Tower and Town, March 2021

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Music As A Gift From God

It is wonderful that music exists, that its tunes, harmonies and rhythms can give such enormous pleasure. Where did it come from? Some may say it evolved, but I find this hard to believe; instead, I would prefer to think of music as part of the divine order of creation.

There seems to be an inexhaustible diversity in music. Each century, composers discover new tunes, new harmonies, new textures - which sound and feel quite unlike anything that has ever been heard before. One of my favourite composers is Delius - I have always been struck by the extraordinary and unique way some particular pieces of his are able to evoke the summer atmosphere, and all the life and colour of his garden at Grez-sur-Loing near Paris.

Another aspect of the world's extraordinary musical heritage is the sense of a link between a piece's original setting and the present day. When we sing Morley's madrigal Now is the month of Maying which was written at the end of the 16th century, I especially enjoy imagining these very same notes being sung so long ago, in a setting so different from our own.

I also cannot help reflecting on the commitment of those who wrote and performed music in previous centuries. When life must have been an enormous struggle, it is a testimony to the compelling power of music that it was considered worthwhile to devote so much energy to it. I think particularly of Bach working in the early part of the 18th century, and of all the copying out of parts he had to do - no photocopier or computerised music printing for him!

Thinking of Bach reminds me too of choral music and the amazing capacity of human voices; the ranges of female and male human voices seem to be perfectly designed for four-part harmony - a mystery that has given delight for centuries.

Lastly, music enables the expression of so many human feelings - elation, exuberance, joy, praise, worship, yearning, happiness, humour, solemnity, poignancy, sadness, grief, despair. More important than anything to me, as a church organist, is to try to choose music that is appropriate for each occasion, and to play it in a way that touches and speaks to individuals. And that music does speak in this way is, I believe, a miracle.

Music, truly, is a gift from God.

Michael Reynolds

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