A Blessing I Fail to Appreciate

Friends often ask me, as a musician, ‘Who's your favourite composer’?

My reply is that my favourite changes daily. As my life situations, my mood and my spiritual needs vary, so does the effect of the music I hear. A Chopin Nocturne can sooth a frustration, the pathos of an Elgar symphony will create an inner spiritual compassion and feed a need, the gusto of a Verdi overture will generate joy and upliftment. How can I possibly choose a favourite?

Beethoven said - “Music is simply organised noise!"

“Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life”.

This question also makes me stop and realise how much I take the presence of music for granted. To reflect on how barren my life would be without it. Prompting a hurried word of thanks to God for this blessing.

Music is universal; it requires no language to support it. Foot tapping happens spontaneously wherever the source of the sound, East, West, North or South whatever the colour or creed of the music maker.

I hope that somewhere along life’s pathway God’s universal language of sounds will provide help and support in some way for each of you, use music as a link and find the blessings it holds.

Minister Alan Rawnsley