Music is an expression of the love of the Lord in our hearts. Listening to and singing heavenly music can be a source of healing and comfort during times of suffering. The Church has traditionally recognized this and has made music an essential part of Her liturgy.
The origin of worship and music goes back to Christianity's Jewish roots. According to the Renaissance Jewish Rabbi Judah Ben Joseph Moscato, God is the perfect embodiment of music in His essence, as reflected in His creation of all heavenly bodies and creatures: the nine spheres resonate with music and the angels intone their songs. The Holy Name (YHWH) encompasses the principal consonances: octave, fifth, fourth, third, and their compounds. Man, created in the image of his Maker, is ordered in intervallic ratios: harmony is implanted in his soul, which, attracted to song, reacts to it by producing a song of its own. He is likened, in his musical construction, to a kinnor, yet for his potential kinnor to play properly, i.e., to actuate the music in his soul, he must pursue a path of righteousness: hearkening to a divine instrument, he responds by duplicating its pitches.
Rabbi Moscato
No comments:
Post a Comment