Chaplaincy

 God’s Gift Of….Music

‘For heights and depths no words can reach, music is the soul’s own speech.’ These words grace one of the walls in our home (thanks to my musical wife!), constantly reminding me of the influence that music has on our lives.  Whether you’re a player, a singer, or simply a listener and enjoyer, music is something that does communicate with us, and our feelings and emotions, in a way that words just can’t replicate.  As the novelist Victor Hugo put it, ‘Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.’  And for those of us who aren’t blessed with the skills to give proper voice to the “speech of music”, we’re very grateful for the many people who have the gift of being able to do that so well!

However, ask any musician, and they’ll tell you that the gift of music doesn’t come without lots of effort.  The famous pianist Vladimir Horowitz is said to have justified his demanding practice schedule with these words: ‘If I don’t practise for a day, I know it.  If I don’t practise for two days, my wife knows it.  If I don’t practise for three days, the world knows it.’  We’ve had wonderful performances from our students this term, in ‘Aladdin’ and other Music evenings – but they certainly weren’t the result of one or two run-throughs on the night before!

Mind you, why put all that effort into practice - for a performance that can be over in a matter of minutes?  Horowitz’s words imply one of the reasons: music is meant to be heard.  Not just by the musician, but by others as well, so they can appreciate the person’s musical gift. The Bible (which, incidentally, is full of music) takes this further, reminding us in songs like Psalm 150 about music’s ultimate purpose: to praise God, who has given us the gift of music, along with everything else that we have and are!

Mark Rundle

Calrossy Anglican School Chaplain