You’ve heard the quote before, I’m sure: “Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast.” I actually just looked up that quote and discovered that it’s a total misquote, but we won’t worry about that. I like it the way it is. 🙂 There’s a scene in the Beatles’ movie “Help!” when poor Ringo, trying to escape those who would cut off his finger to regain their most sacred religious ring, is caught in a cellar with no way of escaping – except through a large open window that leads out to the street. He starts to run for it, when a giant Bengal tiger appears in the opening. This ferocious looking animal looks at Ringo hungrily, but our hero soon learns that this beast is harmless when he hears Beethoven’s “famous” 9th Symphony (Ode to Joy) being whistled, sung, or played by an orchestra. Soon, in this surreal scene, everyone from Ringo’s bandmates to the thousands of people in an open sports arena are joining in to perform Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. The Tiger lays down quietly, and Ringo escapes safely.
I am like that tiger – easily soothed by the charms of music (though I’m more a Mozart fan than Beethoven). I don’t know what I’d do without music. Have you ever had to make a list, for whatever reason, of your hobbies? I would put “listening to music” at the top of my list, because I spend so much time at it. I don’t play an instrument, but I do like to sing, sometimes in groups, but usually by myself – and mostly in the car! But listening to music is really my forte. I listen to music every day, sometimes all day and all night. Seriously. I use music to wake up and to go to sleep by and almost everything in between.
Why? Because music hath charms to soothe me, to make me happy, to energize me, to make me dance and sing and clap my hands or snap my fingers. It helps me focus, clean the house, create art, write, and express myself. It gives me goose-bumps and it can even make me cry. Music is emotional – and there’s music for every emotion. I have to say that my universe is a richer and better place because of the charms of music.
Inventing My Universe 