How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Too often in these moments of listening he [Father Arguedas] had felt his soul fill with a kind of rapture,
a feeling he could not name but was disquieted by—longing? Love? Early in his seminary training he had set his mind to giving up opera as other young men had set their minds to giving up women. He thought there must be a darkness in such passion, especially for a priest. Lacking any real or interesting sins to confess, he offered up the imagined sin of opera one Wednesday afternoon as his greatest sacrifice to Christ."Verdi or Wagner?" said the voice from the other side of the screen.
"Both," Father Arguedas said, but when he recovered himself from the surprise of the question he changed his answer. "Verdi."
"You are young," the voice replied. "Come back and tell me again in twenty years, if God allows that I am here."
(2.106-109)
Father Arguedas is in major luck here. Not only does the priest hearing his confession not think opera is a sin, he's actually a legit fan. It's one of the many moments in Bel Canto where we realize that spirituality and art are pretty darn compatible.
Quote #2
"Art is not sin. It's not always good. But it is not a sin." The voice paused for a minute and Father Arguedas slipped a finger into the black band of his collar, trying to move some of the thick warm air into his shirt. "Then again, some of the libretti…well, try to concentrate on the music. The music is the truth of opera." (2.111)
This Voice and The Voice have some things in common. This is yet another sign that spirituality and art are pretty compatible in Bel Canto. But they might have the occasional disagreement, according to the priest hearing Father Arguedas' confession. He's a little worried about those libretti (the lyrics of opera), and we can see why: they're often R-rated, with plenty of sex and violence. So art and religion don't do exactly the same kind of thing. But this is one of the few moments in Bel Canto when difference is emphasized over the similarities.
Quote #3
Father Arguedas took his small, perfunctory penance and said each prayer three times as an offering of joy. He did not have to give up his love. In fact, after that he changed his mind completely and decided that such beauty would have to be one with God. The music gave praise, he was sure of that, and if the words too often focused on the sins of man, well, did Jesus himself not explore this subject exactly? (2.112)
And what is that thing art and religion are usually both doing in Bel Canto? Pointing people to wonder at a beauty beyond themselves.