Of hearing -- through music

 

 

 

 

 

 

ONE may very rarely find such a simple yet profound statement of the power of music -- in the domain of hearing by soul. But when Maxim Gorky makes such observations most naturally -- not just in ‘Mother’ but also in all his writings that include essays and philosophical discourses -- he makes his signature statements. In ‘Mother’, his prowess as a terrific observer of nuances of being human comes to fore in the most vivid manner. This statement may sound very familiar to those who spend quality time listening to music as a whole -- singing, instrument-playing, noting words. ... Yet, until one lends a deep thought to these six words, one may not actually realise the power of listening as a passive yet alert mental activity that prepares ground in one’s inner zone from where one may be able to hear everything (including the deepest inner processes that often cause a tumult or tranquility within). Listening to music, of course, requires an ear for it. And this is not the physical ear, of course. It is, in reality, a spiritual ear that lends itself to absorbing everything that goes in a musical rendition of any sort. However, those who are truly good listeners of music know well that an ear for music is a mental state or condition in which one must freeze one’s own mental activity altogether so that the mind is free to take in not just the musical notes but also their superficial and surreal meaning, the purpose of their usage in a rendition or an arrangement.

 

This is a truly difficult process, though. For, when one sets on the mission to clear the mind of all the clutter before starting to listen to music in a real sense, one first encounters a demon -- in one’s own form and norm -- that blocks path to clear thinking. Loading as it is with aspirations and aspersions of the person, the mind often acts as a domain that sees a groundswell of activity when actually required to be quiet. For, when the mind is urged to be quiet, its subterranean world awakes with a vengeance. That tumult makes such a noise that the sound of music intended for one’s hearing gets drowned. That is why studies have found that listeners of music at concerts or in solo sessions in all cultures often find themselves confronted with clutterings of thoughts that ultimately deprive them of the ability to take in the musical notes in their multiple nuances -- and finally enjoy the experience.

 

But then, there also are people who have developed a unique ability to withdraw from their mind’s zone all the clutter of thought and pay attention to the music in fullest. Such people -- with their mental zones absolutely cleared of all the unwanted clutter of thoughts -- then are able to hear everything, not just the music. They are able to listen to distant spiritual rumblings that are making their presence felt even in distant places in the universe, so to say. With the clutter of thoughts having been cleared fully, their minds become all ready and eager to receive everything that comes their way -- music or anything. In that state of mind, then such persons can understand the deepest and the finest suggestions the music makes to the listeners’ souls. When the audience has such people, the quality of rendition from maestros also improves all by itself -- having been made richer by the eagerness of the listeners to take in everything and interpret it silently in a state of almost a trance. Hence the Gorky assertion -- that “... in music, one can hear everything. ...”