Have I told you all that I love music? Of course I have. I sometimes think in a different time, or if I were a different sort of person, I would have tried to pursue a career in music--not necessarily performance or composition, but perhaps media music or film/TV music supervision--to be the person who sets a scene to a song, provides music for the montage and whatnot. I believe that a good piece of music can be the thing that drives emotion into anything--including a person.
For many years, I often felt that I was unable to feel things the way other people did--that I was "past feeling", "dead inside", or otherwise incapable of emotion. Being a member of a church that emphasized the importance of "feeling the Spirit", I sometimes felt isolated from others in the congregation who had spiritual experiences all the time and were able to feel so touched during a prayer, sermon, or scripture.
One year, I was singing with the BYU Concert Choir. We were rehearsing a Christmas piece called "Carol of Joy". I'm not going to play it for you, because it isn't Christmas, but here are some of the lyrics:
Look up, sad hearted, witness God's Love
Join in the Carol swelling above
Oh friendless world, to you is the song
All Heaven's joy to you will belong
I think that this was one of the first times I have ever experienced anything close to what people called "feeling the Spirit". Through this song, and through the power of a hundred voices in vocal harmony and spiritual unison, I was able to sense that God loved me, and that I had a Savior.
Currently, I serve as the choir director in my church congregation, and when I received this calling, I was instructed to help people who could feel the Spirit more strongly through music than through other means. Being one of those people myself, I really believe that this is a great and worthwhile duty to have in the church (even though I complain about it a lot).
This wasn't meant to be a Big Mormon Blog Post, really. I have the same feelings about a lot of secular music. So many emotions and moments in my life (especially recently) have become so attached to songs, and so many songs can evoke emotions that are almost too big to express. I think at some point (not now), I'll post a list of some of these best songs (as a change from my "Top 25" lists) for you all. Until then, keep on singing.
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