What is it about music?

[Mordocai]

i think this is appropriate for the spirituality forum.

what is it about music exactly? it moves us so much, almost makes us feel a sense of fulfillment when listen, gives hope, reaches out and amplifies emotion and passion, gives purpose and energy and encouragement.
why does the soul react to music that way?

i think the underlying issue is that it makes us yearn for heaven whether we realize that or not.
Like this song

The host site it comes from is myspace.com/daughtry%between%
the song to listen to is “Home”
The artist is Chris Daughtry.
i heard it on the local Christian radio station.
and i just want to know, why does music move us so much?
or the arts in general? but i guess specifically music.

 

[C_Bautista]

Ah, I have recently felt like I’ve had a revelation about music.

Let us inspect art in general. Art is our reflection of God’s creative process. From absolutely nothing, God creates great and eternal good. Using nothing but His own Self and this nothingness, he sustains beings in time - and even our souls for ever.

In art, the human person is capable of using essentially nearly meaningless materials to bring about a work of great potential significance and meaning. Paint, for example, when crossed with the artist’s contribution of himself, can bring a beautiful painting.

But what is it that music uses? In vocal music, nothing but the self and air - almost the closest thing to “nothing” on earth - are used to create music. We see a reference to God’s “breath of life” upon man in this, man’s breath of life upon his own creation, his own art.

But we also know theologically that God constantly and actively sustains all things of the created order. Only in instrumental music (and in wind instrumental music, in particular) do we see such a near-perfect reflection. Only so long as the musician constantly gives his breath to his instrument - voice, whatever horn, etc - does the music last.

Additionally, unlike painting or sculpting, for example, the actual artistic product of music develops over time as God has formed his creation over time.

The interaction between musicians in an ensemble (almost always including also the composer, director, and audience) is often in close reflection of the nature of the love of the Trinity. In a quartet, for example, without any single musician’s contribution, the music would be of a fundamentally different nature.

So why does the soul react so profoundly to music? I say it’s because music is so profoundly reflective of God’s action, specifically His acts of creation. If we are to live in love of God, then making music part of our lives brings God’s action closer to our hearts.

 

[nobody]

Ah, I have recently felt like I’ve had a revelation about music.

Let us inspect art in general. Art is our reflection of God’s creative process. From absolutely nothing, God creates great and eternal good. Using nothing but His own Self and this nothingness, he sustains beings in time - and even our souls for ever.

In art, the human person is capable of using essentially nearly meaningless materials to bring about a work of great potential significance and meaning. Paint, for example, when crossed with the artist’s contribution of himself, can bring a beautiful painting.

But what is it that music uses? In vocal music, nothing but the self and air - almost the closest thing to “nothing” on earth - are used to create music. We see a reference to God’s “breath of life” upon man in this, man’s breath of life upon his own creation, his own art.

But we also know theologically that God constantly and actively sustains all things of the created order. Only in instrumental music (and in wind instrumental music, in particular) do we see such a near-perfect reflection. Only so long as the musician constantly gives his breath to his instrument - voice, whatever horn, etc - does the music last.

Additionally, unlike painting or sculpting, for example, the actual artistic product of music develops over time as God has formed his creation over time.

The interaction between musicians in an ensemble (almost always including also the composer, director, and audience) is often in close reflection of the nature of the love of the Trinity. In a quartet, for example, without any single musician’s contribution, the music would be of a fundamentally different nature.

So why does the soul react so profoundly to music? I say it’s because music is so profoundly reflective of God’s action, specifically His acts of creation. If we are to live in love of God, then making music part of our lives brings God’s action closer to our hearts.

That’s what I was going to say ( )

In art we experience humanity being close to God by sharing in His act of creation.

 

[SFO]

So why does the soul react so profoundly to music? I say it’s because music is so profoundly reflective of God’s action, specifically His acts of creation. If we are to live in love of God, then making music part of our lives brings God’s action closer to our hearts.

Well said!

For me, music has always been a place of peace and meditation. Listening to music opens up doors like nothing else can, and playing music is always very powerful as well. It is something that allows me to lose myself to the divine presence that I might not have been aware of before. In the act of creating music, I feel united to God in a way that is so spontaneous and “in the moment.”

I feel there is a certain timelessness about music; something universal that we can all share in. It is a language that we all speak.

Namaste.

SFO

 

[Greg27]

Evidently music as an art form is beautiful, at least in its beautiful forms. Beauty helps elevate the mind to God, as God is Beautiful and is the archetype of all beauty, in the creation and also in the soul. Clearly holy music can help elevate the person, body and soul, towards God, in its beautiful forms.