Over at liv2write2day’s blog , http://liv2write2day.wordpress.com/ there is always a good Monday morning prompt to respond to, this week is no different.
The challenge for today is Sacred Music. Now I am not a religious man in the slightest, but music is a very large part of my life and always has been and always will be. I find that music can heal me when things go wrong in my life. I quit smoking 3 years ago and now, instead of needing a nicotine fix, I reach for a music fix instead. So the phrase/term, Sacred Music means something slightly different to me than to someone else, in the sense that I dont find any music sacred, but I do feel inspired by music sometimes, I laugh at some music, I cry at others, but no matter the genre, I always enjoy music, all the way from Abba to ZZ top and everything inbetween. I find I often write better when I have some music playing on my laptop or the stereo or cd player. I seem to focus easier, so long as its not too loud or top heavy with rhythm, that just destracts me as I cannot help myself from starting to tap out the beat, which turns into a frenzy of finger tapping, tongue and finger clicking abd tooth tapping [which drives my partner demented 😉 ] . I was in a band in my youth [bass player] but sold all my equipment to pay for a trip to Canada many years ago. Since then, I still love music, but dont play anymore.
I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.
Billy Joel
I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water.
Ray Charles
If music be the food of love, play on.
William Shakespeare
It was my 16th birthday – my mom and dad gave me my Goya classical guitar that day. I sat down, wrote this song, and I just knew that that was the only thing I could ever really do – write songs and sing them to people.
Stevie Nicks
Music can change the world because it can change people.
Bono
Music doesn’t lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music.
Jimi Hendrix
Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.
Plato
Some great music quotes there by some very iconic people. All of which I can relate to very easily.
Music, a most hallowed gift, found not,
Under the radiant Christmas Tree, but in the
Songs of the heart, with passion and verse,
In the recess of my mind,
Chords, lyrics alongside rhythms so diverse.
With a tune, you may find what you seek,
Audible words of intent regale,
Surrounded in hidden mystique.
Music, dance, playful expression,
Youthful intonation.
Frame me a melody, harmonious
Idiom of Rock,
Roll with intrinsic motion,
Sing for me now,
Thrive in musical devotion.
Lustful anthems gyrating the dancefloor,
Oscillating to the cadence, and
Vibrations shaking the foundations, of self
Everybody, c’mon, enjoy the band.
So folks, thats my take on sacred music, or rather music on the whole, what it can mean and do for us all, if we let it.
Don’t forget, pop in to http://liv2write2day.wordpress.com/ and read some peoples poems/stories on the subject and maybe submit one of your own.
The Learning Curve 
November 14th, 2011 at 1:53 pm
Neither my husband nor I were familiar with John Miles. I agree with the lyrics. Music has long been a force in my life. I remember songs better than my own poetry. Enjoyed reading and listening to your post.
November 14th, 2011 at 2:07 pm
I think I must have a million lyrics rolling round inside my head. Some I had forgotten I had remembered, but when I hear the song, the words are still there.
Thanks for reading and listening.
November 14th, 2011 at 8:32 pm
Tino, this is a wonderful, thought-full post. Personally, I don’t equate sacred with religious, although I chose to express my spirituality “using” religion as a tool, you might say. I see anything that elevates us above the mundane as a blessing and music fills that role for many of us. Now I’m gonna listen a bit, re-read your great acrostic, and thank you for joining.
November 14th, 2011 at 8:36 pm
Just love the John Miles song. Couldn’t listent to Piano Man but could hear it in my head. That first song is just WOW!
November 14th, 2011 at 9:51 pm
music heals.
November 25th, 2011 at 3:06 pm
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