Word Symphony #2, Op. 8 (Sounds for the Soul)

"Music is the exaltation of the mind derived from things eternal, bursting forth in sound"- St. Thomas Aquinas

How would college guys attract the ladies without a guitar in hand? Would David have written the same Psalms without a lyre in hand? Where would Disney be without those catchy tunes in Aladdin, Lion King, and so many other animated classics? And how motivational would those inspirational movie speeches be without the soundtrack playing in the background?

That moment Bill Pullman realizes people were
cheering the background music the whole time

My point is that music is a huge part of life. Things just wouldn’t be the same without the sound of music (you know, the Julie Andrews film? I’m sure you’ve seen it). Music, like many things in life, is a good gift that God has given us.

Music Growing Up: So I grew up listening to pop radio in the 90s. It was pretty much all that my parents would play when we traveled anywhere (save for some bagpipe music that my Dad enjoyed on road trips) and I was not allowed to change the station. However, I seem to be an outcast among my peers because those classic 90s tunes that I grew up listening to have no appeal to me today. I don’t know why, but I do not consider it to be good quality music and we all know quality is subjective when it comes to music.

So in high school, I tricked myself into thinking hip-hop radio was the way to go. Looking back now, I think I was either trying to fit in too much or more likely I was trying to find a cool image that would make me appealing to the ladies.

What I was aiming to appear to be

Pretty much what my reality was

Later, I discovered my dad had a collection of classic rock’n’roll CDs and cassettes and the inner rebellion of teenage me enjoyed the sounds. I got started with Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, and Rush and worked my way into modern rock. By the time I got to college, Coheed and Cambria and Muse were blasting through my speakers all the time.

Honesty & Quality: Those are the two things I’ve been looking for in music: honesty and quality. When musicians perform live, I am inspired by how honest they are about their skills while maintaining a form of high quality. For example, Coheed and Cambria. When playing on stage, it’s just the band members and their instruments. The vocals may not sound as good as the album sometimes or the guitars may be tuned down a half-step, but they give their all to perform songs as best they can with the skills they’ve practiced over time.

Not only can Claudio Sanchez play guitar with his hands,
but he can use his hair as well

I think that’s why I have recently been getting into bluegrass, folk, and even a little bit of classical. A live performance just consists of the musician and their instrument, but most often there are no wires attached. When it comes to acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, and violin, most often the way to hear its sound is by putting a microphone next the instrument. That is beautiful to hear such quality music done in an honest, no technology required way.  My favorite musicians under these categories include Doc Watson, Willie Watson (no relation I think), Old Crow Medicine Show, and The Avett Brothers (their acoustic stuff).

My friend Lucas: In college I became friends with a gentleman named Lucas Favreau. Lucas and I found that we have a passion for similar music like Arctic Monkeys and The Beatles. We enjoy sharing music on each other’s Facebook walls (perhaps a little too much sometimes). One of the things I enjoy so much about sharing this musical passion is that Lucas tries to share new music with me. He likes to tease me sometimes and say that he is helping me become more cultured (since he is strong French heritage, he likes music in French).

My friend Lucas and I at the Arctic Monkeys/ Black Keys concert
St. Louis April 2012

Music and Faith:

Whenever I’m at Mass, I find myself to be most uplifted by the music when there is a choir of men and women and a pipe organ blasting out beautiful sounds. It makes me think of the choirs of angels in Heaven, praising and glorifying God. It adds so much to the atmosphere for me because the voices make me think about God’s majesty, His beauty, His love

Then there is Praise and Worship music. This is when a singer takes an acoustic guitar and leads others in prayerful song. This is a great way to pray as a community and it has been a great tool for our ministry on Reach. We use our skills and voices, whatever quality they may be, to thank God and pray for His help.

I think this is what I enjoy most about music. It is a way for me to appreciate God's beauty and the gifts that He bestows on myself and others. It is a way to connect with people and yet appreciate the wide variety of art that is in our world today.