Devout Composers Who Wrote Sacred Music

[truecam]

I do not like secular music, and I do not feel comfortable playing sacred music if the composer was not of faith themselves or claimed faith but lived a life that most would charecterize as anti-christian (i.e. Mozart, Chopin, Lizst, Tchaikovsky, Schuman, Debussy). And no, Catholics do not count. I do not care about style, but just that the piece exhalts God.

No judgement to any composer, they all deserve respect, but this is just a personal matter for me.


Composers that I have found who are devout, follow a traditional christian lifestyle, and compose sacred music for the piano:
1. Bach.

Who else would fit my criteria for a composer?

[brogers70]

You're looking for protestant composers without prominent vices. Handel, maybe, though he did have a temper. You could check a Lutheran Hymnal and find out who (other than Bach) wrote or arranged their hymns. You could try Arvo Part, if it doesn't bother you that he switched from being a Lutheran to Eastern Orthodox (not Catholic, but maybe you're not keen on the Orthodox either). Haydn is probably OK by your standards, possibly even Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelsohn, and Stravinski (again, not sure about your feelings towards Eastern Orthodox). Messaien, too, might be OK. It sort of depends on what failings you are willing to tolerate (surely you have a few yourself) and how explicitly Christian their writing must have been. Still, if you want to confine yourself to those, you still have plenty of good music. In the worst case, Bach is pretty much infinite himself - a life spent playing only Bach would not be the worst thing in the world.

[truecam]

You're looking for protestant composers without prominent vices. Handel, maybe, though he did have a temper. You could check a Lutheran Hymnal and find out who (other than Bach) wrote or arranged their hymns. You could try Arvo Part, if it doesn't bother you that he switched from being a Lutheran to Eastern Orthodox (not Catholic, but maybe you're not keen on the Orthodox either). Haydn is probably OK by your standards, possibly even Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelsohn, and Stravinski (again, not sure about your feelings towards Eastern Orthodox). Messaien, too, might be OK. It sort of depends on what failings you are willing to tolerate (surely you have a few yourself) and how explicitly Christian their writing must have been.

I appreciate the recommendations and the thought you put into your reply. 

I have played a little bit of Mendelsohn, Haydn, and Handel will definitely check them out further. I didn't know StravinskiI was religious, will check him out as well.
 
Arvo Part is very interesting, I have never heard of him before, but he seems from the articles I have found  to be quite a wonderful person, and a modern composer as well.

Thank you.

[mrcreosote]

I really don't know who was devout, but Handel was very inspirational for me.  In particular Water Music and his Oboe Concerto(s).  I feel this common thread in his music.  I don't understand why his body of works isn't more popular.