Symphony Sonnet
If you know me
well, you’ve likely discovered that I am an avid lover of music. All kinds of music- soundtracks, classical,
pop, children’s, country, Christian… I
even have both a Christian rock song and a Christian rap song in my collection. If you love music as much as I do, then you
can imagine that a visit to an orchestra performance would be quite a thrill.
May 12th,
my father took my mom, my oldest sister, and me to the Atlanta Symphony
Orchestra as a surprise for my mom for Mother’s Day. What an incredible experience! And incredible is truly an
understatement. I may have enjoyed it
most of all, and it wasn’t even my surprise!
Robert Spano performed the role of the conductor wonderfully, and the
whole ensemble of musicians was marvelous.
When the performance first began, it opened with the orchestra playing
Alvin Singleton’s Different River, which we all agreed sounded like it
should be part of The Chronicles of Narnia movie soundtracks. Next came George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in
Blue with guest pianist Leon Bates, one of America’s leading pianists. The minute the song began, it was impossible
to refrain from smiling. It was such a
happy song! Rhapsody in Blue we
thought sounded like it would’ve used in Disney’s classic animation movie 101
Dalmatians. Leon Bates did a stunningly
remarkable job in the song; he played an unbelievably long and complex solo
piece completely from memory. I was so
nervous for him that he would mess up and forget the song that I found myself
gripping my program. After the
intermission was featured Aaron Copland’s Symphony No. 3. This one was undoubtedly my favorite I think. Words cannot describe the sensation and the
emotions it produced in you as you sat there in the red plush seats, the notes
of the symphony floating up to you in the balcony. It was beautiful.
Some songs just
seem as if they’re written to inspire people, to stir their emotions and to
motivate their creativity. Symphony
No. 3 is one such song for me. As I
sat there listening, my thoughts began their course of creativity, and I was
reminded how each one of us is an instrument.
If you have never taken the time to read the note I include at the end
of my posts explaining why I chose the name Heart-chords for my blog, then
please do so.
Yes, we are
instruments though, all playing together in a beautiful symphony of music to
proclaim the glory and greatness of God.
Music has always been an important part of people’s lives. In the Bible, we read of so many instances
where music was in the people’s presence; for celebrations, for victories, for
praising the Lord. Music is powerful and
has the unique ability to affect people and their emotions. In my opinion, striking the inner chord of a
person’s emotions is perhaps one of the most difficult feats. Trust me, as an aspiring author, I’ve well discovered
that principle through my writing. And
music has the capability of touching that calloused and guarded portion of our
emotions. How much more should we use
the music that our lives produce to touch the hearts of others and turn them
toward Christ?
In an orchestra,
there are so many different instruments: violins, kettle drums, percussions,
cellos, a piano, an organ, a tuba, French horns, saxophones, flutes, clarinets,
recorders… the list goes on. Each
instrument has such a unique sound, but without it, the whole symphony would
not be complete. Each of us is an
instrument, but each of us also has a different sound. Each of the instruments in the Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra’s performance was playing a different piece of the
song. So we too each have a different
portion to play in God’s melody. We each
have unique abilities and gifts that He has given us and desires for us to use
for His glory, but unfortunately, so many people nowadays try to conform their
gifts to others’. They take their unique
instrument and try to play the music portion of their peers. You are a unique instrument and have been
given a unique piece to play in the song.
Don’t be afraid to stand apart and be different, who you really are and
were created to be. Having a solo in a
song is a scary thing. If you mess up,
everyone can tell. I wonder if often that
might be the problem. We’re too afraid
of making mistakes to play our individually assigned portions of God’s song. Timidity can be a terrible thing in a walk
with the Lord. Don’t be afraid to play
your unique part. Mistakes will happen,
yes, but mistakes are a step in learning.
Beginner musicians always make mistakes.
It’s inevitable; they’re just learning.
We will fumble in playing our music, using our gifts, but it’s a part of
learning. It’s okay to make mistakes as
long as we learn from them. Be the
unique instrument that you are. If
you’re a cello, don’t try to be a violin or play the violinist’s part of the
song. It ruins the whole symphony, and
the song is incomplete without its cellos.
Learning to play
an instrument is not easy. If you’re a
musician yourself you can testify to that statement, I’m sure. It takes time and dedication and practice. So does the instruments of our lives. Learning to live our lives as a testimony for
Christ takes time spent with Him and in His Word. It doesn’t come overnight. If you are learning to play a stringed
instrument then the learning process can be painful as well as you build up
callouses on your fingers. Walking with
the Lord is not guaranteed to be pain-free.
Instruments
always need tuning. When a musician
plays in an orchestra, he must focus on the music and pay close attention to
know when to come in. Unfortunately, the
world is such a stumbling block for believers nowadays that is so easy to lose
our focus on playing God’s symphony.
That’s why it’s so important to spend time in God’s Word to keep our
instruments tuned and our attention refocused.
It does take dedication though; I admit taking the time for this is one
of my difficult points.
Symphony No. 3 and the whole
experience at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra was so beautiful and breath-taking
that I wished it would never end. It had
me hardly daring to breathe for fear of missing a single note. How much more beautiful and grand is the
melody of the Lord when all of His children join together in song for Him? And that is a song that will never end.
The book of
Isaiah records for us these words of Hezekiah, king of Judah, as he writes
about his experience through the trial of an illness that brought him to his
death-bed. He had full confidence that
the Lord would save him and spare him from death. We are all doomed for death. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift
of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro 6:23) But by the grace of God and the atonement
through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, we too have full confidence that
He will save us and spare us from this death if we place our trust and belief
in Him and allow Him to reign in our lives as Lord. Hezekiah writes that the Lord will
save him, but I write that the Lord has saved me, and may we all sing to
Him with stringed instruments all the days of our lives.
“The Lord will
save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives
in the temple of the Lord.” Isa 38:20
Beautifully written! It was definitely a night to remember. ~mom
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