How Influential, Actually, Is Music?
Heaven is always making music, with perfect harmony, created in accordance with its celestial motions, as it is said, The heavens declare the glory of God (Ps. 19:2). Some say the source of this music is an orchestra of angels. Others say it is the rhythm and melody of the planets and stars as they circle the heavens.
If, by chance, this music should reach our ears, irrepressible cravings would emerge, frenzied longings, and insane passions. These longings would be so great, we would no longer take nourishment from food and drink in the manner of mortals, but as beings destined for immortality.
This happened to Moses when he ascended Mount Sinai. There, for forty days and nights, he touched neither bread nor water. Soon the strains of this heavenly music reached his ears, along with the words of the Torah as God recited them. It is said that for the rest of his life Moses heard this unearthly music, just as the light that shone from his face after Sinai always remained with him.
(Howard Schwartz, Tree of Souls, The Mythology of Judaism, p. 188)
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But as to Genun, Satan came into him in his childhood; and he made sundry trumpets and horns, and string instruments, cymbals and psalteries, and lyres and harps, and flutes; and he played on them at all times and at every hour. And when he played on them, Satan came into them, so that from among them were heard beautiful and sweet sounds, that ravished the heart. . .
Then when it was day, Genun blew the horns and beat the drums below the mountain, as he was wont. the children of Seth heard it, and came as they used to do . . .
Enoch at that time was already grown up, and in his zeal for God, he arose and said, "Hear me, O ye sons of Seth, small and great--when ye transgress the commandments of our fathers, and go down from this holy mountain--ye shall not come up hither again for ever." But they rose up against Enoch, and would not hearken to his words, but went down from the Holy Mountain.
(2 Adam and Eve 2-3, 20, 29-30)
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I was talking to people at dinner the other night and they'd heard about the show or seen it and we started talking about the significance of the Beatles politically. So many people, in America particularly, come up to me and say, "You changed my life." This whole idea of the significance of the Beatles is incredible. Someone mentioned the Russian thing—the bringing down of the Iron Curtain.
(Paul McCartney: the Billboard Q&A September 12, 2009)
I don't think the influence or power of music can be explained in words as much as it can be felt. Those are some good examples of the way different kinds of music are influential in their own ways.
ReplyDeleteI am reading Exodus right now, and I thought that was a really interesting idea. The idea that he heard heavenly music....
What is that second quote from? Who is Genun? A mythological being? On a side note, the symbolism of them staying up in the mountain or descending is interesting and quite potent.
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ReplyDeleteI don't know who Genun is except that he is mentioned in "2 Adam and Eve", which is part of a Christian pseudipigraphical work called "The Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan", translated from Arabic, and thought to date from as early as the 5th centiry A.D.
ReplyDeleteWhen you read the old Testament, you see music as an ordinance in parts. Like when David played music and danced to "glorify God" and Michal was offended, and so lost favor with him.
ReplyDeleteI think that music is far more influential if we consider it in that vein... it is a part of worship, not just an obligatory hymn to mumble through during sacrament meeting. I think that if we consider it to be sacred and a vital part of worship, more of us would join ward choirs, too.
I think it's all about what you make it. Back during Adam's time, maybe music was more recognized as symbolic of worship, maybe there were certain songs/words for certain ordinances and so music was more understood as influential.
I posted these quotes because I am kind of intrigued by the idea of influencial music.
ReplyDeleteThe Moses one has mystical/mythical overtones, but as you both pointed out, there is a real spiritual element. I led the music in Sacrament meeting the other day, and noticed the level of responsiveness in the congregation. I wondered, if we were there at the Last Supper, and were all singing the hymn, how would the nature of our participation be different?
The second quotation reminds me of what some kinds of music have done to me on occasion. Spirituality in reverse.
The inclusion of the last quotation could be considered tongue-in-cheek on my part, as a typical way Sir Paul would think--ending the Cold War? But I'm sadly tempted to think there is a connection with that part of 60's of musical history and the second quote.
haha. That is pretty grandiose!! Music bringing down the Iron curtain. I can see a little bit how that might influence a culture... music is a cultural bridge, quite often.
ReplyDeleteWhen Jeff and I were in Ethiopia, we went to a restaurant that had traditional music and dancers. There is something about that... watching the traditional music/dancing of a culture, that seems to bridge understanding, at least. I felt, after watching the dancing/listening to the music, that I understood each culture/subculture that was portrayed quite a bit more, and thus, the background that our little girls came from.