Hi, I see that this post hasn’t been visited for a while, but since I’m new to the coffee room, I just had an archealogical find…
I’m just a bit confused by whats been posted: Is goyishe music really ok, if it doesn’t have “bad” lyrics? I’ve heard that any music, connects you to the composer and that it’s a terrible thing to be connected to these goyim, and yadayadayada. But, I really dont know. Who will dare to enlighten me on this matter.. Please? 🙂
Thanks!
I don’t know if I can “enlighten you”, but I don’t mind sharing my opinion, that it depends on the music. Much of today’s secular music (and, unfortunately, much of today’s “Jewish” music, whose style is copied from the secular) is harmful, even without the lyrics. Some secular music, though, might be elevating.
On a subtle level, to some extent, one might be connecting to the composer, but there were gedolim who listened to classical music composed by individuals who may have been immoral people, but those values weren’t necessarily reflected in these compositions.
As a rebbe of mine once analogized, if an artist of poor moral character painted a picture of an apple, it would not be a problem to view that painting.
Even a frum Yid, though, can make up a tune (especially when copying the secular style) which brings out the animalistic part of human nature.