Notes

Judy Collins - "Farewell to Tarwathie"
rolex uhren

We humans are musical beings.
Even though I can barely sing, I believe this deep down in my soul.
Martin Luther said it so well: “Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.”
Every religion, every region, every culture has its music.
Birds, whales, elephants, crickets, cicadas, indeed all of nature has its sounds and songs. And most of them are love songs, AKA mating calls. Each unique.
How many birds can you identify by their songs alone? The coo of the mourning dove, the crow’s caw, the goose’s honk, and the melody of the meadowlark, unmistakable all. No wonder there’s a whole class of birds called songbirds. There are even ways to musically notate those songs like we do ours. And apps you can download to learn them.
Have you heard the songs of the humpback whale? Folksinger Judy Collins made a record years ago incorporating them into her songs. One that stands out is called Farwell to Tarwathie. In it, a man bids goodbye to his sweetheart who he won’t see for a long time. He’s going off to Greenland in search of the whale. The mournful songs of humpback whales resound throughout the piece.
Plants and Music I’m not sure if plants sing, but they respond to music.
Lots of studies have proven this. In one there were five greenhouses of identical plants. One had no music at all. One played Bach and Indian classical music. Those plants grew the most. The one that played Country and Western music had the same growth as the one with no music. And the plants exposed to rock and roll grew the least of all.
What? Rock and roll? That’s OUR music! What’s up with that?
I know. Sorry. But we’re not plants.
We can sing, play, and dance to whatever we choose. At the same time, there may be something to that study–something that goes on at the cellular level. This brings to mind another study resulting in something called the Mozart Effect.
While the results were controversial, they did prove that children and others who study music grow in spatial intelligence. This includes enhanced problem-solving abilities. Not sure why, but maybe it has to do with how mathematically structured music is.
Astronomers have proven that each planet has its own song, too. Interesting fact: many of the early astronomers were accomplished musicians. Take Johannes Kepler, for example. He was the first of many to suggest that planetary orbits are elliptical and that our solar system has a coherent, harmonical structure.
Dr. June Leslie Wieder, writes in her book on sound healing, healing, Song of the Spine, “According to Keper’s explanation, God caused the planets to move from their circular orbits to elliptical ones because they would produce more beautiful sounds. These elliptical orbits, he claimed, were precisely those that oscillate in the same ratio as the Pythagorean musical scales.”
So, this must be what’s meant by The Music of the Spheres!
I love the idea of heavenly bodies singing to one another. This may be why we’ve populated the heavens with musically gifted angelic beings.
“Music is well said to be the speech of angels.” ~ Thomas Carlyle
All of this is by way of introduction to this week’s Middle-Pause Pump-Prming prompt: Tell us about the role of music in your life. Do you sing or play any instruments? Who are your favorite singers, composers, bands, artists, etc.
Were you at Woodstock or any memorable music events? Share about a transformational musical experience be it individual or shared with multitudes. Do you have a favorite song? Have you written any songs? Feel free to attach a music video or two to your story.
Okay, I’ll share.
What really turns me on is musical theater. Stories told in song.
RENT I got to see an original production of the musical RENT, though I can’t remember if it was in San Francisco or Berkeley. If you haven’t seen it, there’s a film version that’s spot on. It’s basically the opera La Boheme reset in New York City during the AIDS epidemic.
It’s very operatic, by which I mean there’s very little dialogue that’s not sung. While it’s a far cry from the magnificence of Pachini, there are a few songs that rock my soul. One is the innocently flirty, Light My Candle.
But the show stopper’s the first song after intermission. The cast comes out before the curtain opens, lines up much like the cast of Chorus Line, and sings Seasons of Love.
The song asks the musical question:
Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutesFive hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dearFive hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutesHow do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsetsIn midnights, in cups of coffee
And goes on to ask, How about love?
Hamilton, the Musical I can’t not talk about Hamilton having seen it twice.
It’s hard to imagine there’s anything I can say about this phenomenal musical that hasn’t already been said or that you don’t already know. Its creator, Lin Manual Miranda is a genius. And this musical is not any one thing. Not even musically, though it leans heavily on rap, it’s not just rap.
And even though it’s about the life and times of Alexander Hamilton, it’s also very much about Aaron Burr, played by Leslie Odum, Jr., in the Broadway production. My favorite song from the show is one of his, Wait For It. Here’s a beautiful acapella version of it as the cast prepared for the 70th Annual Tony Awards.
Come From Away This is the story of the town of Gander, Newfoundland on September 11, 2001. When the planes flew into the World Trade Center towers, all flights were grounded. So a town of nine thousand suddenly had seven thousand guests from all over the world, many of whom did not speak English.
The musical, Come From Away is a story of amazing hospitality. This little town opened its doors and hearts to these stranded strangers. Its music is simple, folksy, and homespun, with the musicians on the stage through the entire performance.
Give a listen to Welcome to the Rock, which comes at the beginning of the show. The planes are grounded on this curious island and we meet the local folks and learn where they were when they heard the horrific news.
So now that you know what floats my musical boat, it’s your turn. Again the pump-priming prompt: Tell us about the role of music in your life. Do you sing or play any instruments? Who are your favorite singers, composers, bands, artists, etc.
Were you at Woodstock or any memorable music events? Share about a transformational musical experience be it individual or shared with multitudes. Do you have a favorite song? Have you written any songs? Feel free to attach a music video or four like I did to your story.
We look forward to hearing from you and your music!
Marilyn Flower’s a sacred fool who writes every day — fiction, poetry, and blogs — inspired by a process called SoulCollage®. She’s the author of Creative Blogging and Bucket Listers: Get Your Brave On. Follow her Sacred Foolishness or SoulCollage® for Writers, and Stay in touch!

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