usic- jezik duše.
Ovidije je u svom djelu Metamorfoze opisao kako se božanski pastir Pan zaljubio u nimfu Sironu. Bez obzira na svoju privlačnost, Sirona je pobjegla od Pana zbog njegove strašne vanjštine. Pokušavajući je sustići, Pan je iscrpljen, ali Sirona je zazvala pomoć nimfi i one su je pretvorile u trsku. Pan, osluškujući zvuk vjetra kako prolazi kroz trsku, odlučio ih je iskoristiti kako bi stvorio instrument – Panovu frulu ili siringu, koju svira sjećajući se svoje ljubavi prema Sironi.
Možda je to upravo moć glazbe: njeni zvukovi bude sjećanja i na trenutak nas vraćaju u stanje sreće. Možda je zbog toga čovjek okružen glazbom od samih početaka života: od glasova roditelja dok smo u majčinoj utrobi, umirujućih uspavanki, pjesama koje čine naše igre i proslave, pa sve do glazbe koja nas zabavlja, opušta, uzbuđuje, pokreće i dira.
What is music – is the language of the soul.
azba? What is its power?
To understand the nature of music, we must know its origins. How did humans come to music? What was its original purpose? Starting from the second half of the 19th century, philosophers, sociologists, and musicologists were grappling with the question of the origin of music, proposing theories heavily influenced by positivism. According to some, music was born to imitate the sounds and noises of nature. This theory was countered by the German philosopher, poet, and literary critic Johann Gottfried Herder, who argued that all of nature sings and that humans express their uniquely human needs and language through song. According to Charles Darwin, the purpose of music was to accompany and facilitate courtship, and according to German economist Karl Bücher, author of the book “Arbeit und Rhythmus” (Work and Rhythm), it was to aid in collective work. German philosopher, psychologist, and musicologist Carl Stumpf, on the other hand, believes that music, like language, originates from the need for mutual understanding and that our ancestors discovered music as a means of communication. through signal calls. Probably the most interesting theory is that of British anthropologist Siegfried Nadel, who claims that music originated from humans’ natural desire for a form of language that would enable communication with the divine. Music is a deep expression of spiritual need, born at the moment when there is something sublime in humans that they want to express and transmit. It is therefore not surprising that music has always played a significant moral and spiritual role in every great civilization; rituals, battles, artistic performances, and entertainments have always been accompanied by sound.
In its hierarchy and harmony among sounds, music seems to contain a coded message that we unconsciously decipher because, like the universe, we are constructed according to the same mathematical ratios. Music is a form of art and as such, it must have a message because, as Professor Jorge Angel Livraga says, “Art without a message is like an envelope without a letter.”
Today, following the characteristics of our consumer civilization, music has lost its original purpose and has become a mere product for entertainment. the “sacred” essence of music has become profane; its aim is to satisfy and stimulate our lower impulses, not our spiritual needs. Consumerist music has lost touch with the divine world.
What do we expect from art?
When we attend a concert, a theater performance, or look at a sculpture, aren’t we looking for something beautiful? Don’t we expect to be reminded that all our interests and worries are temporary and that there is something immortal within us?
True music is the messenger of beauty, and true beauty is harmonious balance. True beauty is objective, because no beautiful work needs further explanation, interpretation, or exposition of the author’s message. Its message is clear and universally beneficial. It penetrates us directly, touching our most secret strings, harmonizing us with its beauty, changing our mood, astonishing us, and having the power to move us to tears.
It is no coincidence that ancient civilizations recognized the power of harmonization and healing in music. Pythagoras used music as a form of therapy.
Music, and modern music therapy today rediscovers the “scientific” nature of the therapeutic, ethical, and aesthetic powers of sound. It has been proven that certain music has multiple positive effects: it affects breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure, slows down and harmonizes brain waves, reducing muscle tension, improves physical endurance and motor coordination of the body. It also increases the level of endorphins, thereby alleviating physical and psychological pain and stimulating immunity. It enhances learning and memory and, ultimately, increases receptivity to symbols.
However, listening doesn’t just mean hearing, but also putting ourselves in a state from which we can embark on the search for silence, in order to receive the gift of Beauty. To achieve this, preparation is necessary, and one way to prepare is through silence – before, during, and after the performance. Music is born before we hear the first sound, the first chord, and that needs to be learned to perceive. During the performance, it is beneficial to remain present and receptive, leaving room for emptiness-silence, until the music embraces us. It doesn’t fully engulf you. In the end, after the last sound of the performance, it is useful to pause briefly, at least for a few seconds, to let the essence of the music permeate us. This means preserving that special experience before we return to everyday life.
When we carefully listen to beautiful music, something new inevitably arises in our soul that causes a change within us. This new state, to which the listener, as well as the performer, is brought to, is the ultimate goal of music – it is the voice of memory, the voice of a loved one, the voice of eternity.