Modern classical music in gaming

[kandrathe]

By whose criteria though? Off the top of my head, I seem to remember a big revival during the mid 90s for Gregorian chants due to Enigma. R&B, Soul, has very traceable roots and connections in Gospel music.

I suppose there needs to be some distinction between participatory religious music, like gospel, and non-participatory music, like gregorian chant.

I would never claim that religious music cannot be repurposed - that would erase practically the whole history of western music! But I still think music composed for the church, and performed as a part of worship, isn't "popular" music.

I would disagree. Some artists, like Amy Grant, made a bridge (sometimes with thinly veiled lyrics) to popular mainstream music and Elvis was clearly popular, and was known for his gospel songs. I would only choose a church with a good rock band and awesome contemporary music. Maybe you are thinking of hymns? Check out Critical Mass (Kansas cover).

I guess there is also the question of "popular" religion. Do the participatory churches practice something fundamentally different from the Catholic church, in terms of popular involvement?

Yes. There are even some here, like St. Joan of Arc, who've been criticized for moving beyond the fringe of Catholic doctrine, that have modernized their repertoire such as here by a couple of well known known spiritual activists,The Brothers Frantzich. SJA is just one Catholic example, which is perhaps the most extreme on the liberal side. There are other contemporary Catholic churches I know of with more mainstream doctrine. Personally, I like the diversity, and range of choices, as it makes Church more accessible to people who would otherwise skip it. The archdiocese, and the Vatican probably disagree with me.

Leonard Cohen's 'Alleluia' has been covered by people like Jeff Beck, KD Lang, X-Factor show, and was in a Shrek movie for gods sake. While we could argue if Cohen's song is truly a hymn, it's hard to argue that it doesn't have any connection to it.

I'm not sure what the argument is that Leonard Cohen composed a hymn, but it certainly doesn't appear in hymnals. (He is also, FWIW, Jewish.)

Again, most contemporary Christian churches here (mostly protestant) have for the most part scrapped the 18th century hymnals except for perhaps traditional services. In fact, there are some old hymns I enjoy singing, and so have learned to play on the piano because otherwise, I'd never get the chance.