Song of Albion 3

Historically the concept of musica universalis described the way in which the heavenly bodies were thought to relate harmoniously - the "music of the spheres". Likewise the terms musica divina "music of the gods" and musica humana - of the human body suggest that order exists in all these areas. That the music we listen to is somehow based on, indeed caused by this intrinsic "music". I have already mentioned how this idea is suggested in the Bible, is the theme in the Song of Albion trilogy and the creation of Narnia.

In the darkness something was happening at last. A voice had begun to sing. It was very far away and Digory found it hard to decide from what direction it was coming. Sometimes it seemed to come from all directions at once. Sometimes he almost thought it was coming out of the earth beneath them. Its lower notes were deep enough to be the voice of the earth herself. There were no words. There was hardly even a tune. But it was, beyond comparison, the most beautiful noise he had ever heard. It was so beautiful he could hardly bear it. (The Magician's Nephew, Lewis).

So - what is music and why or how is it important to us?

In effect it might be "Vocal and/or instrumental sounds combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony and expression of emotion". Mechanically it is true that the pitch and timing of the sounds that make up music are related by whole-number ratios, indeed these ratios are almost synonymous with the term "harmony".

Many people say they listen to music for its emotional effects but I think it can go deeper than that.

Michael Card has noted that "Socrates once said, "when the soul hears music, it drops its best guard." That, for me, is one of the best descriptions of the power that music has. With music it is 
possible to open a door in the heart of the listener... It has the power to transport us, can rob us of ability to listen to the lyrics... Therefore, we must pass on to our children a biblical value system which is shaped by an awareness of the power and true purpose of music. We must listen along with them."

Some would say that the primary purpose of music, or when music does its best, is in worship of God. 

Considered a simpleton by his contemporaries, the composer Bruckner showed remarkable boldness when he said "They want me to write differently. Certainly I could do, but I must not. God has chosen me from thousands and given me, of all people, this talent. It is to Him that I must give account. How then would I stand there before Almighty God, if I followed the others and not Him?" 

Music is a major part in the activities of most Christians (and those of other religions) - in our church meetings we typically start with half an hour of "praise and worship" followed by the "word" or preaching. Why would we want to spend all that time messing with music if it were not a vehicle for our convictions?

And yet not all music has the same effect. Music can be constructive or destructive, can lift our spirit or push us down, can evoke peace or incite trouble. What makes the difference? Do a web search and you will come up with all manner of conspiracy type theories about back beat, rock music, backmasking, but my quest was to find what works or doesn't work for me. I am not at all sure that I have found my quest but I found some interesting stuff along the way...

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