The Magic of Music...

By Donna Dior

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Just What is it about Music ?
My Beautiful Mom Loved to Sing & Listen to Music & Sing some More...
(click "Read More" below to continue)

As a musician myself from the time i was very young, I can certainly attest to it’s magic and how you just instantly feel better by the act alone of playing  or listening to it. My Mom and her extreme love of it was the main reason for my early indoctrination. Being she was not fortunate enough as a child to own an instrument, A piano was one of the very the first things she purchased when she started working as a teacher and was finally able to afford one... and then she proceeded to take piano lessons for a very short time before she married and started having children  (the golden pearl of Me came second :)) .
Hence, she wanted to make sure I was given the gift of music, so when I started sitting at her piano in about my third year of life and playing the melody of pretty much everything that was granted a spot on our record player (which was most everything), she wasted no time in seeking out the best local piano teacher she could find that would take me at just about 4yrs old.
A whole lot went on since & between the many years of classical piano lessons & recitals and then as a teen putting a rock band together with my amazing brother .
I basically dropped out of college to play music for starters...
by that time one thing was for certain though, I knew that music was Bliss & I couldn’t live without it.
...& I am Not alone…
I certainly know enough fellow musicians that have sacrificed a way more secure & certain  life just for the absolute Love of it ..
and music lovers in general, whom are most people it seems, will often go to great lengths to access their music.

“If I were Not a Physicist , I would probably be a musician, I often think in music . I live my daydreams in music . I see my life in terms of music”
Albert Einstein

So Why the absolute obsession ?
My Mom would always simply repeat to me that "Music will Never Let you Down".

So in honor of her, and also because I am all about wellness (& magic), and I believe music (& art) is precisely that in its most pure form... I gathered some further details. 
As it turns out some of them are pretty interesting...
Read away below & I think you may agree...

“If everyone started off the day singing, just think how happy they’d be “ 
Lauren Myracle

It's Been Around For Awhile ...

It is not known for certain, but The origin of the word “Music” is thought  most likely to have come from the greek word “Mousike” which means “Art of the Muses” whom in Greek mythology were the nine patron goddesses of the arts and daughters of Greek God Zeus (king of Gods, sky & thunder). (Take a Look Here).
There is evidence to suggest that music has actually existed since prehistoric times and it is believed that ancient musical rituals were possibly the first forms of religion (Take a Look Here).
Through findings of various ancient instruments such as flutes, there is thought that music as well as notes from our modern day scales (group of notes from which melody is derived) may have actually existed in some form this early in time. The oldest instrument currently known to man is a still playable flute dating back at least 50,000 years that is thought to possibly have been built and played by...Neanderthals (Take a Look Here).

In terms of humans & the documenting of music, It is known, from the transcription of ancient written (cuneiform) tablets, that it was most likely in Mesopotamia (which was one of the first cultures in existence & where writing itself likely originated), that the Babylonians, and the Sumerians prior to them, whose early endeavors in astronomy documented that of the the earths skies including its constellations, established fundamentals of the early calendar and model of time used in modern day. In their budding civilizations they also devised early systems of math and then became interested in sound and seemingly proceeded to create an initial system of diatonic (7 note) scales (Take a Look Here).

The oldest actual piece of music known to man was a hymn supposedly written by the Sumerians and was actually discovered in the 1950’s written on Clay tablets in a language called “Hurrian”(14th century BCE) around 3,400 years ago. Somewhat contrary to previous modern day thought that harmony was virtually non existent prior to the Greeks and their monumental influence on music development, the piece confirmed that harmony along with some form of diatonic scale  actually did exist that long ago (Take a Look Here).
As culture spread many others followed, again The Greeks, who were potentially most responsible for the organization of many essential factors to man on earth, are noted as primary...

Greek Philosopher Pythagoras (5th century BCE), among the most influential philosophers of all time and sometimes regarded as the father of music is generally credited in the discovery of the first systemic division of the octave, the diatonic scale and the concept of harmonics. This supposedly occurred using all the notes that were known at the time. The seven (combining whole & semitone) note diatonic scale and it’s several modern forms (modes) is still used in most western music today (including major (ionian mode) & natural minor (aeolian mode) scales. This led to the development of music theory and occurred along with the important discovery that the frequency of a vibrating string in being inversely proportionate to its length.  
Pythagoras who developed and advanced concepts of astronomy, math and music, believed in the concept of the existence of music and harmony in the entire universe, that the intervals between the planets and the stars in our galaxy were the same as in musical tone and rang out vibrational notes depending on their proximity to each other. He applied this law of harmonic intervals and theory of the harmonic relationship of the planets,  constellations, and elements to each other and to all of music and nature. He saw the universe as a massive monochord, with its single string connected to ultimate spirit at the upper end and to ultimate matter at its lower end. Basically a cord stretched between heaven and earth. All things being connected  of vibration, energy, nature, goodness & harmony (Take a Look Here) & (Here).
Pythagoras and his ratios helped to characterize most every system of musical intonation throughout the ages. To this day we basically tune our instruments using the system that he originated almost 2,500 years ago. (Take a Look Here).
In addition, he declared that emotions could be transformed and the soul could be purified as he sung songs to the accompaniment of the lyre (ancient stringed instrument)…and he did not hesitate to attempt to influence the mind and body with music when he termed it ”Musical Medicine" (Take a Look Here)...but more regarding this a bit later...

