You would think that as I composer I am in favor of music, and generally you would be right. But aren't there times when silence is wonderful! I certainly can't compose in a noisy space. I have two piano keyboards in my studio and I'll be composing at one when one of my girls wanders in and starts playing on the other! That effectively washes away any inspiration I might have had. I wonder if Mozart ever had this problem! But I'll tell you about a problem Mozart didn't have, the prevalence of music everywhere! Where can you go these days where music is not playing? A shopping mall, a doctor's office, an elevator, sporting events? There's music while you have been put “on hold,” or even a new ring tone for your mobile. But not to worry, if you don't like the music that someone else is pumping into your ears, you can always plug in your earphones and listen to one of fifty thousand songs you just downloaded from the internet. How modern and fashionable to be walking down the street with wires dangling from one's ears! How fashionable to all be in our own world! And what if we have forgotten our MP3 player? Then we become subjected again to someone else's music, often music playing in a store we happen to be in. True, the music is of pleasant, but it's designed to keep us in the store longer so we'll buy more. Then we go home, turn on the television and watch commercials with more music–'jingles'–compelling us to buy more things! I wonder if Mozart ever wrote any “jingles.” Are there any product placement adds for, say a new wig or new improved longer-burning candles, in any of his operas? All of this gets to the purpose (or purposes) of music in our lives and our relationship with music. Interestingly, sometimes, the relationship isn't a pleasant one. I have heard stories where police have used music (especially classical music) for crowd control (to drive young people away!). But when we do listen to music, how are we listening? With the same concentration that previous generations listened to it? We have more access to more music than any previous generation before! With our devices we can turn music on or off at will. If you don't like the music you're listening to just turn it off or change the radio station! Try doing that in a concert hall when the symphony is playing! (oh dear Maestro, could you please pause the orchestra so I can answer my telephone?). I wonder if all of this control over music and the fact that music is all around us has left us adrift in a sea of musical indifference. Are we becoming desensitized to music, taking it for granted? So much music. But who is really listening? I know I need silence to appreciate music more. For most of us, pure silence means the sounds of the street below or the birds outside. This is good, refreshing, and as the composer John Cage has pointed out, this is a sort of music too. If you have read my article to this point, take a moment right now to really hear the sounds that are around you. I will end these thoughts here and try to do some composing. My children are out of the house and as I stop clicking on this keyboard, what do I hear beyond the hum of my computer? Silence. Ah. BM **The beliefs and statements of all Bikya Masr blogumnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect our editorial views.
