Who are your favorite non-atheist composers ?

[rhomboid]

Some of mine:

J. S. Bach - protestant
Chávez - catholic
Shostakovich - agnostic
Cage - buddhist
Ligeti - jewish

[Gurn Blanston]

What a bizarre question! 

[springrite]

Sorabji--all of the above as well as none of the above.

[Mirror Image]

Some of mine:

J. S. Bach - protestant
Chávez - catholic
Shostakovich - agnostic
Cage - buddhist
Ligeti - jewish

I didn't know Shostakovich was an agnostic. I thought he was an atheist. Wasn't his Symphony No 14 nothing more than a meditation on death? Here's what Shostakovich said to the critics of this work:

"[My critics] read this idea in the Fourteenth Symphony: "death is all-powerful." They wanted the finale to be comforting, to say that death is only the beginning. But it's not a beginning, it's the real end, there will be nothing afterwards, nothing. I feel you must look truth right in the eyes ... To deny death and its power is useless. Deny it or not, you'll die anyway ... It's stupid to protest against death as such, but you can and must protest against violent death. It's bad when people die before their time from disease or poverty, but it's worse when a man is killed by another man."

The highlighted texts clearly imply that he's, in fact, an atheist and doesn't believe in God or a supreme being exists.

[springrite]

Sorabji--all of the above as well as none of the above.

Come to think of it, Sorabji may be more than all of the above.

[Daverz]

Buddhists can be atheists.

Ligeti said in an interview, "I am of Jewish origin, but I do not follow any religion."  Not the same as atheism, but to just say he was non-atheist and Jewish is rather misleading.

Also, I would include agnosticism within atheism as broadly defined.  You seem to be using the narrow definition of atheism.  See the Wikipedia page on atheism.

[kishnevi]

I can't answer that question, since for the most part,  except for some obvious ones (Bach, Bruckner, etc.),  I don't know if a composer was an atheist or a believer in some religion.  Sometimes even the composers themselves would be unable to answer the question, and more than a few could probably be categorized as believing in God but not in the standard religion of their day.   

I didn't know Shostakovich was an agnostic. I thought he was an atheist. Wasn't his Symphony No 14 nothing more than a meditation on death? Here's what Shostakovich said to the critics of this work:

"[My critics] read this idea in the Fourteenth Symphony: "death is all-powerful." They wanted the finale to be comforting, to say that death is only the beginning. But it's not a beginning, it's the real end, there will be nothing afterwards, nothing. I feel you must look truth right in the eyes ... To deny death and its power is useless. Deny it or not, you'll die anyway ... It's stupid to protest against death as such, but you can and must protest against violent death. It's bad when people die before their time from disease or poverty, but it's worse when a man is killed by another man."

The highlighted texts clearly imply that he's, in fact, an atheist and doesn't believe in God or a supreme being exists.

It is in fact possible to believe in God but not believe in the continuance of the human soul after death, and the other way around, too, which is actually sort of the Buddhist view (nuanced by the fact that Buddhism would not call what survives death our 'soul', but something less specifically tied to our current identity as Tom, Dick or Jane.

[vandermolen]

Bruckner

[Geo Dude]

Also, I would include agnosticism within atheism as broadly defined.  You seem to be using the narrow definition of atheism.  See the Wikipedia page on atheism.

"Agnostics are atheists without balls." -- Stephen Colbert

(Sorry, I feel that the concept of this thread is silly and couldn't help but contribute to the silliness.   No offense intended to any agnostics out there.)

[Wakefield]

Buddhists can be atheists.

Ligeti said in an interview, "I am of Jewish origin, but I do not follow any religion."  Not the same as atheism, but to just say he was non-atheist and Jewish is rather misleading.

Also, I would include agnosticism within atheism as broadly defined.  You seem to be using the narrow definition of atheism.  See the Wikipedia page on atheism.

Interesting... and what about "pantheism"? Should pantheists be considered atheists? 

[Cato]

Bruckner

Amen!  0:)

Also Louis Vierne and Olivier Messiaen.

And is the question silly?  Why not start your favorite atheist         composers (Saint-Saens!)?   

[North Star]

Amen!  0:)

Also Louis Vierne and Olivier Messiaen.

And is the question silly?  Why not start your favorite atheist         composers (Saint-Saens!)?   

Janacek, Ravel, Prokofiev & Shosty, and apparently Bartók, Berlioz, Bizet, Boulez, Busoni, Grainger, Maxwell Davies, Prokofiev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tippett, Vaughan Williams, Verdi and Xenakis, too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_atheists_in_music
Silly question, indeed.

[Mirror Image]

Janacek, Ravel, Prokofiev & Shosty, and apparently Bartók, Berlioz, Bizet, Boulez, Busoni, Grainger, Maxwell Davies, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tippett, Vaughan Williams, Verdi and Xenakis, too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_atheists_in_music
Silly question, indeed.

Shostakovich was not an agnostic! He didn't believe in God or a God. He believed that death was the final stage of our existence, therefore, making him an atheist.

[Sergeant Rock]

"Agnostics are atheists without balls." -- Stephen Colbert

Just unzipped my pants and had a look. Yep, still have mine. Colbert must be wrong 

Sarge

[Gurn Blanston]

Shostakovich was not an agnostic! He didn't believe in God or a God. He believed that death was the final stage of our existence, therefore, making him an atheist.

Not so sure that you are right there, MI. Belief in an afterlife is a religion issue, and anyone, especially, Shostakovitch, could tell you that religion has nothing to do with god (or belief therein). 

[Karl Henning]

Shostakovich was not an agnostic! He didn't believe in God or a God. He believed that death was the final stage of our existence, therefore, making him an atheist.

Strictly speaking, the fact that he didn't believe in God makes him an atheist.  One could theoretically be a theist, and yet believe that there is no life after death.

[Mirror Image]

But the religious belief of a composer is of zero interest to me and does not figure into why I like their music or listen to it.

Same here. Religion and politics separates people whereas music unites us.

[North Star]

Shostakovich was not an agnostic! He didn't believe in God or a God. He believed that death was the final stage of our existence, therefore, making him an atheist.

That's probably why I (and Wikipedia) wrote atheism, not agnosticism.

[Karl Henning]

Same here. Religion and politics separates people whereas music unites us.

Separation or union depends on the people. Historically, religion is also a unifying force.  And . . . look around at GMG: there is as much division as union "resulting" from music.

[Wakefield]

Damn! Nobody is interested in pantheism. We are me and the old Baruch... again.