ATTN JMS: Chanting for enlightenment

[B5JMS Poster]

Subject: ATTN JMS: Chanting for enlightenment
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 No. | DATE        |  FROM
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s  1: Dec 19, 1996: Ellen Caldera <ecaldera at airmail.net>
*  2: Dec 20, 1996: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)

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From: Ellen Caldera <ecaldera at airmail.net>
Lines: 51

We've been having a very interesting discussion on a mailing list I
subscribe to, and I was wondering if you could shed some light on the
debate.

We've been talking about the "moment of perfect beauty" scene in
"There All the Honor Lies" and debating the significance of the
Gregorian chant.  We seem to agree that the chant was chosen for
a reason, but we are in disagreement as to what the significance
of the chant is.  Here's the two main trains of thought we've come
up with.  Either:

a) The chant was selected simply because it sounded "nifty," and
contributed to the overall mood of the scene, e.g., solemnity,
mystery, peace and simple beauty.

OR

b) The chant was selected to add to the mood of the scene, but there
is also a deeper significance in the words of the chant, e.g.,
"unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given" referring possibly
to David and references to "a new song" and "wonders" perhaps relating
to the Third Age of Mankind.

Regarding option b, the consensus seems to be that although
the viewers weren't necessarily meant or expected to pick up on a 
deeper meaning - those bits of knowledge are not essential to the
understanding of the story and are stated more explicitly elsewhere -
it may be yet another element providing a bit more richness for those
few who did pick up on the meaning of the words. 

So is either one of these positions close to what was intended, and
if so, which one?

This discussion on this topic has been very interesting and
has branched off into other areas, such as what exactly is
foreshadowing and when does something become too vague to effectively
function as foreshadowing, as well as Vorlon references to "singing."
Interestingly enough, two of the four references that I managed
to dig up on "singing" were in "Hunter, Prey," the episode aired
just prior to "There All the Honor Lies":  the infamous "I listened
to your thoughts.  Your thoughts became a song" quote and the
reference to Kosh's ship "singing."

Anyhoo, any light that you might care to shed on this subject
would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks ever so much and keep up
the great work (as if you needed to be told to do that)!

-- 
Ellen Caldera



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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Lines: 10

Like most things one writes, the only real answer is, "A little of both." 
One part of your brain says it's nifty, the other part sees the
significance.


 jms




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