Arguing that the musical is the "most ubiquitous and dominant cultural icon of our age," scholar Ian Bradley unpacks the theological significance of the musical. Bradley argues that musicals provide millions of people around the world not just with entertainment but also with spiritual and theological values, a philosophy of life, and an encounter with God. In addition, he offers his thoughts on what the popularity of the musical might mean for the future of the church.
How water has been worshipped, understood and used spiritually from healing springs to modern spas, in a journey through holiness, health and hedonism.
This unique anthology of biblical and other sacred religious texts, sermons, essays, poems, and hymns offers a rich collection of perspectives and beliefs on what lies beyond death, and is designed to bring encouragement, comfort, and reassurance as well as prompting spiritual reflection and intellectual curiosity. Ian Bradley is a much-respected writer, broadcaster, and academic, and a former Church of Scotland minister, and offers a short commentary on the facing page of each reading, providing context and helpful information and observations. This book will be a valuable resource for all who seek to understand death personally or professionally.
As death comes out of the closet in contemporary society, this book presents the views on heaven and the afterlife of a number of well-known Victorians, and others not so well known, in the belief that they may help us today.
A quarter-century after writing the acclaimed The Celtic Way, Ian Bradley, one of the foremost experts on the spiritual beliefs and practices of the indigenous Christian communities in the British Isles in the early Middle Ages, revisits the original sources and makes a substantial reappraisal of Celtic spirituality. Following the Celtic Way challenges many of the myths and romanticized portrayals of Celtic Christianity and shows evidence of the harder edge and demanding austerity of the lives and spirituality of believers from this time. This book sits among the most insightful and up-to-date introductions to this distinctive and evocative expression of faith and draws out its themes that are most relevant to us today. It also offers practical spiritual guidance on how to follow the Celtic Way in the contemporary world.
Packed with over almost 100 images and countless stories, it brings to life the fascinating communities and the characters along the route in whose footsteps modern pilgrims are treading. Setting off with Celtic saints from Culross and North Queensferry, marching with miners through the West Fife coalfields, continuing on with Covenanters and Communists and ending among the martyrs, relics and ghosts of the haunted city of St Andrews, this gripping narrative presents a journey through Scottish history, ancient and modern, with spiritual reflections along the way.
Why is there such intense interest today in the idea of 'Britishness'? Does it really matter, and what is 'Britishness' anyway? Why does the notion of 'being British' seem to have most resonance amongst recent immigrant - especially Asian and Afro-Caribbean - communities? And why is that 'traditional' British values now seem to be most widely practised and cherished by newcomers, not by the dominant majority? This book answers these vital questions by making a unique contribution to the current debate about British identity. It investigates why Liverpool is the most British of UK cities, with a regional accent representing a medley of Welsh, Scots, Irish and English; how a small village off the M6 motorway is arguably Britain's spiritual heart; and what theme parks, airport shops and eating habits have to tell us about the contemporary national character. It is often claimed that Great Britain is one of the most secular nations on earth. But - controversially - Ian Bradley argues that Britishness is best envisaged as a series of overlapping identities which are at root religious. He views the 400 year-old Union Jack, with its overlaid crosses of three of the nation's four patron saints, as symbolising the United Kingdom's unparalleled combination of unity in diversity, the diversity of a society which now embodies Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and many other - including secular - traditions. He goes on to argue that 'Britishness' has special value as a broad church measure of spiritual and cultural inclusiveness - and as a positive alternative to fundamentalism, narrow nationalism and jingoism. The author explores in separate chapters the distinctive contributions to Britishness made over the centuries by the Celtic traditions of the Welsh and Irish, the Anglo-Saxon strain of tolerance and freedom associated with the English, the moral seriousness of the Scots, and the characteristics of exuberance, modesty and privacy introduced by new black and Asian Britons. Published to coincide with the three hundredth anniversary of the 1707 Act of Union, his book offers a number of radical proposals. These include re-designing the Union flag to incorporate a black cross on a gold background, to better reflect the hybridity of contemporary Britain, and replacing George, Andrew and Patrick with a new trinity of patron saints - Columba, Bridget and Edward the Confessor. Ian Bradley contends that a rejuvenated BBC, monarchy and Commonwealth all have a part to play in forging a new sense of British identity which combines myth, imagination and tradition with a broad, open-minded inclusivity and respect for difference. Believing in Britain makes a consistently thoughtful and challenging contribution to one of the most important discussions of our time.
