Brian Hamilton

A Lesson in Beauty

My voice teacher said today, lightheartedly, ‘You should be an opera singer: give up all that theology stuff and just sing: be superficial.’ But singing is far from superficial; a song of praise may be the culmination of all theology. Or better, because it’s not only the verbal content of a song that makes it important, I would want to find some way to say theologically that music itself brings surfaces into view in such a way that they reflect the light of the divine. Clouds are the surface of the sky, but their configuration with respect to the light—sun or moon—can change everything in the way we see the heavens.

To report another beautiful but not-so-theological note from today’s lesson: I’m singing an incredible song called Morgen! by Richard Strauss, which contrasts a very flowing accompaniment with a more characteristically German, almost (at points) plodding melody. The challenge is to match the streaming movement of the accompaniment without succumbing entirely to its gentleness, or match match its gentleness without succumbing to its hiddenness. My teacher’s image: you are the sun rising over the river, strong and illuminating without being imposing or forceful.

Morgen! [Tomorrow!]
Poem by John Henry Mackay

And tomorrow the sun will shine again
and on the path, where I shall walk,
it will again unite us, the happy ones
in the midst of this sun-breathing earth…
and to the wide, blue-waved shore,
we will quietly and slowly descend,
mute, we will gaze into each other’s eyes,
and on us sinks the muted silence of happiness.

28 March 2007 |
tags: Aesthetics, Music