“Spengler” Revealed
Some of the “rewards” of posting on dotCom are the behind-the-scenes encounters and exchanges that never appear in the “comments” section. Through one such I was introduced to the esays of “Spengler,” the anonymous columnist for Asia Times. Now his true identity is revealed … by himself: David Goldman, a new associate editor of First Things.
Mr. Goldman has a fascinating piece, “Confessions of a Coward” on the First Things site. Here is a sample that captivated me:
Around 1985, the ugly awareness that I had spent almost a decade in a gnostic cult coincided with a dark time in my personal life. Deeply depressed, I sat at the piano one night, playing through the score of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, and came to the chorale that reads: “Commend your ways and what ails your heart to the faithful care of Him who directs the heavens, who gives course and aim to the clouds, air and wind. He will also find a path that your foot can tread.” For the first time in my life, I prayed, and in that moment, I knew that my prayer was heard. That was a first step of teshuva—of return.
And further:
Still, it was not until I began to study Franz Rosenzweig’s The Star of Redemption during the early 1990s that I was able to reconcile my experience of prayer with my sense of the sacred in music. By then I had published academic articles on Renaissance music theory, including a 1989 study in the Vatican’s music journal about Nicholas of Cusa’s contribution. Studying the origins of Western classical music also helped me put religious things in perspective. Magnificent as it is, music remains a human construct, with a hint of divine inspiration in some cases, but not a substitute for God. The great works of Western classical music are not revelation, but they are perhaps the next best thing. Next best, however, no longer seemed good enough.
The rest is here.
on May 6th, 2009 at 9:37 am
Father Imbelli,
I too thought this was a fascinating essay, and sent it to colleagues here at Seton Hall. His dalliance with the LaRouche movement, a group that I recall encountering outside the Shop-Rite in Ridgefield, NJ some twenty years ago, was also interesting, especially as he thinks of them as a gnostic group.
Tony Sciglitano
on May 6th, 2009 at 9:42 am
I should have mentioned that you pick two of the real gems in the piece, and one of them is an important reminder not to overly aestheticize Jewish or Christian faith, a perennial temptation for those who believe in a gracious Creator known, analogously, through creation.
Tony
on May 6th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Tony,
Glad to hear that you were as intrigued by the piece as I. Apropos your second comment, I believe that is why von Balthasar spoke of a “theological aesthetics,” but abjured speaking of an “aesthetical theology.”
As you know, both von Balthasar and Barth found intimations of the Gospel in Mozart; but both would agree with Goldman that Mozart is not Mount Sinai.
on May 6th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
I have followed Spengler/Goldman’s fascinating essays in Asia Times for several years. They are worth reading for the great Jewish jokes alone, but also for the readings of Heine and Goethe, the insights into the near-theology of music, the deep sympathy with Catholicism, and the introduction to Rosenzweig. But I have to admit I was dismayed to read of the Larouche connection, which makes me wonder if Goldman is still not subject in some degree to the theory-of-everything fallacy. As interesting as I have found the many essays inspired by Rosenzweig, I have sometimes thought that they explain a little too much, not unlike the experience of talking to a LaRouchian.
It will be interesting to see what Goldman does at First Things. I hope he doesn’t give up the mordant jokes. For example, this one that Spengler says is from the 1930 is the beginning to a 2005 essay called “The Pope, the Musicians and the Jews” that marked Benedict’s accession to the papacy.
“An old Jew is confronted by stormtroopers: ‘Tell us, Jew – who started the Great War?’ The Jew, being no fool, says, ‘The Jews,’ but adds, ‘as well as the musicians.’ ‘Why the musicians?’ ask the stormtroopers. The Jew asks, “Why the Jews?’”
The whole essay is worth reading. Good stuff on Mozart in it too.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/GE10Aa01.html
on May 6th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
James,
thanks for the link to his essay. I appreciate in particular the last lines:
“Truth and beauty are not twins, in my view, but first cousins of passing acquaintance. The truth that God speaks to Job out of the whirlwind is not beautiful; on the contrary, it is terrible.”
on May 6th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Bergson said somewhere that comedy requires a momentary anesthesia of the heart. Maybe that’s why “Spengler” and “Goldman” sound so different. “Goldman is nice, modest, tentative, a little rueful, wary, perhaps not quite certain of the reception his remarks will get. “Spengler” shoots folly on the fly with little mercy. But he is awfully funny and very sharp.
From time to time we have wondered about a possible “backstory” for the mysterious “Spengler” but the problem was that the man knew so much about almost everything. We got the Jewish background, the obsession with Franz Rosensweig, a broad knowledge of classical music and even liturgical music. But we weren’t sure of his nationality. He seemed to know New York, and American popular culture, but there awas a European background it seemed. One thing we wouid never have guessed was the connection to Lyndon LaRouche.
But it will be interesting to follow both “Spengler” and “Goldman” and see what light they may shed on each other as Goldman comes out in propria persona. Thanks for the heads-up on this Fr. Imbelli!
on May 6th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Susan, great comment on the differences between Goldman and Spengler. Goldman is an American (no such thing as a euro-larouchian), while Spengler was from a mitteleuropa of ideas. What a great performance.