nightspore
Group: Members
Posts: 4770
Joined: Mar. 2008 |
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Posted: Oct. 16 2010, 11:01 |
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Quote (Sir Mustapha @ Oct. 16 2010, 08:00) | I haven't heard actual sacred music, but I know that, in many church chants, phrases are sung three times because of the Holy Trinity. The song could have used that link smartly, after all, there were three ships on Columbus's expedition, right? But no, there is no link at all, and no pattern of "threes" as far as I recall. |
It would be rather limiting symbolically if the only way that the sacred could be alluded to were through threeness - perhaps a bit of a cliche now, too. (Mozart, incidentally, in The Magic flute saturated his opera with threeness, but as an allusion to Masonic ritual.)
The reasons in favour of perceiving a (perhaps subconsciously intended) sacred theme are these:
1) the vocal style is typical of sacred music; 2) the word "sancta" is part of the text (it denotes a ship, yes, but it connotes the sacred; 3) the short phrases and repetition of them are characteristic of much classical sacred works; 4) the subject matter of the song - a venture into the unknown - invites metaphorical comparison with the religious experience (also a reaching out to the unknown)
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