Impossibility Behind Music

Fermata over Music... it goes on forever?

In my wonder journal I wrote about "the endless possibilities of music." There are loads of different instruments, entire scales that lead to endless combinations and chords and progressions. I wrote down "there are millions of songs, millions of different ways notes can come together." There are millions of possibilities. So what do I find the most awe inspiring other than the endless possibilities of music? When composers successfully use motifs in their songs.

When there is so much to think about in composing a song, I always love when there is a motif or salient recurring figure in a song. The fact that they are able to slip in a motif for just a few seconds before going right back into the main theme is so incredible to me. An example would be the music from the Mary Poppins soundtrack where there are moments you hear "A Spoonful of Sugar" between progressions of other songs (6:33 has this motif in "Step in Time"). It only lasts three seconds but I love it because then my mind instantly jumps to thinking about the role of that song, what it represents, then back to the regular rhythm. But what else is there in music that creates awe other than its composure?

I curated some songs in a playlist on YouTube called "Awe Inspiring Music" and put a description explaining why I selected the songs I did and what gave me feelings of awe or transcendence. On this google+ update I had +Paul Bills suggest some video game themes and +Jane Packard suggested a video of a girl with a striking singing talent parallel to Beyonce. Both agree that music provides awe. Now add in video.

One of the youtube videos in my playlist (embedded on the right) I picked for the song, but realized the song is there to help the viewers feelings while watching this video on Christ's birth. I know a few times in class and at Dr Burton's house while viewing 2001: A Space Odyssey we've discussed how music is there to "guide the viewers feelings" and in a way kind of cheats us into feeling awe by manipulating our auditory sense. Maybe in this video it does. But. I think that the combination of "viewing" and "hearing" work to create awe. Imagine if you had watched this scene muted. What if there was only dialogue? What if the dialogue was a different language? What happens with a different song? All of these factors can change how the end result of a movie is, and what awe (if any) a person feels. Even if the music is a guiding factor, it can also be a stimulate to feeling awe or transcendence, fear or pain, or any kind of emotion based on how it goes with a scene. If you still think music in film manipulates feelings when watching a movie, try listening to the soundtracks of films without watching the movie. Pick a soundtrack where the music isn't as iconic as Lord of the Rings or Star Wars. I suggest the soundtrack for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Book Thief, or 12 Years a Slave. Just listening to those songs on their own without any visual help still let me feel a sense of wonder, curiosity, awe, and transcendence.

What about you? Can you experience awe without music aid in movies? What about the power of silence? What else can music do to inspire awe? Or if you have any more suggestions on awe-inspiring music, let me know. I'd love to add to my playlist.