One last comment

When I was little we always sang Joyful, Joyful - in school, at public events, at every fest. Schiller was THAT big. The problem is that, like the Old Testament, Joyful, Joyful was not written for little children. The first problem arose at the "Spark of God." How does God spark? Send a spark? I knew matches but sparks? And from God?! We were a very small minority of Catholic refugees in a total Protestant area and I was suspicious that this was something very Lutheran as I had never heard about Catholic sparks from God. Then there was this Elysium? What was it? I knew of heaven and earth but elysium? And God had a daughter from Elysium? Ha, ha. God had a son, not a daughter and again I mistrusted my Protestant environment for falsifying the truth. Before I ever came to a conclusion what all of this meant we were already singing about the "kiss" and the "brothers" and the "hugging." I hated to be kissed when I was little. Crawled behind the sofa when my mother's side of the family came who were all huggers and kissers. My father's side shook hands and I curtsied. That was much better. Now here the whole world needed to be kissed or would kiss me? No way! I grew up and moved away. Joyful, Joyful was forgotten. Suddenly the melody appared again and this time in various church adapted hymns. I love music but I have not a singing voice. Nevertheless when accompanied by some instrument I can belt it out like no other song.