Music in the Trees

admin · Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 7:01 am Post subject: Music in the Trees

Music in the Trees

I was sitting in the main lobby of the church quietly looking out the windows. It was a windy day and the small leaves on the trees were dancing. I started to smile at the simple beauty of it all.

I thought about the visual magic of all those leaves dancing to their own rhythm and also about the inherent logic; that they MUST move when they interact with the wind. Each leaf and branch sways according to the direction and velocity of the wind, and according to the weight and pliability of each leaf and branch. There is a logic and a form to that leaf movement, and also an individual chaos factor for each individual movement. Each individual leaf can twist and move in an infinite number of ways that the wind or the tree itself cannot anticipate.

I have always felt that part of the magic of music is the combination of form and chaos. A structure is set, a chord progression predetermined and sometimes lyrics crafted to ride on that foundation. But in the performance of it all there is the chaos factor. The interpretation of individual performers, the interaction of overtones and the end product that can move us at a deep emotional level beyond the imagination of the composer or individual performers themselves.

Having studied heavily for many years on the areas of music theory, song forms, and all the little niche areas of music performance; it still amazes me each and every time a piece is performed. What will the magic be today? Will it fall flat on our ears or move us to a place that words fail to express?

To me, everything is music. Music is the eyeglass I wear to relate to everything else. So after watching that tree I have a soft assuredness that all is well, and that what might seem to be chaos is also part of form.

Perhaps this might be one interpretation of what Ernest Holmes meant when he said to “stay open at the top”. Lay your plans, enjoy your mental power over your surroundings; but at the same time leave room for the magic that happens when the chaos and form of your life start to dance together.

Conrad Askland