The miracle of music

I don't get to attend a symphony performance very often, but when I do, I'm guaranteed a God moment. I close my eyes and marvel at the wonder of music -- that composers can create such incredible scores, that human beings can fashion instruments capable of making such individual sounds that can blend into one big sound that brings tears to my eyes. Julian of Norwich liked to talk about God sitting in heaven, completely relaxed, wearing a smile like a marvellous symphony, and last night's concert really worked with that image for me.

I especially liked Kurt Weill's Lady in the Dark, which seemed like a necklace of interesting musical ideas. George Gershwin's Concerto in F was incredible, too, all those instruments blending into amazing and intricate melodies, just like God has created a world with all sorts of people and ideas that work together, sometimes well, and sometimes with considerable dissonance. I found myself thinking that, although we're all living an unfinished symphony in this life, eventually, we'll be part of the marvellous symphony that is God's smile.

I would love to share a video of some of the music I heard last night, but it can't be found on YouTube. I'll leave you instead with 13-year old Emily Bear's version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, recorded with the Santa Fe Orchestra. How I love the melody that begins around the 13 minute mark. That anyone  -- let alone a thirteen-year-old -- can play the piano like she does amazes me!

A God moment with Neil Diamond

On Monday last week, my sister and I attended a Neil Diamond concert with our mom. It was a fun evening, listening to the soundtrack of our childhood, singing along to "SWEET CAROLINE... bah bah bah..." and marveling at the brilliance of a man who has written a lot of amazing music. Neil pumped out his tunes for over an hour and a half, and the audience ate it up. Marvelous to think that he's been making his music for longer than I've been alive... and that I still know the words to the songs from the records that Mom played over and over when I was small.

But what was really special for me that evening was when Neil was singing, "Play Me," and Mom turned to me and said, "I pray the chorus. I sing it to God." When the chorus came around again and I sang the chorus to God, my eyes swam with tears. What a beautiful prayer!

Since then, I've listened to the song several times, and realized that the whole thing is a prayer, if She can be God... "God was morning, and I was night time..." "You are the sun, I am the moon..." a beautiful invitation to God to make me into what She and He wants me to be.

That was my God moment this week. I don't think my mom will mind me sharing it.