Unholy row

Ken Walton’s article (The Scotsman Magazine, March 3) almost gets to the point. James Macmillan is quoted on the danger of confusing “sacred music with liturgical music for the church” then veers off into worries about gospel music. What an attitude! Heaven forfend that sacred music gets mixed up with music influenced by non-european cultures is the obvious emphasis of the St Andrews event. Pretty much institutional racism isn’t it?

There is the typical moan about falling church attendance. It’s like when I had to study metaphysics at Edinburgh University in 1970 and the lecturer stated: “Examples from Asian philosophy will not count towards essay marks.” I was studying Indian Religion and Philosophy there at the time. Has Scotland not moved on yet?

There is a thriving Visnava Hindu establishment in Lesmahagow that would have been delighted to turn up and play its sacred music. I’m sure Glasgow can produce sacred music from other streams of Hinduism. What about a sitar recital? There is still a rich seam of Islamic Bengali quaals to be mined despite the death of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, arguably its best exponent. Or invite the Mevlevi dervish from Turkey who “turn” beautifully to their sacred music. Even reggae provides sacred music in praise of Ras Tafari. Buddhist sacred music is a bit raucous but available if you ask from Samye Ling Monastery in the Borders or possibly their Edinburgh outpost. I’ve heard rumours of a small Yazidi community in Scotland and there may be Parsi and Jain groups here.

All of the above sacred music is growing as fast as mainstream Christianity declines. As an ex-chorister I love to warble along to Handel’s Messiah but get with the 21st century guys.

LINDA HENDRY Drumpark Street, Stirling