When Music Speaks

Music speaks to my soul. Even in church I’ve often said that while the sermon touches my mind, music touches my spirit.

The notes from the piano floated on the air as Don and I walked to the door. We opened it quietly, not wanting to disrupt a musical concert.

Not to worry. Our neighbor, Ling, invited us in and said “Eat first.” She pulled us into the kitchen where there was a plethora of sweets and fruit. Don and I partook lightly, having just finished dinner. We met some of Ling’s Chinese friends and were then directed to the leather couch in the living room.

Ling had invited us for an evening of piano music. The star player was a friend and piano teacher, and played nimbly. I recognized “Fur Elise,” “In the Sweet Bye and Bye,” and some other tunes from my own piano-playing days. I enjoyed watching her fingers travel the keyboard. Up and down, running scales or playing chords. Bach and other classical composers were included, as were a few hymns.

A Shared Experience

But this wasn’t just a concert or recital.

It was a night to share our love of music. About twelve of us sat around Ling’s grand piano. One at a time, others in the group with various levels of expertise sat at the piano and played. My heart was warmed as we clapped and cheered, regardless of errors. One pianist stopped mid-composition, tossed up her hands, and left the bench. Regardless, we cheered and thanked her.

It felt like a lovely gathering of friends, something people used to do. Sort of like a Little Women musical evening.

Photo by Yan Krukau_Pexels

Could I Let Go of My Perfectionism and Join In?

Ling asked if I wanted to play. While I used to play quite well, I am way out of practice. I had no intention of playing. However, if these other women could play, make mistakes and laugh at themselves, I needed to join in, to be one with them rather than an outsider looking in. Even though I’m a recovering perfectionist, I felt I could be myself, make mistakes, and enjoy playing anyway.

Looking at the woman who had stopped in the middle of her piece, I said “Ling, if you’ll play, I’ll play.”

She rose to the challenge and did well. Then I sat at the bench. It was freeing not to need perfection. Relaxed, I began to play by memory, “My Lord knows the way through the wilderness. All I have to do is follow.”

Nothing fancy. Definitely not perfect. But I took a risk and participated. I stepped outside my comfort zone. And they cheered for me too.

A Wonderful, Enriching Time

And the evening was great fun. I enjoyed it tremendously, more than I expected to. The memory will remain with me for some time.

Music plays loudly in scripture. David, who became king, put a lot of his psalms to music. He praised God in song. He sang out his woes before God. He bared his soul before God, and we have the benefit of those psalms, which express the gamut of human emotion.

Maybe that’s part of what I felt tonight. The gathering of people around emotional expression.

Leo Tolstoy Quotes. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved July 30, 2024, from BrainyQuote.com Web site: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/leo_tolstoy_106870

We Are Encouraged to Praise God Through Music

Praise the LORD.Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,

praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe,

praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Psalm 150:1-5

And amazingly, God delights in his children. One of my favorite verses is Zephaniah 3:17.

The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.

So, while I enjoyed the musical gathering at my neighbor’s, I also delight in the fact that God loves me enough to sing over me! Is his song a lullaby, a Hallelujah Chorus, a new song? I don’t know, but the thought is precious to me. https://www.carolloewen.com/set-free-by-music/

I’ve read of prisoners in the Hanoi Hilton (POW camp) who hadn’t been in contact with God for years. And yet, suddenly a song or a verse they learned as a child came back to their memory and renewed their strength. I will continue to let music speak to me, and speak it back to my Father and to the world around me as I can. Music can change us, renew us, and boost our immune systems, to name just a few. https://www.ucf.edu/pegasus/your-brain-on-music/

He has made even the physical world to respond in music. When we turn to Him in repentance, He offers forgiveness and joy.

You will indeed go out with joy

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12