Music Is A Language
How Music Is Spoken, Not Heard
From a distance, they resembled ordinary American restaurants. Waiters bustled in clean-cut tuxedos; twinkling lights mirrored the stars; strains of Vivaldi, Bach, and Mozart created a musical cacophony. But these were Italian trattorias in the heart of Venice. On my left were four restaurants, each hosting a small ensemble of musicians, surrounded by a throng of customers and passersby alike. Some tapped their feet; others swayed and danced; the rest listened admiringly. Everyone applauded enthusiastically after each performance. The entire square presented a rich musical buffet, nourishing both tourists and locals and uniting them into a fellowship of lyrical gourmands. My family and I, greedily feasting on the beautiful harmonies, stood in the center of the Piazza San Marco, and my eleven-year-old heart swelled.
It has been about twelve years now, and the significance of this trip hasn’t been measured by experiencing the novelty of a foreign country, but rather by the intersection of music and language. Most would associate language with different types of speech, like Italian or English. While that’s an accurate assessment, language is more than mere words; it is a tool for communication. To be in a new part of the world that superseded my mother tongue, I realized what brings humanity together as one: music. Music epitomizes the intersection of love, life, and authenticity; this wordless language has a beautiful expressiveness that communicates what words cannot describe, like a camera that captures the entire sunset. It is our universal language.
My former guitar teacher, Dr. Matthew Hinsley, further nurtured my curiosity for this intersection by teaching me the grammar and syntax of the musical language. Like English, music has linguistic rules. Every note is a word. Every sound has an inflection. Every musical phrase is a sentence. I was to be conscious of every note, as if my very existence was being extended through it. The lessons I learned in classical guitar are very reminiscent of how God demands His children to be conscious of every word, deed, and thought, and also to surrender and devote everything to Him. The top two commandments in the Bible, to love God with all of one’s being, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself—these are the sacrificial standards that Christians are to work towards.
Developing musicianship, like learning any language, requires patience, discipline, and constant practice. It was a challenging process, but my passion overrode the difficulties, and looking back, I see steady progress. Sometimes I burned with frustration, practicing the same difficult measure twenty times in a row. Imprisoned in my chair, shackled to my instrument, time dragged on, and I feared losing passion. However, I realized the importance of commitment because I knew that short-term difficulties were obstacles hindering me from my ultimate goal: learning the language of music. Dedicated and enthusiastic, I found myself gaining proficiency and fluency in music’s syntax and grammar, and experiencing the result of diligence and perseverance.
Working with Dr. Hinsley not only quenched my thirst for knowledge about this intersection, but he also taught me how to apply this knowledge to my life. I wouldn’t consider myself the most articulate or outgoing individual, as I prefer my introspective, reserved lifestyle. When cultivating new relationships, I get nervous about verbal interactions and forcing unnatural connections with strangers. However, I learned that music isn’t just a source of entertainment or leisure activity: music is a form of communication that transcends verbal connection. Through music, you can build a relationship with someone by expressing deeper, more substantive feelings and perspectives. Music forces people to enter a place of vulnerability. By stripping away society’s feigned perfections fueled by social media and technology, we are forced to speak our truths. Music accepts nothing but genuineness. It’s the ultimate unifier—the ultimate language.
All types of language are delicacies, as they provide comfort in every word. They are an outlet for people to express themselves from their hearts. Language emphasizes the beauty of life, and it clarifies the sheer joys and deepest sorrows in unique ways that people intuitively understand. Language reminds us all what it is to be human: we all change, but we always strive for the better. Language helps humans create meaning to life, and music unites us to celebrate it. Music gave me a priceless gift, and I am determined to pass it forward.