Music – Much More Than Memorable Melodies

Have you considered how much influence music plays in our lives – including those not musically inclined? Even folks known for accomplishments far outside the realm of music have acknowledged its appeal. For instance, Albert Einstein (you might have heard of him) said, “If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music…I get most joy in my life out of my violin.”

 

Another Albert – physician and humanitarian Albert Schweitzer – stated, “Joy, sorrow, tears, lamentation, laughter – to all these music gives voice, but in such a way that we are transported from the world of unrest to a world of peace, and see reality in a new way, as if we were sitting by a mountain lake and contemplating hills and woods and clouds in the tranquil and fathomless water.”

 

Frenchman and renowned writer Victor Hugo observed, “Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.” I think we’ve all experienced music stirring our spirits in ways we couldn’t audibly express.

Music’s been part of my life for as long as I can remember. My mom had been a dancer in her younger years, taught herself to play piano and organ, and we always had music in our house, whether on the radio or the stereo. Weekdays after school, we’d watch “American Bandstand” on TV, Dick Clark’s iconic showcase for the latest singers and bands.

 

Then music took an expanded role in my life after joining the percussion section of our high school’s championship marching band. I never became a great drummer, but enjoyed playing tenor drum, bass drum and cymbals. Being in the concert and dance bands as well gave me an enhanced appreciation for many kinds of music. 

 

We can’t escape it: TV shows and theatrical films feature music in their productions, and commercials use clever jingles or vocal and instrumental music for emotional impact. Some of us are old enough to recall theme songs for programs such as “I Love Lucy,” “All in the Family,” “Lassie,” “Bonanza,” "Mission:Impossible," and “M*A*S*H.”

 

Technology makes music instantly accessible via smartphone apps, headphones, satellite music stations, and digital format. However, music is as old as human history. I’m not sure what melodies Adam and Eve might have heard in Eden, other than the happy chirping of songbirds and wind playfully rustling through the trees, but we find references to music throughout the Bible.

We don't have to read much past Adam and Eve's eviction from Eden to find the first biblical reference to music. In Genesis 4:21 we read, "[Jabal's] brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe." Later in the Bible's first book we find Laban, father of Rachel and Leah, admonishing Jacob, "Why did you flee secretly and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre?" (Genesis 31:27).

Combining both instrumental and vocal music is emphasized in 2 Chronicles 5:13, "The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: 'He is good; His love endures forever.'"

The remainder of the Scriptures are replete with musical references, especially the Psalms. King David frequently returned to the music theme, especially in terms of worship. He wrote, "I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. O my strength, I sing praise to You; You, O God, are my fortress, my loving God" (Psalm 59:16-17).

David expressed in Psalm 40:3 the lyrical, life-changing impact of knowing God: "He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in Him."

Another psalm exhorts us to celebratory worship: "Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing.... Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name" (Psalm 100:1-4).

In times of adversity, even in prison, music can lift our spirits as we trust in the Lord. "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them" (Acts 16:25). Moments later their chains fell off and a jailer who had witnessed the miracle humbly came to faith in Christ.

It's clear God places high value on music, even beyond this life. The Bible's final book, Revelation, records many times when the gathered saints offer praise to Him in song. Just one example is Revelation 5:9 in reference to Jesus: "And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.'"

The Lord's desire for music to infuse our relationship with Him is captured in Colossians 3:16, "Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts." Are our hearts singing with gratitude today for all He has done for us?

Messages of Music

Music has the capacity
to communicate on many levels.

If I have one regret in life it’s never having made the effort to become proficient with a musical instrument. I played drums in the high school marching and concert bands, and was in a little rock  band for awhile, but never devoted the time to advance beyond basic rudiments. As a consequence, the only drumming I do these days is on my car's steering wheel.

Nonetheless, music has always been important to me. I find it impossible to imagine a world without it. A couple of years ago our city gained a new radio station that calls itself “hippie radio,” and it constantly carries me down memory lane. I was never a true hippie, apart from the longish hair, paisley shirts and bellbottoms of the ‘60s, but loved the music. So every time I hear a tune by Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Doors, the Beatles or Cream (most of whom, sadly, are no longer with us) I’m transported to another time.

When I hear “Good Vibrations,” I think of a Beach Boys concert I attended in Houston where I concluded, “Wow, their harmony isn’t as good live.” Blood Sweat & Tears’ “You Made Me So Very Happy” reminds me of dancing with a lovely young lady in college and thinking, “Maybe this is what love is like.”

“Wipeout” reminds me of days I still envisioned myself becoming an accomplished drummer. It, along with “Surf City,” also conjures images of surfboards, baggy swimsuits, dark tans and sun-bleached hair. (I only tried to surf once, and wasn’t good at it, but the idea was fun.)

But it’s not just the “golden oldies” of the ‘60s and early ‘70s. I enjoy music of favorite TV shows. “Hawaii 5-0” has been recreated, keeping its original theme song, and the M*A*S*H theme song always reminds me of Hawkeye, Col. Potter, Corporal Klinger and “Hot Lips” Hoolihan. Movie soundtracks of classic films like “The Sound of Music,” “Gone With the Wind,” “Chariots of Fire,” “West Side Story,” “Rocky” and “Saturday Night Fever” also stir old emotions.

Music has spiritual connotations for me as well. During the holiday season, I can’t hear “Silent Night” without recalling Christmas Eve worship services as a boy, when it was sung bilingually in the Hungarian-American church we attended. Michael W. Smith’s “Friends” reminds me of attending the singer’s concert just days after a good friend had passed away after suffering from a rare disease.

“Great Is Thy Faithfulness” never ceases to reassure me even though I’m often not faithful, God always is. And I’ll never stop marveling at the inner strength of Horatio G. Spafford, who wrote “It Is Well with My Soul” in 1873, just days after losing his four daughters when the French steamer they and their mother were traveling on from America to Europe collided with a British vessel and sank.

Colossians 3:16 affirms the importance of music for growing in faith: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

The Psalms, in fact, are a collection of songs from ancient Israel, heartfelt and honest in their lyrics. I’ve always been thankful for Psalm 100:1, which in one translation tells us to “Make a joyful noise….” That’s about the best I can do. God apparently not only decided I shouldn’t be a musician, but also not a singer.

But I am a good listener!