"Harmony is the Manifesting Expression of the Will of the Eternal Good " (Take a Look Here)

Music Unites.. & Not Just People...

It is indeed said that primitive man used music to Appease the Gods...
Which is really cool to think about...
Music has certainly been integral throughout time and in similar ways across most all cultures which would include those of ritual, religious, ceremonial & mystical contexts .
It has even been stated that the motivation for creating music can be traced to the cellular level of humans (Take a Look Here).
In modern day, music quite certainly plays a part in most every instance and event in our lifetimes…and one thing is for sure, its a Universal Language.
Music possesses an almost miraculous kind of power that can cut & traverse through, affect and connect living beings regardless of their differences.
No matter where on earth humans roam and what languages they may speak, or where division exists, people have the innate biology to be bound by music...And It has even been suggested that its bonding potential could be one of the fundamental reasons for the actual existence of music.
In his interesting book "The Singing Neanderthals", author Steven Mithen discusses music being adhesive as well as cohesive on society  (Take a Look Here). Music is powerful regarding bonding of people together, be it from mother to child as well as any type of group be it working, warring or peaceful. It has even been suggested that music through its bonding capabilities is somewhat responsible for family units and the organization of society itself in the fact that it connects people together instead of them just roaming scattered singularly & solitarily  through the land (Take a Look Here). All this through Song...and  interestingly, it is possible that again, even Neanderthals sung being they indeed had the anatomy to do so…

Surprising and eye opening research has found that the pentatonic scale, a simple 5 note tone per octave (whole tone only) musical scale that has been also used since ancient times in cultures all over the world (think oriental music or Chopsticks) (Take a Look Here) and harmonies from it are strongly utilized (in 84% of interactions) in vocalizations from mother to infant communication (Take a Look Here).
There is potentially powerful importance of this quite remarkable fact regarding its impact on human bonding and early child development.
Late neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp (1943-2017) who importantly studied  neural mechanisms of emotions that he called “Affective Neuroscience”  suggested a strong link between music from mother to child and language development as he explained  “Human languages are coaxed into the brain, initially by the melodic intonations of motherese by which emotional communication becomes the vehicle for propositional thought” (Take a Look Here) .

There is indeed thought that in a certain context that music in its earliest form must have actually proceeded speech, such as a mother humming to their child. Additionally, rhythm may have proceeded vocalization overall (Take a Look Here).
Additionally, it really is quite a blurry line between music and speech. Rhythm and pitch are obviously main aspects of music, but they can also apply to things such as poems (like 14 line sonnets), or even certain ways of speaking.

"Music Can Change the World"
 Ludwig van Beethoven

Interestingly even In nature, many species of animals including birds (Take a Look Here) & (Here), communicate with each other using synchronized vocalizations such as birds duetting, and have intricate systems of doing so, some which are musical & some not. These are in apparent acts of bonding & liaison as well as protection and survival  (Liaisoning birds Really gets me :)) ...
Birds in fact, especially males, go to great lengths of producing song to connect with and woo potential female partners, and incidentally, singing  trill rate & frequency bandwidth Really matter (Take a Look Here)… and in certain instances they even go so far as practically making playlists that they shuffle (Take a Look Here) & (Here) !
Also, similarly to some people, birds don’t necessarily like cities since all the noise pollution can dangerously drown out their singing/communicating (Take a Look Here)...
….and even though it may seem quite extreme, male birds have even been known to practically sing themselves to death.
It has been found that the females sing as well (but generally not to death) (Take a Look Here)... and lastly it certainly cannot go without mentioning how much many of us love to hear songbirds in nature (I sure know I do), as do many human composers, and many of the greatest in history have used birdsong as inspiration (Take a Look Here).
..Hope you enjoyed my deep dive down the “birdsong rabbit hole"...
Again, in addition to birds, many other species in nature also communicate utilizing various vocalizations. (I won't go there..today anyway :)...
In humans as well, studies of social behavior similarly suggest an important purpose for synchronized music & responsive/antiphonal (2 party) speech being powerful in terms of human connection & social bonding (Take a Look Here).
This may suggest at least in part why music and manner of speech in humans has the innate power to bond and unite people .
Further, these types of communications have been in place since ancient times through evolution and utilized in such basic things as attracting a mate, marking territory, or warnings  in situations of survival .
This may indicate that music along with language may well be woven into our natural biology… and thus our society.
Our ears unlike our eyes have the incredible ability (important to human survival in history) through evolution to hear in 360 without focusing directly on an event, and vibration and sound sense is ancient and linked to deep emotional centers in the brain (Tale a Look Here).
Ultimately, music "restores our common humanity and our connection with all living things"(Take a Look Here).

