The immortal words of Oscar Hammerstein inspire us today with their truth:
My heart will be blessed
With the sound of music. 1
From the popular tunes we enjoy, to sacred hymns, holiday music, and patriotic songs of every nation, we are a world of music lovers. Hearing even just a few strains of a song from our youth seems to transport us to another time and place. Music evokes memories, lifts spirits, and inspires good deeds.
No one can deny the immense power in music. Yet if you look at its components, from a stirring masterpiece to a simple jingle, all music is made from variations on just a few notes. Throughout history, composers have used seemingly infinite combinations of a limited set of sounds to soothe a crying infant, to express romantic love, to rally troops, to honor heroes, to worship, and to express the feelings of the heart. What a miracle it is that so much power can come from something so simple.
We are not so different from those notes ourselves. Individually we may seem ordinary, but each of us contributes uniquely to the groups we join and the causes we support. To leave out any one of us would be like denying a composer the use of one note.
Whether it’s in our families, our work, our neighborhoods, or our countries, we make the most beautiful music when we unite with others in good causes. Just as one note alone doesn’t become a song until it is joined by others, so we cannot make a symphony of love and caring until we invite others into our efforts. That’s when the masterpiece unfolds. It only takes the efforts of a few, but the outcome can truly be magnificent.
1. “The Sound of Music” (1959).
Program #4089