This text explores the music making that went on in the spas and watering places in Europe and the United States during their heyday between the early-18th and the mid-20th centuries.
At a time of renewed interest in the monarchy (stimulated by the marriage of Prince William of Wales and the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II), the institution is analyzed and dissected from almost every point of view apart from the sacred -- which arguably stands at its heart and is its ultimate raison d'etre. Commentators assess the constitutional and philanthropic aspects of monarchy and its tourist potential; gossip magazines report on the Royal Family as a soap opera. This lack of attention is in marked contrast to the sacred origins of monarchy and the manifest importance of religious belief in the life of the present monarch. Ian Bradley traces the religious dimension of monarchy and argues for its importance as a spiritual force in British life, as well as exploring what this might mean in a society that is both multi-faith and increasingly secular.
Coffin roads' along which bodies were carried for burial are a marked feature of the landscape of the Scottish Highlands and islands – many are now popular walking and cycling routes. This book journeys along eight coffin roads to discover and explore the distinctive traditions, beliefs and practices around dying, death and mourning in the communities which created and used them. The result is a fascinating snapshot into place and culture. After more than a century when death was very much a taboo subject, this book argues that aspects of the distinctive West Highland and Hebridean way of death and approach to dying and mourning may have something helpful and important to offer to us today. Routes covered in this book are: The Kilmartin Valley – the archetypal coffin road in this ritual landscape of the dead. The Street of the Dead on Iona – perhaps the best known coffin road in Scotland. Kilearnadil Graveyard, Jura – a perfect example of a Hebridean graveyard. The coffin road through Morvern to Keil Church, Lochaline - among the best defined and most evocative coffin roads today. The Green Isle, Loch Shiel, Ardnamurchan - the oldest continuously used burial place anywhere in Europe. The coffin road on Eigg – with its distinctive 'piper's cairn' where the coffin of Donald MacQuarrie, the 'Great Piper of Eigg', was rested. The coffin road from Traigh Losgaintir to Loch Stocinis on Harris - popular with walkers and taken as the title for a best-selling thriller by Peter May. The coffin road on Barra – A detailed study of burial practices on Barra in the early 1950s provides a fascinating record of Hebridean attitudes to dying, death and mourning.
Taking as his starting point the expiry of copyright on the opera libretti at the end of 1961 and using fascinating hitherto unpublished archive material, Bradley reveals the extraordinary story of the last years of the old D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, the guardian of Savoy tradition for over a hundred years, and the troubled history of its successor. He explores the rich vein of parodies, spoofs, and spin-offs of the songs, as well as their influence on twentieth-century lyricists and composers.
Abide with me', 'The day thou gavest Lord is ended', 'All things bright and beautiful': a century and more after they were written Victorian hymns like these have an enduring popularity. This book examines the Victorian hymn from a literary, theological and cultural point of view. It traces its contemporary impact and its continuing influence in churches, public popularity, parody and literary references. In a way that has not been done before, Ian Bradley traces the importance of hymns in Victorian novels, explores the extraordinary political and social ramifications of Victorian hymnody, and assesses the literary and musical importance of the genre. Written in a lively and anecdotal style, this book punctures some of the myths about Victorian hymns, showing that the themes of doubt, humility and political and social radicalism surface just as much as those of triumphalism, imperialism and conservatism. 'Ian Bradley tells his story lucidly, from the disappearance of the chaotic and cheerful gallery musicians so beloved of Thomas Hardy, to the gospel songs of Dwight Moody and Ira Sankey. He moves easily between the novelist, the theologian and the musician. He introduces the story with a striking analogy: hymns played much the same role in Victorian culture that soap operas do among us today . . . it is a good curtain-raiser for a serious, indeed learned, but never humourless book.' Lord Runcie, "Daily Telegraph" "" 'I was so gripped by this book that I could not put it down. Here is invaluable resource material dealing with a period of hymnody which has never before been researched in such depth. In this eminently readable survey, we are left in no doubt as to the merits or otherwise of nineteenth-century hymnody.' Dr Lionel Dakers, formerly Director of the Royal School of Music.
