The Meaning of Music

Last Thursday, the whiteboard near my practice room greeted me with the following question: “What does music mean to you?”  Without hesitation, I picked up a black dry-erase marker and scribbled, “love, freedom, purpose & happiness”.  In retrospect, the immediacy with which the response sprang forth surprises me.  Surely it can only be prompt responses like this one that reveal the honest inner workings of artists toiling in all media, and my reply in this situation must reflect my truthful relationship with music and the importance it carries for me.  It is also a stimulating reminder of why I pursue and perform music.

The following evening I had the privilege of attending an open symphonic rehearsal conducted by Maestro Gustavo Dudamel.  The vibrancy and vigor with which he conducts only enhances the direction he provides in his lovely Venezuelan accent.  He asks the musicians with which he works to be big-picture thinkers, understanding the path of the composition as a whole before approaching the intricate parts that develop and define it, giving each motive and phrase purpose and mission in order to illustrate the story at hand (literally!).  He is obviously a man with a mission to make music ubiquitous.  Friday’s program consisted of W. A. Mozart’s Symphony No. 38 and Nicolai Rimsky-Korsokov’s Capriccio Espagnol.  As the Maestro observed, it is paradoxical to have a Russian composer writing upon Spanish themes only have it communicated in English using Italian spelling.  Yet, the international nature of this scene and the artists who presented it illustrate the unifying force of music, and its utility and agency as a vehicle for peaceable communications and collaboration.  I left the rehearsal inspired, motivated and hopeful.  I’d like to think I’ll be able to retain and call upon this memory as an encouraging catalyst in future times when my purpose in learning or rehearsing or performing music seems lost to me.

What does music mean to you?