Art. A diverse range of visual, auditory or performing
artifacts which express the artist’s imaginative or technical skill. Art is
intended to express a message of beauty, power or elicit an emotional response.
The oldest form of art is visual: sculptures and paintings. Art definitely is
“in the eye of the beholder” which will speak, or not, differently to each
person. One person may see a work of art as obscene or preserve while another
will be emotionally moved. I’ve never really been interested in art before so I
challenged myself to study a few pieces to find my pieces. As I studied the
famous works by Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Da Vinci, and the thousands of other
worthy artists and works, I didn’t feel moved as I thought I should be. As I
lay in bed thinking about art, I realized that the only art form that really
moved me has been music.
One of my favorite composers is Beethoven, especially Symphony No. 5 in C minor. The Fifth
Symphony contains the ionic 4 notes which are probably the most recognized in
music. “Ta-ta-ta-taa” the short, short, short, long notes are said to represent
Fate knocking on the door. Another one my favorite Beethoven compositions is Fur Elise. The song was published in
1867, 40 years after Beethoven’s death and was found among his papers.
According to the original manuscript the song was dated as April 27, 1810. The
identity of “Elise” has been lost to time and remains a mystery, although there
are many theories as to her identity, which I won’t discuss now. I love this
song for its flowing melody which leads to a dramatic flourish and back again.
It is as if the composer was in conflict. While researching the history on this
song, I found an interesting “coincidence” in the first three notes. German
organ scholar Johannes Quack noted that Elise is spelled out in notes E-L-I-E♭-E.
E♭is pronounced as “S” in German. I love the Beethoven loved this
women, whoever she was, so much that not is her name in the title but her name
is repeated throughout the song itself. It once again shows Beethoven’s genius.
I also
love the melodies and lyrics of two modern musicals: the Phantom of the Opera and Les
Miserables. The music of The Phantom
of the Opera was written by British composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber and
lyrics by Charles Hart. It is hard to pinpoint my favorite song in this
musical. I love them all. If I had to pick, I’d pick “The Music of the Night.” It
is a very sensual song. Les Miserables
is another great musical with music by Claude-Michel Schonberg and the English
lyrics by Herbert Kretzner. One of my favorite songs is “On my Own,” which is
sung by the character, Eponine. The song expresses her unrequited love for
Marius and how she dreams of him by her side. I deeply identity with this song
as I spent my night of my younger days dreaming of the future and my future
love. I especially enjoy the climax of the song as Eponine realizes that her
dreams isn’t reality: “And I know it’s only in my mind.” One of the most
emotional songs is “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” sung by Marius. My favorite
performer of this song is Michael Ball whose performance adds to the emotional
impact of a survival’s guilt of why he lived and his friends did not: “There is
a grief that can’t be spoken. There’s a pain goes on and on.” The unending
questions and pain of surviving.
Even
though a lot of today’s modern music doesn’t have the same emotional impact as
the music I mentioned above; but there are some great songs that do. There are
still great songwriters who are able to dig deep into their soul and expose an
emotions. “Broken” by Lifehouse is such a song. The song was written in 2008 by
lead singer, Jason Wade, after visiting a friend who needed a kidney
transplant. I see the song as my relationship with Jesus. From the beginning to
end, the lyrics are filled with the life struggles which can crush me and I’m
still holding on to the promises of Christ. The chorus is very moving: “I’m
falling apart/I’m barely breathing/With a broken heart that’s still beating/In
the pain, there is healing/In your name, I find meaning/So I’m holdin’ on…I’m
barely holdin’ on to you.” There are many comments online which would disagree
with my interpretation. As this song can be interpreted in many different ways
depending on the listener, which is why I love music so much. For me, this is
how the song speaks to me and there’s nothing wrong with that.
I love
how art can speak to different people. I love how a painting can bring out so many
emotions in someone. Or for me, music. It amazes me that the artist can hear
the notes or melody in his head and create a beautiful piece of music which can
be enjoyed for decades. I wonder if Beethoven wondered if his music would last.
I wonder what the composers would think to hear that their music is still being
enjoyed and discussed centuries after they wrote it. Have you ever look at a
painting, a sculpture or photograph and been emotionally moved? Have you ever
heard a piece of music which lifted your soul? I hope you have because it is an
amazing experience. Music can help us remember feelings and certain times in our
lives when the music represented something great or helped us through a
difficult situation. Music is a great way to experience our emotions, to
release emotions and this is why music is my favorite art form.
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