I’ve long held the belief that music is essential to life. Music gives life; gives love; connects us with spirit. I don’t even want to imagine a life without music. Music is in life – everyone’s life, whether we are consciously aware of it or not.
Inspiration of Muses
The English word music comes from the Latin musica and the Greek mousike, meaning an art presided over by the Muses. The Muses are nine sister Goddesses in Greek mythology directing song and poetry and the arts and sciences. The Muses inspire.
Inspiration, from the Latin inspirare is to breathe; also drawing air into the lungs; divine influence. Ah! When breathing in, I am inspired! Not only am I receiving life-sustaining oxygen, but I am influenced by the divine. I feel the spirit!
Spirit is from the Latin, spiritus, meaning breath. What has this trip through the dictionary revealed thus far? Music is art presided over by a Muse. Muses inspire. Inspiration is breathe and spirit.
Breathe in and out; we live. We become influenced by Spirit. Let’s look at another word that also means to breathe in: inhale. This is from the Latin inhalo, literally meaning in breath. Halo is from the Greek halos which is a round floor, the sun’s disk, and also a luminous ring. Hmmmm… Inhale the Spirit, become a Saint?
Hale is derived from the Anglo-Saxon hál meaning whole, sound, healthy, holy. Sound is from the Old English soun and the Latin sonus – a sound; that which is heard.
Sound of Music
“I breathe but air and out comes beautiful music.” It is obvious how this is true for wind instrumentalists and vocalists. And it is also true of string players and percussionists.
The air around us is Gaia’s breath, the breath of the earth. Drawing a bow across a cello string causes it to vibrate, moving the air around it at a high enough frequency to create pitch and tone. In a similar fashion, striking the skin or membrane of a drum head causes the air around the head to vibrate and give rise to pitch. In this way, we can think of strings and percussive instruments as breathing the music.
Music! It is the breath and spirit all around us. Breathe in. Breathe out. Receive inspiration. Breathe out music.
Music For The Soul
Before my mother-in-law left this morning to return to her home in Southern Oregon, we sat down to breathe in and breathe out some beautiful music together. I offer you our rendition of the German carol, Stille Nacht; music from our souls to yours.
Read the next edition of Musician’s Motivator January 13, 2010.
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