Friday, December 13, 2024

Music to Our Ears

Language and music.  Which came first? Both are obviously universal for humanity but a similar  question that attempts to define "which came first, the chicken or the egg", manages to intrude in conversation among those who care to engage in that kind of futile debate. I am just a kibitzer on the subject. However, I cannot resist the fascination with what it was like during the first moment when our ancestors realized they can modulate their vocal chords to produce sound in repeatable patterns to replace hand and bodily gestures to communicate with one another. I wasn't there to witness it but I can assume that was the beginning of language.  However, can we not also assume that perhaps our ancestral mothers, long before speech, may have hummed some soothing sounds, then a  tune even, to calm and reassure the  little creatures of their safety and comfort in the warmth and secure clutches of motherhood?

We can leave those speculations as they are. What is certain is that today we have language and music that make us distinctly human.  Naturalists and scientists will beg with exceptions, of course, because in their world songbirds and whales do sing and chimpanzees and gorillas can be taught sign language. Ornithologists claim that birds - crows, ravens, canaries and the common sparrows, etc. -  have regional or zonal dialects in how they caw, croak or tweet and sing.  Be that as it may, we know  not to expect any of those species to write a sonnet or compose a piano concerto. "That hurts", a bird might say, in whatever dialect it uses but speak it still can't.  "Double hurt"! Well, okay, let's leave the birds alone.

Now for the next question.  Is music (vocal and instrumental) the language of the soul? We don't know for sure where the expression came from or who actually said it first  but it may have originated from the time of Plato.  Or later, expressed as,

"Music is the language of the soul, the voice of the heart, and a message from eternity."        ---- Debasish Mridha

"Music, said Arnold Bennett, is “a language which the soul alone understands but which the soul can never translate.” It is, in Richter’s words “the poetry of the air.” Tolstoy called it “the shorthand of emotion.” Goethe said, “Religious worship cannot do without music. It is one of the foremost means to work upon man with an effect of marvel.” Words are the language of the mind. Music is the language of the soul.

Music, like language, evolved over centuries of human development. Today, generally speaking, music is hailed from two proponent camps: the classical buff and the fans of pop music. In between, the list may start from the time of the minstrels, liturgical and choral hymns, Gregorian chants, to spirituals, from opera to Broadway musical, from ragtime to rock 'n roll to Bluegrass to reggae and Rap music, romantic and pining songs and the often moping messages of country music and  several others.  In other words, we've enriched music and music enriched us.

Let us not forget music's presence even in times of battles - from the bugle call to charge or retreat; the legendary effect of bagpipes  on advancing British and Scottish troops, the sound of the bugle during reveille to wake the troops up, taps to mourn the dead, and, of course, national anthems that instill patriotism.

Not the least of music's power is its integral influence on dancing. From ballet to the tango and the waltz; from polka to Latin dances; from swing to jazz to rock 'n roll, various folk dances, etc.

This will not be a thesis on music because I cannot even hold a tune. If perfect pitch is analogous to the height of Mt. Everest, I put myself at the lowest flatlands at the foothills of the Himalayas. In high school a friend told me that I was out of tune even when I sneezed or cough; and he was a friend. That is why todayI relegate myself to tuning a table saw or a hand plane but I stay away from attempting to do the same with a piano or violin.  But I think I know and appreciate music.

We've all learned to appreciate music and it seems like our brains are hardwired for it; however, we're told by overly-funded researchers looking to spend grant money on anything, that other living creatures and certain plants have an "ear" for music too. They have us believe that classical music makes plants grow better and in experiments fishes were drawn to music. Some pet owners claim that their pets have developed an affinity to music. Anecdotally or by experiments, we are told that music does seem to have some kind of universal effects on creatures outside of our species. Suffice it to say that perhaps there could be some kernel of truth in there somewhere.

Back to the two camps comprised of classical and pop music, generally speaking, as the two largest groups.  Let's cut to the chase. Fans of pop music have this to say, "Why does classical music change moods so much and have so many boring parts"? On the other hand, classical buffs say, "Why does pop have to have a noisy rhythm section, and why is the beat always the same?" And, "It's too simplistic".  To which, Pop fans say about classical music, "It's too complicated". {From the book,  Classical Music: A New Way of Listening}.

At one time some centuries ago, classical music was cloaked in utmost snobbery. That was because only the rich, the elites of society, had access to it; only they had the money and time to engage the services of musicians and composers or the wherewithal and means to attend live concerts (no recordings then) or private chamber music. Even as late as the 20th century, classical music was for snobs.

On the other hand pop music and love songs became the music of the "general public".  Unfortunately, they were and still are trendy. Songs of the 20's gave way to the 30's and 40's, then to the 50's, and so on and on as taste and genre evolved. After Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra .. came Elvis, then the Beatles, Michael Jackson .. Rap music and so many other artists and styles, too lengthy to list everything. And don't forget country and western music.  Except for Rap I've enjoyed all the genre of pop music as they came along from generation to generation. I would still listen to Elvis and The Beatles and romantic songs today.

