Music. The Soul’s Language

Music. The language of the soul. Its beauty lies in many things. However, what stands out to me is how it slows things down. Without question what a song will say in a minute will be much briefer than what one can say in the same time. Heavenly, If I am to get religious. The bible talks of singing in heaven. It would not be too much of a stretch to posit that song is embedded in the culture of heaven. It would also not be too much of a stretch to claim when we engage in song, be it listening, performing, producing, we are exercising something divine.

Human beings, are an emotional species, in writing this I do concede that nearly every species created by God is emotive, nevertheless, in the workmanship of God, we without doubt posses the most complex emotional repertoire. You may ask why I am talking about emotions. Don’t worry I have not gone off tangent; we are still on music. Music and emotions are intertwined. I am of the view this is why we enjoy or for some love it. It moves something in us. It connects with us at a deeper level. Beyond delving into song, it also accentuates emotive experiences in life. Picture this, you are with friends or family, maybe sharing a drink, a meal or just “chilling”, there’s probably a song, an album, playlist that speaks to that exact moment. A second scenario, you are with your lover, just the two of you, being as loving as could be, again there is a song that is emblematic of how the two of you feel about each other. This has become all the easier to do in today’s world, with the widespread availability of streaming platforms. As a consequence, a whole world of music, transcending boundaries, languages, cultures, is all but a stream away, at the cost of a few megabytes of data.

Secondly, there is a song for every mood or state. The genres out there are truly limitless. Hip Hop, RnB, Soul, Jazz, Reggae, Afrobeats, Classical. If I am to digress a little, I find I can easily spend the whole day listening to music, seamlessly switching between the above, as I go through the varying phases of my day. In the morning, usually you need something upbeat, could be afrobeats, hip hop, pop or whatever one is into. As the day ends, conventionally, slower music is more ideal, winding down on the hustle and bustle of the day or reflecting on the day’s travails. As you work or study maybe you need something that will allow you to concentrate, step in Jazz or for my hardcore colleagues, classical music, Beethoven and his comrades.

I also want to elaborate on the spiritual aspect of music. In writing this line, I am questioning myself partly because I see all music as being spiritual. That, however, is a debate for another day. I talked about being religious earlier on. Is it no wonder that music is a big part of the Christian faith? Whatever the denomination, catholic, protestant, UCZ, Anglican, Adventist you name them, all express their love to God through song. I will repeat. Spiritual. As a young churchgoer, years back, my favourite part of a church gathering was the music. I know many others share in this view.

As I begin to wrap this up, I hope you have enjoyed this journey I have endeavoured to take you on, in the world of music. To sum it all up, music makes everything better. It heals, it connects, it is borderless. Take a baby who is yet to talk; spice up the environment with some bumpy music, maybe some Burna Boy or Yo Maps, and you are likely to see the toddler express some pleasure, or full on dancing for my fellow infant music lovers. Be like such a baby and add some flavour to your day, invest in a quality speaker, headphones, subscribe to a streaming platform. You will thank me later

By Michelo Maunga

Ardent Music Follower.