This book charts the life of Arthur Sullivan—the best loved and most widely performed British composer in history. While he is best known for his comic opera collaborations with W. S. Gilbert, it was his substantial corpus of sacred music which meant most to him and for which he wanted to be remembered. His upbringing and training in church music, and his own religious beliefs, substantially affected both his compositions for the theatre and his more serious work, which included oratorios, cantatas, sacred ballads, liturgical pieces, and hymns. Focusing on the spiritual aspects of Sullivan's life—which included several years as a church organist, involvement in Freemasonry, and an undying attachment to Anglican church music—Ian Bradley uses hitherto undiscovered letters, diary entries, and other sources to reveal the important influences on his faith and his work. No saint and certainly no ascetic, he was a lover of life and enjoyed its pleasures to the full. At the same time, he had a rare spiritual sensitivity, a sincere Christian faith, and a unique ability to uplift through both his character and his music that can best be described as a quality of divine emollient.
Ian Bradley's Complete Annotated Gilbert and Sullivan has established itself across the world as the authorized and definitive 'Bible' for all those interested in the Savoy operas. Originally published in two Penguin paperbacks in the 1980's, a single-volume comprehensive compendium, hailed widely as "easily the best annotated Gilbert & Sullivan available" (Gayden Wren, New York Times) was published by Oxford University Press in 1996. This brand new 20th anniversary edition includes Thespis, Gilbert and Sullivan's first collaboration which is now being increasingly performed, despite the loss of the vocal and orchestral scores. It also features a completely new introduction, reflecting on the state of Gilbert and Sullivan nearly 150 years after the pair began their legendary collaboration, and new annotations addressing recent performance history, newly discovered 'lost' songs and dialogue, and, for the first time, Gilbert and Sullivan references in contemporary popular culture. Scholars, performers, and fans are sure to rejoice in this indispensable companion to the Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire, newly updated for the present day.
In this highly accessible, passionately argued and scholarly book, Ian Bradley presents fundamentalism, born a hundred years ago in the United States of America, as the great twentieth-century heresy and aberration. He identifies and seeks to reclaim for the twenty first century a liberal theological tradition existing in Christianity, Islam, Judaism and the other major world faiths. This liberal heart is found in their scriptures and was often to the fore in their foundational stages but has more recently been overlaid with conservative reaction, fundamentalism and fear. He defines this liberal theology in terms of the four values of grace, order, openness and diversity which he suggests can be read by Christians as key attributes of the three persons of the Trinity and of God in Trinity as a whole. This book counters the growing influence of narrow, exclusive judgemental religious conservatism with a powerful reassertion of the liberal gospel of God's grace, goodness and generosity.
Now available in paperback, this book delves into the history behind the glamorous baths and spas of Europe and reveals the hidden past of alternate treatments. From Romans to royalty and hypochondriacs to holiday-makers, natural water spas have been a common feature in society since the first century. Even today, we periodically abandon the cities to "take the waters." In their heyday, Europe's spas were the main meeting places for aristocracy, politicians, and cultural elites. They were the centers of political and diplomatic intrigue, and were fertile sources of artistic, literary, and musical inspiration. The spas epitomized style and were renowned for their cosmopolitan atmosphere in a glittering whirl of balls, gambling, and affairs, as much as for their healing waters. Health, Hedonism & Hypochondria reveals the hidden histories of traditional spas of Europe, including such well-known resorts as the original Spa in Belgium; Bath, Buxton & Harrogate in Britain; Baden-Baden & Bad Ems in Germany; Vichy & Aix-les-Bains in France; Bad Ragaz in Switzerland; Bad Ischl & Baden bei Wien in Austria and Karlovy Vary & Mariánské Lázne in the Czech Republic. At once luxurious sanctuaries of relaxation and resorts of the upper classes, they were also the haunts of melancholics, scoundrels, and those seeking escape and excitement.
Arthur Sullivan is best known as W. S. Gilbert's collaborator in the Savoy Operas, However, Sullivan was far from being simply a composer of light operettas. At the height of his fame and popularity in late Victorian Britain, Sullivan was regarded as the nation's leading composer of sacred oratorios on a par with Mendelssohn and Brahms. Yet despite his contemporary popularity and enduring legacy, little attention has been given to Sullivan's sacred work. The last twenty years have seen a considerable revival of interest in and critical appreciation for this aspect of Sullivan's work. Lost Chords and Christian Soldiers provides the first detailed, comprehensive, critical study and review of Sullivan's church and sacred music. As well as exploring issues of repertoire and ecclesiology involved in these and other formative influences and experiences, consideration will be given to how far Sullivan's own personal beliefs and faith influenced his settings of sacred texts and the extent to which his own spiritual and theological leaning are expressed in his choice of material and style of setting. Sullivan's motivation in setting religious texts will be probed and comparison will be made with the motivation, output and approach of his closest contemporaries in this field, most notably Stainer.
