All ways. Everyday.
Monday, June 23, 2008
“As above, so below.”
This central concept and principle of ancient wisdom referred to the harmonic structure of what was visible, the cosmos. If the universe operated in a certain manner “above”, it would be fair to assume that the world would be as such at the atomic level. The question is, “How does all this relate to music, and world music at that?” One of the basic premises of music, especially the music of Asia, is that all notes are interconnected, just as many modern physicists would say that all matter throughout the universe is interconnected. A fascinating example of the link between music and the “natural” or “physical” world resides in the basic element of life on earth – oxygen. Oxygen’s atomic number 8, with its 8 electrons and 8 protons, is in accord with that of the musical octave forming a major scale. What is more engrossing is that the nucleus (core) of oxygen has 12 steps and in its normal state seven of these atomic intervals are filled and five remain empty, which is a direct representation of the intervals in the musical scale of 7 “regular” notes and 5 “unused” notes. From the imperceptible microparticle to the galactic macrocosm, these rhythmic patterns provide the soundtrack to our existence. Yale professors, Willie Ruff and John Rodgers, programmed the angular velocities of the planets into a synthesizer based on the computations of Johannes Kepler, a famous 16th/17th century German astronomer and mathematician. The sounds of the planets were made audible based upon mathematical calculations of their elliptical orbits! Kepler designated the 6 visible planets as a “six part harmony motet” while over 350 years later, Ruff went on to express that the outer 3 planets would provide the rhythm section with Pluto being the cosmic bass drum. An enthralling point is how “in tune” Gustav Holst’s orchestral piece “The Planets” were with Ruff and Rodger’s “The Harmony of the World”. The universe is music!
“As above, so below.” How about here on earth? Confucius, the dominant Chinese philosopher, professed that “music which reflects the harmonious sense of joyness in an aesthetic and balanced way and which provides boisterous feelings with an ordered and adequate outlet” is a pertinent means of education, as music was the key to universal harmony. According to Confucius, music is a reflection of the superior man, and mirrors his true character. There is no question that music is a formidable means of maximizing one’s potential. A visual representation would be within some of mankind’s most notable architectural feats where sacred geometry and musical ratios are said to have been the foundation for their success. The Baroque Church, Vierzehnheiligen in Bavaria is a precise mathematical correspondence of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Well-Tempered Clavier”. The 72 double columns in the cloister of the Monastery of San Cugat in Catalonia are consistent with the Gregorian hymn of Cucaphatus, a martyr for whom the monastery is dedicated. The power of music extends beyond all boundaries as Dorothy Retallack conducted an experiment where she planted and kept up 3 small groups of plants consisting of the same soil, identical temperature and watering conditions. The first group was played the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, the second enjoyed sitar music of Ravi Shankar, while the third group remained in silence. The results were astounding! The plants that listened to Bach bent 35° towards the speaker, however the plants delighting in Shankar’s sitar music bent in excess of 60° nearly embracing the speakers! Whether it be architecture, our lives, evolution as a whole, or ecosystems, the nature of life doesn’t lie in the activity itself just as the essence of a melody doesn’t lie in the notes itself. Rather, it is the relationship between activity and rest, notes and silence. These rhythmic patterns are essentially dances of energy sharing sympathetic vibrations.
The magic of music is parallel to that of spiritual consciousness. Hermann Hesse expressed it beautifully in his book, Magister Ludi: The Glass Bead Game, “the cult of music and meditation intimately belong together.” The full mind-body-soul experience of music is a step to realization of the self where music is the medium revealing the essence of the universe. It transports us to the realm enabling us to “reach God”. The journey of spiritual discipline elevates our inner self to a state of divine serenity and pure love. Jean Paul Richter, one of the great advocates of the Romanticism Era, spoke of music as “the echo from a distant harmonic world”, as “the angel’s sigh within ourselves.” This spiritual consciousness is embedded in the cultures of Asia, specifically India and China. Hermann Keyserling, an Austrian scholar, stated, “Indian music encompasses an immensely wide world. When listening to it, one experiences nothing in particular, nothing one can put one’s hands on, and yet one feels alive in a most intense way. By following its different tones, one actually listens to one’s self.” Music in harmony with the cosmos is the secret of Indian mediation music. The sounds and scales of Indian music are intended to elicit specific emotive responses. Certain tones of the musical scale affect specific regions of the body, known as chakras. For example, the note F corresponds to the highest chakra, sahasrara, which is the apex of spiritual development evoking a cosmic unity with God and divine inspiration. The note G is the complement of the lowest chakra, muladhar. This chakra produces a stimulating, tonic effect upon the sexual organs, however the psychological effect is that of static energy where one feels confined with an inability to affirm life. It is this spiritual mindfulness that has been the supernatural driving force of Asian music, particularly Indian. Thus, leading to an increased popularity throughout the western world. Until John Coltrane bridged the world of jazz and Indian music in the late 1950’s, most Asian music was considered colorless, repetitive, and intolerable. The ascent of interest in world music in the 1960’s and 1970’s established its center as India. However, as Ravi Shankar expounds, “You cannot learn about Indian music without entering into the Indian way of thinking. Both belong together. One doesn’t work without the other.” Music is a form of transportation towards enlightenment and an undeniable connection to the divine. This has been one of the fundamental principles of Ancient wisdom of the east. In order to experience the music, we must believe in the music – the relationship must be symbiotic.
When one thinks of music, one should not limit one’s self to the “known” world. The primordial vibrations resonate much deeper than the world as we “see it”. To quote Hermann Keyserling once again, “Ever since mankind exists, music has been granted a favorite position among the arts. Where consciously or not, it has been considered an expression and a conveyor of cosmic things.” Music transcends the senses. “Hear, and your soul shall live.” Isaiah 55:3
John Stuart