Meanwhile, classical compositions from as early as the 17th century and for 300 hundred years after that are still being played today in concert halls and large venues like sports stadiums and parks.  Anyone now with access to various recording media from smart phones to TV to  sophisticated multi-speaker systems at home can listen to it. Snobbery may still exist among those self-elevated classical purists  but access and desire to enjoy the same music is no longer limited to the ruling class.

And the thing is, during that long period of almost four centuries, only about forty or so composers are considered to have attained greatness that to this day their works remain the foundation of classical music upon which modern composers continue to build on. The music of Brahms, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninov, and thirty plus or so others, are the standards of classical music today.  But only a handful from each composer's works are considered signature pieces that are most sought after by both listeners and musical performers (either vocally or instrumentally).

Pop music by definition is already widely popular to the music-consuming public so we will not spend much time with it.

The encouraging words I pose here are for those sitting on the fence; not for those who are already knee-deep if not entirely immersed in classical music. For those willing to dip their toes into classical music, it is not necessary to go out and buy CDs or download them. Be aware that knowingly or unknowingly you  already have an ear for it. And YouTube is happy to provide.

Those of us of a certain age who loved the Lone Ranger TV series growing up, enjoyed the theme song though perhaps not aware it was from Rossini's  "William Tell" overture.  People who may have already forgotten what the sci-fi movie 2001: A Space Odyssey was all about, even disliked it at the end, will not forget the opening theme music. It was from Richard Strauss's composition "Thus Spoke Zarathustra", followed later "during two intricate and extended space travel sequences" in the movie by "The Blue Danube", that is inarguably the best well known waltz composed by Johann Strauss. A few other award-winning movies like, "Shawshank Redemption", "Fatal Attraction" and "Room With A View" had featured opera arias. 

In the U.S. graduation theme music, often during the recessional, people are familiar with "Pomp and Circumstance" composed by English composer, Edward Elgar. Outside of the U.S. the graduation theme is usually the "Triumphal March" from Giuseppe Verdi‘s opera "Aida". So, whether we like it or not, we've been exposed to classical music.

Broadway musicals, relatively late in the evolution of music, are an easier bridge to cross for most folks. A few of them were adapted from successful plays. "My Fair Lady" from "Pygmalion", "West Side Story" from "Romeo and Juliet", "Camelot" and "Brigadoon" from tales of chivalry and folklore. The Broadway musical, "Rent" was adapted from Puccini's opera, "La bohème". 

Now, I will be the first to admit that I have never sat  nor cared to spend time through an entire opera, let alone listen to all of the arias. And not all classical compositions I find pleasing or tolerable. I know I am not alone in this.

Both Broadway musicals and opera are capable of drawing all kinds of emotional responses from the listener but if I were to draw just one from several memorable sequences - even though I do not understand Italian - there is one aria that is certain to evoke an emotion. Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" was later adapted to Broadway via  "Miss Saigon" by Andrew Lloyd Weber. I recommend this one aria, sung by Carmen Monarcha, a Brazilian soprano, because  the story behind it is explained first by Andre Rieu (famed Dutch conductor and violinist), from the YouTube clip below.  Copy the link  and paste it on your search toolbar and click.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd0j007Y9fY

As a way to convince the reader that perhaps we are indeed hardwired for music, please do the same with the link below and watch a baby sitting on a high chair who for the first time listened to Pavarotti sing. Towards the end watch the baby's feet move with the music, or so it seems.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX6fsvXKw7M

In a nutshell, from all the diversity and choices that music has provided us in so many ways and in the amount of time that humanity has existed, is it not God's gift to the soul?

P.S. It is never too late for anyone to begin a journey into classical music and Broadway musical. All that is needed is a foray into YouTube. There, check out piano prodigy Alexandra Dovgan, whose childhood from as early as five years old to now when she is perhaps 17 or 18 is prominently featured on YouTube.  Patricia Janeckova, soprano who tragically died at age 25, last year, before realizing her full potential. She lives on in YouTube. For Broadway, "Sierra Boggess is an Olivier nominated actress, best known for originating Ariel in Disney's "The Little Mermaid" on Broadway and re-inventing Christine in Phantom of the Opera".

Check out Chopin pieces for piano. His nocturnes and polonaises should be familiar.  Chopin's Piano Concerto No.1 live with Olga Scheps, pianist, is worth listening to on YouTube (13 M views). There are more, obviously, but it is best to let your own taste and preference lay out the framework of your quest. It is food for the mind and a stimulant for the brain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bFo65szAP0




 

 



 


No comments:

Post a Comment