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In fact, when considering whether a Chinese composer would know enough about Christ to write a Christian sacred work, consider raw numbers. About 70% of Germans profess to be practicing Christians. Germany's population is estimated at 82 million as of July 2005, which means there are more Christians in China than in Bach's homeland! (China also has more Muslims within its borders than does Saudi Arabia.)
Meanwhile, while there are fewer followers of Eastern religions in the West, clearly there are still substantial numbers. Keep in mind that one of Italy's national icons, recently retired soccer player Roberto Baggio, has been Buddhist for most of his life - and this is in the land where the Pope resides.
Again, nationality doesn't mean someone can or cannot understand a certain culture. Culture is becoming globalized nowadays.
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Andrew Hsieh
Medical Student and Composer
View my profile
The piano quartet is COMPLETE!!!
Please note that I will not review the following without a very good reason:
1) MP3-only posts: no score + outside link = bad deal. Especially true because I'm on dialup when at home.
2) Shoutbox or PM spam: excessive shameless plugs get very annoying very fast.
3) Pieces written in a short time or with little effort: if it's not worth the composer's time and energy, then it's not worth mine either.
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