Music - The Invisible Art Form
Ludwig Van Beethoven once said, “Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.” Not all people may agree with this but Beethoven might have had a point. If we look at art as what sets humans apart from other animals, then music becomes much more important. Unlike paintings or photography, music is an invisible art form, however, we can still see it. Not in the air, but in our minds and through our emotions. And it is with this connection that music creates a personal painting for every individual listener.
These “paintings” can be created through lyrics in a song that tell a story or even just an instrumental song and the emotions it produces. This major aspect of music is why so many people rely on it for guidance through their lives, sometimes without even knowing it. If you’re having a bad day at work and you finally get to your car and turn on your music, your mind immediately creates a connection between current emotional state, and how the specific music makes you feel. So if used right, music works almost like a medicine for healing stress or anxiety.
“Music is the emotional life of most people.” This is a quote from the late Leonard Cohen and it speaks true. Some people claim that they don’t like or listen to any music, so it is hard for those people to draw emotions from music. Nevertheless, a person who doesn’t like music will still have an emotional reaction to it, good or bad. This is why music is such a strong art form.
I don’t love all music but I can find something appealing in every genre of music there is. Whether it’s Rock, Rap, Reggae, or Rhythm and Blues, I’ll find an artist or song that moves me in a positive way. In this day in age, the immense variety of music available at our fingertips gives us the opportunity to hear the sounds of past generations. I think this is important because the music from the past is part of the history of the past. I am also grateful to be alive in a time where creating music is easier than ever. I have a small home studio where I can record a full song one instrument at a time with minimal resources.
I will never understand the people who don’t like music, but I do know that for me and most of the rest of the world, music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.
