Music Adds to the Holiday Spirit

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. Time-wise it comes right after my favorite holiday Thanksgiving. With Christmas, the magic of the holiday comes for me, out of the amazing love story that is the basis of my worldview of Christianity. Other world religions main themes focus on people, striving after trying to reach God. With Christianity the theme is God reaching down to us humans by sending his Son, Jesus to sacrifice his life for us. The church we have been attending has had a message series, The Gift, and Jesus if the gift to us.

Along with the message of the story of Christmas the music adds to the Holiday Season. Music has always been important to my life and in the past years many of my blog posts focus in on music. So far this season there has been two standout musical experiences.

One Saturday in November my wife and I enjoyed morning coffee at a small town coffee shop in Seguin. While we were enjoying our coffee and scones an elderly gentleman came over to us and began to tell us of the upcoming Mid-Texas Symphony concert coming soon in December. He told us not to miss it. So along came December 15th and we went to the University Hall in Seguin. It was an uplifting concert. The concert began with The Christmas Festival by Anderson and ended with the popular Sleigh Ride by Anderson. Hearing those tunes reminded me of playing in my high school band in Barberton, Ohio playing those same songs at the Christmas concert back years ago. The symphony also played selections from the Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky. That brought back memories of seeing the Nutcracker ballet back when I lived in Chicago. Music is powerful in bringing back memories.

The following week I was looking on television for any Christmas specials and TBN was showing a Christmas special by Keith & Kristyn Getty. I had never heard of them before but I am glad we watched the special. They are from Ireland and the band that was with them played the Christmas carols with an Irish flair. Here is an example of their performing Joy Has Dawned/Angels We Have Heard On High (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibe5zRch8bU ). The performances made us wish we were live at the concert. It seems like they tour the US each Christmas season so we will look them up next year to go hear them.

Be it at a live concert, at home watching a special or driving along listening to Christmas music the songs of Christmas add joy to our inner spirit during the Holidays. I have been too busy to bake much this year, but the one evening while baking some cookies I had Christmas music of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra playing in the background. Listening to the music heightened the experience of Christmas baking for me.

During this Holiday Season add some music into your experience. You will note that it adds to a relaxation and inner joy. Music can also bring up pleasant memories from Holidays in the past.

Reflection: What is your favorite Christmas song? What has been your favorite musical experience this Holiday thus far? A community event? A school event? A church event?

Classical Music and The Creative Mind

This week again I am thinking over our recent vacation to my home state of Ohio. As we were preparing to go to Norton, Ohio my wife suggested we go hear the Cleveland Orchestra while we were visiting there. Since we all enjoy classical music it seemed like a great idea. We thought it would be a nice treat for my third grade teacher, who we were staying with to take her along too. I found a concert that fit our schedule, Sunday the 26th of May at 3 p.m. in the afternoon so we would not be out too late. The concert was to be the Cleveland Orchestra’s season finale. It was held in Severance Hall which was built in 1931 and renovated in 2000. It is considered one of the oldest and beautiful concert halls in America. From our mid-balcony seats we were impressed with the stateliness of the interior design.

The musical program showcased three works. The first was Open Mind composed by Rolf Martinsson, a modern composer from Sweden. Secondly came Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor Opus 37 with pianist Lars Vogt, from Germany. Then the final piece was Tchaikovsky’s symphony No. 5 in E minor Opus 64. You can listen to portions of each piece by clicking the lines below:

Beethoven piano concerto No 3 in C minor Opus 37 click for movement 1

Tchaikovsky symphony no. 5 in E minor Opus 64 click for the finale

Rolf Martinsson listen to a clip of Open Mind by clicking on the title

We were enraptured by the emotion of the music as we listened intently to each piece performed. We also had a magnificent view from the balcony looking down viewing the conductor, Manfred Honeck, as he led the musicians to perform as a single unit. It was an amazing experience of sight and sound.

As I listened to each piece of music my mind reflected on the creative minds behind the music. Thinking of each composer and how their personalities and emotions came out in their individual works of musical art. I marveled also at the complexity of the creative mind. Just to think that in the mind of Martinsson, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky they could combine together all the pieces of music for each of the individual instruments. They had to write out music for violins, French horns, flutes, percussion, clarinets, trumpets, and many more. Then combine it all together so that it makes musical sense and not just a bunch of senseless noise. Melodies and countermelodies in relation to each of their pieces of music first were born in their creative minds and then painstakingly written out for each of the orchestra’s instruments. When the audience member listens with delight it all seems so easy. But if you contemplate all that goes into to developing music from the first mental thought, through the composition process it is amazing to think of the God given talent of the creative minds of music composers.

I grew up playing trumpet in band in my hometown of Barberton, Ohio. From that experience I have always had an admiration for the work that goes into making an orchestra a unified unit in expressing pieces of music. That afternoon in Cleveland brought back memories of concert band in earlier years. Yet the primary thoughts going through my mind was that of the amazing power of creativity.

Thinking through the creative mind process of the composers then moved me to meditate on the greater Creative Mind of God behind all there is in life and creation. As we go through our days on autopilot not paying attention to the amazing world around us, it is simple to be like the concert goer to see it as all so easy. You can maybe even see how some may consider how everything just popped into existence via random chaotic macro evolution. Like a rabbit out of a magic hat. But then if you allow your mind to move from autopilot to deep reflection on the complexities and beauty of creation and life you then begin to be amazed at the power of creativity and design which of course logically would entail a Grand Designer.

Reflection: What did you think of the pieces of music listed in this blog post? Think of music composers in any genre you enjoy. What do you think of their creativity? How does this relate to your creativity?