‘Music’- Call it a psychological tool, a therapy or a soothing effect; it will always remain the language of emotions. A language understood universally, a bond in humanity, music is a word accepted by every religion, a syllable pronounced by each nation.
When you listen to a song or hum it, be certain that someone at some part of this world is also singing or humming it. It creates a bridge between ‘you’ and ‘me’ to unite as ‘us’. How amazing! Something so intangible but so fragile, so inexpensive but so precious.
Music is divine. The power of music is felt everywhere by everyone. The spirituality in it gives you solace and the melody brings you peace. It is something which can’t be saturated and doesn’t require a threshold point. Music can be an intermediate between you and the supreme power. Tansen (the legendary classical musician of 16th century) was believed to create a paradigm of illusions through his music and songs (‘Tansen Raagas’), like ‘Reth Raag’ which was believed to make tremors in sand, ‘Raag Deepak’ to light fire and ‘Megh Malhar’ to call rain.
Music is not just ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ or ‘Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti’. It is something beyond that. Why is there an octane rule of music? Why are the eight notes repeated? Or why does a guitarist let his emotions simply flow and keeps playing continuously for hours? A few things just go undefined and difficult to absorb, but yes, they do exist.
Music gives you company in solitude, music can eradicate rage and incorporate gratitude. Imagine a cold December evening, and you are sitting on a rock beside the flowing stream, the moving breeze through the woods making a whistling sound, the chirping of the tiny birds in flocks calling each other- all these contribute to Music. Knowingly or unknowingly, every activity in this world forms music, and this music can either be good or just best. If it does not fall to any of these categories, then it is noise.
Beethoven, the most influential composer, was deaf and yet a crucial figure in revolutionizing the Western art music of that era. His ‘symphony’ and ‘fur’ is still considered as one of the world’s most popular music. Mozart, also known as the ‘Eighteenth Century Man’, started composing by the age of four, the age where an innocent can’t even distinguish between two different genres. ‘Mozart effect’ is the effect by his music which is considered to increase IQ and stabilize brain-body interface. Music therapy was thus introduced for healing, and most importantly for recovering from depression and trauma without the use of any drugs.
Scientifically, the vibration of atoms producing different sounds is aligned to form Music. Each oscillation creates a different effect and the effect is not vague. You remember each instance of which song made you happy, and which got your eyes filled. A song reminds you of someone who is your closest and hence you dedicate it for that someone. You don’t know why but you just go for it. May be because this is the only truth of nature which can’t be destroyed. Music at times is beyond the level of comprehension but the magic in it lingers on. “When words leave off, music begins”- Heine Heinrich.
RUPAM BHADURI,
DAYANANDSAGAR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, BENGALURU
