Words by Abraham Joshua Heschel, posted in honor of the upcoming 100th anniversary of his birth:
"The only language that seems to be compatible with the wonder and mystery of being is the language of music. Music is more than just expressiveness. It is rather a reaching out toward a realm that lies beyond the reach of verbal propositions. Verbal expression is in danger of being taken literally and of serving as a substitute for insight. Words become slogans, slogans become idols. But music is a refutation of human finality. Music is an antidote to higher idolatry. While other forces in society combine to dull our mind, music endows us with moments in which the sense of the ineffable becomes alive."
(From an excerpt of Heschel's 1966 essay, "The Vocation of the Cantor.")
2 comments:
That was beautiful, aa. I think what makes music so special is that it puts out a vibration. When someone sings, they are releasing vibrations from the words they sing and to each person that hears it, it resonates for them only in a special way.
Thank you for sending out your vibrations, aa.- now could you make a CD so we could all enjoy your singing?!
Thank you, that's a beautiful image...the universe is filled with tuning forks resonating to each other's vibrations....
(CD: perhaps in the olam habah, the world to come!)
--aa.
Post a Comment