by Tarpeian Rock

What happens if you play it backwards?

Perfect response.

[AdamPeter]

Eminem...Not Afraid

Listen to it. Good song, full of foul language but I honestly think it has a good message.

I don't think music can be evil...it can have an evil message or a good one.

[CrimsonThorn]

Originally Posted by Bill Martin

It could just as easily be referring to Jesus guiding someone.

Honestly, if you really tried, you could read "demonic influence" into pretty much anything and probably 99.9 % of the time it would be incorrect.

True, but Jesus does not work with "Magic" so it cant be him

[CrimsonThorn]

I dont mean to derail the thread, but can music with occult lyrics be sinful? Can they also conjure up evil by playing the record out loud?

[vera dicere]

IF you had never read that little story abut the piece would you still consider the music satanic? Especially since its a classical piece with no lyrics?

I think its just a silly little story, ignore it, enjoy the music. If the music inspires you to carve a pentagramme into your forehead or dance around wearing a goat skull as you sacrifice babies to Baal then yeah, you probably shouldn't listen to it.

[CrimsonThorn]

Originally Posted by MelindaUK

But the song is so soft and appeasing, Have you listened to it? I do get your point but I can't see what harm it can do. And even if I decided never to listen to it ever again I would probably end up doing it again anyway because the melody is stuck in my head. I can't seem to get it out. It almost sounds holy... How could I forget the most beautiful melody I ever heard? I don't see what I can do.

It may or may not be just a dream, but the fact that you may not be seeing God as a good enough reason to give it up "just to be sure", sounds harmful in itself.

[april32010]

Originally Posted by Rhubarb

I was sceptical at first. But when the violin started screeching in Latin backwards I was convinced.

that convinced me !

[foolishmortal]

My point was that some things can affect us, unbeknownst to us. There could be vibrations that can agitate or upset us--a kind of metalanguage for the brain, perhaps. I mean, if you hear distant shouting in a nearby apartment every night, as I'm sure some do in some cities, you may likely get depressed. It may take a while and you may not know you're so affected. If one desired the Devil's help for such a sinister venture, for a price, obviously, and without God's intervention, the help may come. As in demonic situations, those close to God are less likely to be affected, but all have their breaking point and may find it too late, especially if they don't have to be in that situation. Satan and his demons are still beings of pure intelligence. They know our psychology, well, and could devise such a song for the least practicing and the proud "reasonable" ones.

[Megan7]

Originally Posted by HonoraDominum

Here's a very interesting talk given at a homeschooling conference by a solid Catholic priest. Father talks about music, and its influence in our culture. It breaks down how the melody, harmony, and rhythm of music relate to the intellect, emotion, and body, and talks about how the disorders of music manifest themselves. It's almost 45 minutes long, but totally worth the time.

Raising a Holy Family Amid the Culture of Death

Thank you! I love their sermons.
God bless!