Entertainments play on our senses differently. Each separate
type comes to us wrapped lovingly by hands that have spent hours and hours
trying to convey a thought, a sensation, a story. And each different type of
entertainment brings us that in its own fashion.
Movies can take you places you have never been, and leave
your imagination whirling with sights and sounds you would probably never have
come up with on your own.
Words in a book, well, those paint images that your mind
brings to life on its own. Every person pictures Frodo Baggins a little
different in their minds when they read the Lord of the Rings. Words have a
very lasting impression, partially because they paint the scenes…but we bring
them to life. Our own imaginations craft the sceneries and the faces of the heroes
and heroines. The skill of the author leads us where he wants us to go, and
each of us takes away a bit of our own impression; our imaginations create
worlds when we read.
But what of music?
Music makes you feel.
There is a place inside you where pictures and words only
sometimes reach; but music has the key, and can slip in whenever you allow it
in your life. Music has a direct path to our emotions, and to the thing called ‘beauty’
inside each of us. People might define it differently, or have no definition at
all, but we all recognize beauty when we see it or feel it. And music bids us feel that
beauty, and sparks sensations of joy, sorrow, excitement, exultation…
I have always known that. It is a rare moment that I
don’t have some song playing, around the house, in the car,
wherever I happen to be. But this week I was introduced to a new set of music and
reminded more forcibly of the power of song. A man named Adam Young has begun a
project; he is creating soundtracks to events that mean something to him,
because it is something he has always wanted to do. Go to his website here: Adam Young Scores. Choose an
album, hit play, listen for a moment, and then come back and keep reading as it
dances in the background. Whether you care for the style or not, I think you
will be moved. As I listened to these songs this week, I was reminded of what
music does to us. It inspires emotions and tells a story in a way that movies
and books can only sometimes accomplish. We feel what the creator of this piece
of art felt when writing it. Adam Young’s scores are certainly not the only pieces
of music to do this, but they stand out as a beautifully clear example that
makes my point.
Apollo 11 is charged with excitement, hope, and triumph, as
well as times of sweet longing and solitary peace.
The RMS Titanic, you hear the ebullient elegance of the
beginning of the voyage, and then? Play the second half of the album, and I dare
you keep a smile on your face. No, you find yourself so saddened. Even when I merely hear the music without paying attention to what event it speaks of, the
sorrow creeps into my chest as the music plays.
The Spirit of St. Louis, you can sense the charged excitement
of the takeoff, and then the miles and miles that drift under Lindbergh’s plane,
with only slight variations across the Atlantic. You feel the beauty and
monotony at the same time.
This blog post is really just a note to say thank you to
God, I suppose. Music is such a constant part of my life I had forgotten how
much I take it for granted. Finding a new set reminded me of one reason why music
is truly a gift from our Creator. No other art form (at least that I have found) has such
a swift and complete entrance to our emotions, or such control over them. It
takes us places so quickly, and yet we find we go so willingly,
following the beauty as it leads us through a proverbial nosegay of
wonder-filled emotions.
Don’t be afraid of the effect music has on you. Pick an old
favorite, or try a new album today, and really listen. Let it invade you. And
as you find your heart touched and blossoming under the skill of the artist,
remember to offer thanks to the Great Artist Who put music in this world for us
to discover and create and use.
To God be the glory, great things He has done![1]
