The world has just witnessed a particularly British event. With fantastic pomp and pageantry, the second in line to the largely powerless but extremely influential British monarchy married a person who was born of a ‘common stock’. A huge amount of the media has already and will still cover this as well as many other aspects of this story.
This article will not dwell on the event itself. However it will dwell on one aspect that was very important. And that is the power of the music.
Music has an unbelievable power over people. Throughout the world people respond to different kinds of music. There is nationalistic music, for example, the national anthem of France is incredibly stirring. In Britain the Pomp and Circumstance March number three, known as the “Land of Hope and Glory” arouses the British soul. In Italy opera rules; all Italian men have souls of Mario Lanza at heart.
An aspiring diva, not Italian, making her debut at La Scala, once forgot 2 words while singing and substituted lala instead. From that moment on every time she opened her mouth the entire audience sung along with her. (Her Italian Opera career was over before it had begun.)
Favorite African music tradition is very different; largely a cappella and sung in a pentatonic scale. It is strong on rhythm and relatively simple in melody but very powerful when sung by many.
Back to the ceremony, it was a demonstration of Church music and particularly English anthems. The singing of hymns is very uplifting and an important part of worship. The great Welsh song' Guide me, O thou great redeemer” is a case in point. Those English speaking people who have is a tradition of Christian upbringing will find the words inspiring. The song “Jerusalem” had the entire crowd of 1 million people on the streets of London on their feet singing as well.
The trumpet fanfares and the national anthem had similar effects. And this goes along with the processional music. They exited to the traditional English “Crown Imperial”.
What is it about music that has this effect? Music has the ability to reach into one's spirit and uplift it, take it to a different place.
Beethoven did this: his first well-known piece “Fur Elize” is one of the best tunes put to do a student of piano. His third symphony “The Eroica” was revolutionary and changed music forever. His Ninth is now the Anthem for the European Union and was a hit as “Ode to Joy”.
Mozart as well had incalculable influence on the value of music is a large output keeps in recognized as the best of all time.
But it is not only a classical composers, think of the Beatles. Who were highly influential in a popularization of Rock n Roll and developed it further.. Their tunes started off simply but their later work was important as the lyrics became more complex and the melodies increased in complexity. Some of their songs will last as long as Beethoven or Mozart
And so it is with music whichever style it is that you enjoy. Music can touch your spirit; it can make you happy, it can make you cry. It tends to emotions that you didn't know you possessed.
When you next find yourself responding to some tune consider this.
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