Pen Points - Harmony

I am not a learned musician but one of the many nice things I like about Christmas is the music. We are treated to an extensive variety including vocal and instrumental, presented as solos, in small combinations such as duets and quartets, or in larger groups such as choirs, bands and philharmonic orchestras.

Especially at Christmas, we are served a full measure of choice. We could be sitting on stacking chairs in a packed school gym listening to nervous yet happy young amateurs singing with gusto Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. We could be in comfortable, cushioned seats in a beautiful, acoustically excellent concert hall listening to professionals performing great classics. It could be anything between.

If it is music, I  enjoy it and am thankful that I have ears to hear it. Sometimes I appreciate the performance more for the effort than the quality, because I know that it takes great tenacity and diligence on the part of the performer to eventually achieve excellence and it is a joy to see the learning in progress. I also appreciate the dedicated teachers who are able to help with the development of latent talents and impart to others a love of music. It is a gift, indeed.

Harmony is one of my favorite words. Perhaps that is why my favorite music is harmonic groups like choirs and orchestras. I love the blend of voices – soprano, alto, tenor and bass; I love the complementary sections of a band – strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion. While singing or playing in unison may produce excellent quality of sound and expression, it is greatly enhanced when harmony is added by different voices and various orchestral sections making their own unique contributions.

I listen to such music intently but I listen metaphorically, too. From my seat in the audience I imagine that various sections of a choir or orchestra are representatives of different peoples of the world. I imagine the day when all the world’s people learn to sing and play in unison, recognizing their human sameness, and, at the same time, learn to sing and play harmoniously rejoicing in the gifts of diverse cultures.

Such  a possibility seems closer at Christmas when sincere wishes for peace and goodwill are expressed so freely. Each of us can help to make harmonious co-existence happen by examining our own attitudes towards differences and our willingness, or lack of it, to seek more knowledge and perhaps rethink long-standing views and prejudices .

Best wishes to all for Love, Joy, Hope and Peace!