Recently I attended a piano concert and heard one man play melody after melody on the baby grand. As I sat there listening to the chords and notes ringing through the hall, I suddenly realized music is a gift. Music lifts our spirits, music quiets our anxiety, music sings to our hearts. Yes, music has been part of our lives since creation and it is a special gift from God.
I am a musical person, learning to play the piano in grade 4 and then becoming a mezzo-soprano soloist singing concerts throughout the US and portions of the world. Studying music, learning music, performing music fills your life. When you recognize what key is being played, what instrument is playing, your musical life is enriched.
Where did music begin? Who sang the first song? Did Adam and Eve sing to each other? They loved each other. Certainly they must have sung sweet melodies of endearment. When did people discover musical sounds could be produced by blowing into a bone, or a reed or a tube? When you think of the history of music it is amazing what people developed. And here we are today with large symphonies comprised of various instruments developed by musicians over the centuries and when they are joined together playing the sounds of the various instruments the music is harmonious, and pleasurable. Music surrounds us today. TV, radio, CDs, recordings, cars, stores, i-phones, everywhere we go we can hear music. Technology has brought music to us 24/7.
Historians cannot give an answer to "When did music start?". But if we look into scripture, we see very clearly the history of music. Genesis 4: 21 states, "He (Jubal) was the father of all those that play the harp and the flute." Jubal's father was Lamech, whose father was Methuschael, whose father was Irad, whose father was Enoch, whose father was Cain, the brother of Abel, whose father was Adam.
By the time Jubal grew to maturity, the harp and the flute were established instruments of music. But if people knew how to make music from the harp and the flute, they certainly knew musical melodies. I think God created music in our hearts from the very beginning. We experience melodies in our hearts even today.
When I sang vocal solos in my concerts I could feel the message of music singing from my heart. That is how emotion fills us as we listen, hum, sing or play music. Music emanates from our hearts so that we communicate the musical message so powerfully. Who created us with that ability? Were we born with that or did we 'learn' it.
My parents told me that as a little toddler I would wake early in the morning and be humming melodies. Not music being played on the radio but melodies that just were created in my heart at a young age. Where did that music come from?
God is the answer. When we begin to think of all the detailed intricacies of our growth and development from a fertilized egg and sperm to a 5 or 9 lb. baby born into our world with all the internal gifts of our mind, body and spirit, it is amazing. God is the ultimate planner and developer of each individual. Here I am, with a deep love and knowledge of music so that I can identify what instrument is playing, what notes are being played on the piano, and deeply feel in my heart the musical mood. That is a gift.
May we all experience the joy of music. Never say, "I can't sing." Many people say that today because they were off-key in their high school chorus and the music teacher advised them to 'mouth the words'. So they think they cannot ever open their mouth and sing. I'm sure God doesn't care if you are in perfect pitch. Instead enjoy the gift that He has given all of us. Music is universal......to be loved and enjoyed with all your heart. Clap your hands, dance to the rhythm, hum or sing aloud, sing with gusto in the shower, sing when you are happy, sing when you are sad. Let music be part of your life. Let God's gift forever be heard. His gift is special.
