By: Anjali Arumuganambi
Title Source: ‘To Noise Making’ by Hozier
‘You don’t have to sing it nice, but honey sing it strong,
At best you’ll find a little remedy,
At worst the world will sign along’
“In textbooks, it is commonly explained that particles that we see in our atoms are measured as dots. But if I had a super microscope, I could see that that dot is actually a rubber band. From a distance, this rubber band looks like a dot. Close up, you see that it’s a vibrating string. Now, this rubber band can vibrate in many different modes. Each mode can be called a particle. So, for example, spinning it horizontally might be an electron. But if you twirl it in a different way, it becomes a quark. Now, how many ways can one string vibrate? The answer is obvious, an infinite number of vibrations on the same string. And so, we think that all the subatomic particles of the universe, the quarks, the neutrinos, the mesons, the protons, the neutrons, there’s a galaxy of these particles, they’re nothing but musical notes on a tiny rubber band. A rubber band so small that it looks like a dot. So, what is physics? It is the harmonies, the harmonies of vibrating strings that make up the universe. “- Michio Kaku
Harmonices Mundi, Johann Kepler, 1619
Music is weaved into the very fundamental aspects of our universe. Music is all around you, music is inside you, flowing through you, it exists in the fabric that makes up the space-time you exist in. There is harmony in the way humans feel emotions, in the way we express our feelings, the way we talk, in the way we perceive, in the way we love. Music exists as a bedrock to our being, intrinsic to our actions. We feel an instinctive urge to follow along to a song and head-bang to music. There is an understanding we gain, more profound than words, in communicating through music. There are worlds of a person, their personalities, the words of their heart, that are expressed through music. Music is everywhere and it truly is an incredible phenomenon that I cannot claim to do justice with a meagre page of words.
‘Achilles playing the lyre before Patroclus’ set in the 5th and 4th century BCE – Gerard de Lairesse (circa 1675)
However, in the haste of the current day, the magic of music is lost to those who do not take the time to slow down and listen, and I mean really listen; with intention to try to hear something hidden in between the notes, rather than claiming satisfaction with a superficial understanding.
I believe that it is forgotten that there is a magic in music deeper than what we can understand, nowadays, in which the landscapes of the life we live, rush by in a blur. When the purpose of life has been redefined to be remembered for being ‘successful’ rather than finding happiness, contentment, or peace. The meaning of being successful has been thwarted and convoluted to conform ridiculous ideologies instilled in the society by those in power, in order to supply and contribute to the growth of the economy. These limited years we are allowed on this space in this time, we waste, chasing relentlessly an impossible ‘success’, seeking happiness in becoming another one of society’s puppet.
“Joseph Haydn playing quartets” by Anonymous before 1790
“And at this point, many people seem to think it foolish, even superstitious, to believe that the world could still change for the better. And it is true that in winter it is sometimes so bitingly cold that one is tempted to say, ‘What do I care if there is a summer; its warmth is no help to me now.” – Van Gogh
Yes, sometimes evil almost seems to surpass good. However, in spite of oneself- in spite of myself, I see little fires of change burning in some people with the way they smile, especially in the way they love. The pure light that enters their eyes when they start talking about something they love, the unnoticeable arm gestures they make, and the massive smile that slips onto their face when they realize someone is listening. There is beauty in the world, and one needs to search, sometimes most ardently; but it is existent, and it can be found.
Music, out of the many means that there are, is a way to heal. There is so much expressed pain in music. Nevertheless, there is so much hope, courage, and love that music spreads. There is so much warmth that music reminds us of, perhaps the favourite song of a lover, or a piece from your best friend’s piano recital in high school. There is so much love we have to spare, and as long as we continue to listen, we will never run out of love to give. Music can heal wounds that medicine can never manage to touch.
Music is a way to comprehend and understand. When one begins to love a song, there is an understanding that there exists something much greater than the human perception; a certain peace that the notes bring your soul. It is moving how music can be used as an escape, but also as something that ties you right back down to earth. It will affect you so deeply and show you the vastness of a reality you were previously blind to. It is a light that dawns upon you, it reminds us of the ugly truths of life, yet teaching that there is a beauty, a scarce one, that isn’t worth missing the chance to look upon, not for any amount of suffering.
Music is a way to search. We collectively have dreams, we have memories, we have little pieces of ourselves scattered through time. Moments of childhood, days of great happiness accompanied by days of great tragedy. These precious little memories, little shards of nostalgia tucked away in songs of the time. Music lets us search, through ourselves, and yet when we are older and our hearts wearied with time and age, the music reminds us that there was, is, happiness.
And in moments when you feel the spark of contentment licking your heart, “you cannot fault it for beguiling you, in those moments love was so easy; it was blameless” ~ Anon
