Music the harmony of life.

I was given a years subscription to the digital concerts of the Berlin Philharmonic, one of the best gifts I have ever been given and thank my family for the pleasure it has brought.  I have access to live streams of all the concerts as they happen and if I miss I can catch up through the archives.

I told somebody about this and they said to me, "Not as good as the Beatles."  A matter of opinion and taste and not a value judgement I would venture to make. You cannot compare a Monet to a Van Gogh, but again that is just an opinion.

There are so many things in my life that have over the years brought me a deep sense of joy and meaning. Which is the greater? I would struggle to say or to explain.

The joy of watching the peacefulness of fish swimming the comfort of the serene look on the face of a Buddha. The stirring melody of music. Each in its own way brings a sense of wonder and harmony.

The strange thing is this, as a boy, I had no love for classical music, I dreaded the two periods of art lessons every week, and the very thought of anything of a spiritual nature was a large NO.

I was inspired to try painting later in life and thank with all my heart the person who suggested it. I remember listening for the first time to a classical record and give thanks to the person who suggested that particular piece to listen to on my own in the quiet. I will never forget the person who suggested that there was more to life than what we see and hear with the eye and ear. That there was a whole new world that could only be experienced with the inner being.

My first classical record purchase was Beethovens 3rd Symphony an expensive gesture on my part but it has paid me back one thousand fold.

By the age of 5, Beethoven was playing the violin under the tutelage of his father, also an accomplished musician. By the time he was 13, he was a concert organist. In his 20s he was already studying under the very watchful eyes of Haydn and Mozart. In fact, Mozart spoke prophetic words when he declared that Beethoven would give the world something worth listening to by the time his life ended. 

As he began to develop his skills, he became a prolific composer. During his lifetime, he wrote nine majestic symphonies and five concertos for piano, not to mention numerous pieces of chamber music. Ludwig van Beethoven also wrote sonatas and pieces for violin and piano. 

He has thrilled us with the masterful works of unique harmony that broke with the traditions of his times. The man was a genius. 

Beethoven was not, however, a stranger to difficulties. During his twenties, he began to lose his hearing. His fingers "became thick," he said on one occasion. He couldn't feel the music as he once had. His hearing problem haunted him in the middle years of his life, but he kept it a well-guarded secret. 

When he reached his fifties, he was stone deaf. Three years later he made a tragic attempt to conduct an orchestra and failed miserably. 

Approximately five years later, he died during a fierce thunderstorm. He was deaf, yet a magnificent musician. On one occasion, he was overheard shouting at the top of his voice as he slammed both fists on the keyboard, "I will take life by the throat!" 

Have you ever said that you did not like something you had never tasted? have you ever said you would not like some music you had never listened to? 

Then maybe it is time to grab life by the throat and give something new a try. Who knows how long we have to do so?

Have a marvellous day.