When did you last hear a piece of music which made you break into a smile – or shed tears? Music has a unique power to touch our hearts and souls, transporting us to different times and places. Within just a few bars music connects us to people, places or occasions and these musical memories are part of what makes our lives so rich and meaningful. What about the instantly recognisable opening of Jerry Rafferty’s ‘Baker Street’ or the so-called ‘Tristan’ chord from Wagner’s ‘Tristan und Isolde’ known to opera buffs? Consider the intellectual appeal of a Bach fugue or the drama of an organ recessional.
Hearing the opening of Bruckner’s sacred motet ‘Locus Iste’ transports me back to singing in Exeter Cathedral during my first school music tour and is guaranteed to make my spine tingle! Hearing the slow movement of Albinoni’s oboe concerto in D minor instantly calms me through both its beauty and its happy associations. This was one of the first pieces I accompanied my now-husband for during our time at university and, indeed, was the piece his oboe teacher performed on our wedding day.
For you it will be something completely different – such is the joy and wide appeal of music! Who could fail to be moved by the poignancy of The Last Post at Remembrance services across the country earlier this week? In times of both joy and of great sorrow, many of us will turn to music to mark the occasion in some way. As Yehudi Menuhin said ‘ Music lives and breathes to tell us who we are and what we face. It is a path between ourselves and the infinite.’ Music has an incredible ability to bring people together. Singing, playing, or even just listening to music with others fosters a sense of community and shared experience.
What a delight it was, therefore, to read in last week’s Gateway of the experiences of two of our younger performers. Nidhi and Aishani wrote of their excitement when performing in their first recital and also spoke of the pride of their parents and teachers. Such first steps, which bring joy to both performer and audience, may, in some cases, be the opening stages of a journey ultimately leading to the superb diploma standard performances we hear from some of our older students.
As we head into the second half of this term, large numbers of students across the school will be busy rehearsing. Nativities, Christmas productions, Carol Services and instrumental exams, alongside the regular raft of concerts and weekly music-making, will be filling our rehearsal spaces with the sounds of music. Our students are working hard and will be looking forward to welcoming families to these events and, indeed, sharing our music-making with the wider community too.
In the busy weeks ahead try to take a moment to pause and savour the joy that music can bring. Our annual school events are a wonderful opportunity for us to come together as a community and there will, of course, be opportunities for you to join us in song, raising our voices together in joyful harmony.
Sacha Heard