Catholic Bourbon ... wait, I may have mixed that up

I have been reading two separate texts virtually in parallel.  The subject matter is not at all the same.  The first book is called Bourbon for Breakfast: Living Outside the Statist Quo.  It is a collection of articles from the Ludwig von Mises Institute, the economic and political think tank dedicated to "advancing the scholarship of liberty in the tradition of the Austrian School."  From the promotional paragraph on the Mises website:

"The state makes a mess of everything it touches, argues [the author] in Bourbon for Breakfast. Perhaps the biggest mess it makes is in our minds. Its pervasive interventions in every sector affect the functioning of society in so many ways, we are likely to intellectually adapt rather than fight. [Bourbon for Breakfast] proposes another path: see how the state has distorted daily life, rethink how things would work without the state, and fight against the intervention in every way that is permitted.

Whether that means hacking your showerhead, rejecting prohibitionism, searching for large-tank toilets, declining to use government courts, homeschooling, embracing alternative micro-cultures, watching pro-freedom movies, baking at home, maintaining manners and standards of dress, publishing without copyright, and just living outside what he calls the 'statist quo,' we should not lose touch with what freedom means, even in these times.

The essays cover commercial life, digital media, culture, food, literature, religion, music, and a host of other issues -- all from the perspective of a Misesian-Rothbardian struggling to get by in a world in which the walls of the state have been closing in. He writes about the glories of commerce, the horrors of jail, the joy of private life, and defends a kind of aristocratic radicalism in times of increasingly restricted choices."

I have to admit that, before I read this book, I knew next to nothing about libertarian ideas and still less about the Austrian school of economics (though I recall the national discussion ... and a rap ... over the von Hayek/Keynes dichotomy once President Obama took office under the promise of lifting us out of our current financial debacle ... one we are still in ... I'm just sayin').  While I need to reflect further on the theory and practical applications of these ideas, upon first read many of them are appealing.  The Republican Party likes to tout small government, but their spending sprees don't always confirm their commitment.  The Catholic Church has always held the principle of subsidiarity: things are best solved by those closest to the problems, i.e. all things being equal, small is better.  The libertarian thought seems to take this call more seriously than the typical "conservatives" of today's political climate.  I have concerns, or rather some things I would like clarified, but at least in terms of all things economic, there seems to be much merit in the Mises message.

The second book I just finished is Sing Like a Catholic.  From a review on Amazon:

"What is your impression of what it means to sing like a Catholic? Not good? Well, it doesn't have to be that way.

[The] managing editor of Sacred Music and weekly columnist in The Wanderer, offers is an introduction to the sacred-music perspective on Catholic music in parishes, drawing from tradition and documents as well as the author's own experience as a parish music and managing editor of the leading journal in the field.

It is a book that provides both direction and inspiration, closely engaging many topics and controversies in Catholic music today.

Today, many priests and musicians are thoroughly confused concerning a core issue: what music belongs at Catholic liturgy? There are clear answers to this question, though one might never know them if the only sources you have at your disposal are the resources from mainstream music publishers.

The answer is found in the music that grew up alongside the liturgy itself, and is deeply embedded as part of its structure. It is also found in the teaching of the Church.

A tremendous revival is taking place in Catholic music, centered on chant and polyphony, with new scholas starting in parish after parish. This is a wonderfully hopeful sign, documented in this book.

To discover and sing truly Catholic music is not a burden but the opposite: a tremendous liberation from the commercial-pop industry and an thrilling immersion in the most theologically and aesthetically rich treasure of music available, a tradition that enlists artistic talent in the service of transcendent ends."

The Catholic Liturgy, in particular its chant tradition, has been a focus of these pages.  From escaping the four-hymn sandwich via the chants proper to the liturgy, to the polyphonic offerings of William Byrd, Sing Like a Catholic covers the entire gamut of the musical conundrums in which we find ourselves as a Church.  The chapters are short, and for the most part can be read as stand alone pieces.

These two texts could not be more different from one another in subject matter.  Why, then, would I be reading them in parallel?

Because they are written by the same author: Jeffrey Tucker.

While many of my readers may be familiar with Mr. Tucker and his writings on sacred music via the Chant Cafe, I would be surprise if many were attuned to his day job as editor of Mises.org.  In fact, even if one were to follow Mr. Tucker religiously (no pun intended) on the Chant Cafe, it would be easy to miss the overlap of careers.  Not once have I seen reference to the Mises institute, libertarianism (at least by name), or Austrian economics on the Cafe.  It takes a quick Google search to disclose the dual life of Jeffrey Tucker.

His dual interests find overlap in the issue of intellectual property.  Several chapters of Bourbon for Breakfast are dedicated to explaining why the whole idea of intellectual property is a contradiction in terms.  Once an idea is shared, it has been duplicated, and laws governing intellectual property are an attempt to turn a non-scarce good into a scarce one.  In other words, personal property is naturally tied to the notion of scarce goods, and "ideas" don't fit the bill.  In Sing Like a Catholic, Tucker devotes several essays to the tragedies of copywriting liturgical texts and music and how, in the best estimate, this stifles artistic creativity and, in the worst estimate, it borders on the sin of simony (selling or buying ecclesiastical privileges).

Both texts are very different, but both are worth your time.  They can be read in long sittings or in short snippets.  If you have an eReader, both can be downloaded free of charge (an idea consonant with the author's philosophy about copyrights).  From a review posted on the Mises site:

"The 'problem' with Jeffrey Tucker is that he has been flying under the Austro-libertarian radar for all too long. A tireless worker, but mostly a behind-the-scenes man, he has in the past made numerous public contributions from time to time. But now with the publication of Bourbon for Breakfast: Living Outside the Statist Quo, a compilation of many and all of them magnificent shorter writings, he will no longer be able to hide his light under the proverbial bushel."

Certainly the same words can be used to describe his roll in the current renewal of the liturgy and liturgical music.