The saw is one of the most basic tools and tends to be taken very much for granted. Many hours and much effort can be saved, and more accurate work produced, if the user has the knowledge of how his saw works and how to keep it in good condition. In this book Ian Bradley provides detailed guidance on the use and maintenance of all types of saw.
Here are the full original texts of 150 of the best loved hymns in the English language. Each is accompanied by a fascinating commentary, giving biographical details of the author (such as the Calvinist creator of Rock of Ages who once calculated that the average human sins 2,522,880,000 times); notes on the circumstances in which the hymn was written; and variant versions. Each hymn is prefaced by an urbanely written and agreeably subjective commentary with a wealth of anecdotes and a few ribald parodies. This charming book should also be required reading for all those responsible for choosing hymns in church. Ian Bradley writes with wit, elegance and charm and is quite exceptionally knowledgeable about his subject.
In this anthology Ian Bradley Marshall has successfully brought together many of the issues that LGB people face on a daily basis and set these against an historical perspective that shows that intolerance around a persons sexual orientation is something that will always lead to disaster for any society. It is this prejudice and ignorance of basic human nature that continues to affect millions of people in this country and around the world, despite the many warnings that genocides of the past should have taught us. We know what its like to be different and we have to use our life experiences to help others, including those people that just dont understand that we were made to be gay or bi or whatever. I know that just trying to be yourself is the most important thing you can be in your life, however uncomfortable that makes other people. You have to be comfortable with yourself first and foremost.
Taking as his starting point the expiry of copyright on the opera libretti at the end of 1961 and using fascinating hitherto unpublished archive material, Bradley reveals the extraordinary story of the last years of the old D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, the guardian of Savoy tradition for over a hundred years, and the troubled history of its successor.
The perfect resource for beginners, Metalwork and Machining Hints and Tips for Home Machinists is an informative anthology that combines useful advice and instruction with explanations of tools and techniques. With expert insight on a wide range of workshop practices and minor jobs that beginners may not be familiar with yet, this helpful guide will introduce readers to arbors and mandrels, belt jointing and splicing, shaft collars, finishing metal surfaces, G-clamps, cutting holes, hand turning tools, and so much more. Author Ian Bradley was an experienced engineer with a lifetime of experience in precision engineering and contributed to Model Engineer magazine for over 50 years.
Argyll is the beautiful, wild and inspirational home of Celtic Christianity. It is the spiritual heartland of Scotland and, some would say, of the whole United Kingdom. Until now, no-one has sought to uncover the reasons why the spiritual landscape of Argyll is so distinctively unique, rich and varied. Why is it characterised by a more gentle, liberal, mystical and liturgical Christian culture than the harsher Calvinist evangelism of the neighbouring Highlands and the Western Isles? Why has it produced such a disproportionately large amount of beautiful devotional material? This joyful book, with a cover image by popular artist JoLoMo, is impressionistic and accessible but always of the highest scholarly standards. It reveals the dominant themes and figures in Argyll’s spiritual landscape. Ian Bradley’s love of Argyll shines through as he takes both a geographical and biographical approach and looks at the interplay of landscape and Christian belief through such figures as Columba, Carswell, sundry Campbells, George Matheson, George MacLeod and others. Drawing on extensive original research and interviews with a wide variety of people, including many Church of Scotland ministers and lay people, this is an enthralling and fascinating read for all who are interested in Scottish history and identity, Celtic Christianity and Scotland’s spiritual heritage.
Matrices offer some of the most powerful techniques in modem mathematics. In the social sciences they provide fresh insights into an astonishing variety of topics. Dominance matrices can show how power struggles in offices or committees develop; Markov chains predict how fast news or gossip will spread in a village; permutation matrices illuminate kinship structures in tribal societies. All these invaluable techniques and many more are explained clearly and simply in this wide-ranging book. Originally published in 1986. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Around 563AD a monk called Columba set off in a small boat with a few companions from the shores of his native Donegal, in the north-west tip of Ireland. Some time later they landed on the tiny island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland. Their journey is rightly perceived as one of the most significant events in the early Christian history of the British Isles. lan Bradley examines the life, character and achievements of St Columba and attempts to strip away the layers of myth and historical distortion that have grown up around him. He also explores the distinctive nature of Columban Christianity and its message - not always a comfortable one - for us today.
This book explores how the native Christian communities of the British Isles from the fifth to the tenth centuries have been idealised and appropriated by succeeding generations who have projected their own preconceptions and prejudices on to a perceived 'golden age' of Celtic Christianity.
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