“Music is the universal language of mankind.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Music is Emotion & Memory...

Memory & Emotion is another area in which music has been shown to affect us quite profoundly.
In his Book “This is your brain on music” Neuroscientist (& Musician) Daniel J Levitin (Take a Look Here) states that “Your brain on music is a way to understand the deepest mysteries of human nature".
He also states that contrary to common thought that art and music are processed in the right brain hemisphere and with math & language in the left, it has now been found that music processing whether listening, composing or performing it is distributed throughout and involves nearly every known region of the brain that has yet been identified and nearly every neural subsystem. Furthermore, different aspects of music are handled by different neural regions.
This would additionally present the possibility of music exposure and its stimulation of of so many brain regions possessing the power to make us more efficient in additional areas as well !
The playing of a musical instrument itself requires the simultaneous coordination of many brain areas including parts of our primitive brain (such as the cerebellum), highly cognitive ones (such as the motor cortex) along with the most advanced ones (frontal lobe).

As many of us may realize, it has indeed been found that there is a very strong link between memory and music. Just melody in itself triggers a whole mechanism regarding pitch & interval processing (as in the distance of notes from one another) in the brain which renders melodies memorable and immediately recognizable, regardless of the key they are in….  This is really quite incredible when you think about it, and I’m sure you know how a good melody can be insanely repeating earworm stuck in your head… regardless of the key it’s in …
Mr Levitin goes on to point out that memory and its affect on the music listening experience is so profound that it’s not out of the question to say that without memory there would be no music.
This music and memory connection also has a huge implication regarding emotion, as It has been found that our memory system & emotional system are intimately related...
Mr Levitin makes the point that music is actually a stronger tool for eliciting feelings and emotion that language alone is.
The emotions we feel in response to music have been found to involve structures deep in the primitive, reptilian regions the brain (did you say "biology"), as well as areas of the cortex (Take a Look Here) & (Here)...
For certain, the emotional experience of music is an enormous factor regarding why we're so drawn to it.

"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent"   
Victor Hugo

Another interesting detail regarding memory and music would be the fact that words put to melody are easier to remember when they are in musical or song form than otherwise. This process has been counted on in times past for instance when other sources for documentation were not yet available (Take a Look Here). Humans haven’t always had easy access to writing implements & electronic devices after all, and there was a time in history that memory & oral tradition were the only methods of remembering or communicating anything. Indeed it is way easier to remember words & phrases in musical form rather than something read or spoken, just think about all the song lyrics you memorize for instance… and many legendary works have most likely survived the test of time because of this phenomenon.
Just think about our beloved Alphabet for example...

.. & Perhaps most fascinating of all on this topic..
Most of us are probably familiar with the phenomenon of hearing familiar music from our past that triggers memories and emotions…
When a song or piece of music from the past transports us back to a strong emotion and place in time, what researchers happen to call “music evoked autobiographical memory (MEAM’s), it seems that areas of the pre frontal cortex may be a hub (of several brain regions involved) in a network somewhat responsible for this repeated experience of memories & emotions triggered by hearing music. This is additionally interesting being it is also potentially a similar area/process  of the brain that is prominent in processing music and tonal chord progression.
It has also been found that music possesses this memory enhancing effect and ability to stimulate and trigger this circumstance far more powerfully than other types of verbal or visual cues, and that even people afflicted with conditions such as brain injury, alzheimers, dementia, and amnesia strongly and vividly experience this phenomenon. Thus it has been noted to have the potential to be used in this manner therapeutically, as even those afflicted with conditions regarding challenges with memory and cognitive decline, music being a more efficient stimulus. As it potentially holds the unique and miraculous power to strongly and vividly trigger the precious gift of memory.
(Take a Look Here), (Here) & (Here).

“I haven’t understood a bar of music in my life, but I have felt it.”
Igor Stravinsky

Music Is Medicine

Where music is concerned, it certainly seems that every element of its light & wizardry fuses with the next..
Along with its amazing effects regarding emotion & memory, the history of music as medicine crosses cultures & the ages as it traces back to the earliest times of healing itself. It incorporates both mind and body utilizing it’s abundant therapeutic powers to help restore mental as well as physical health. The premise of music as medicine traces back in history to practices such as healing rituals in pre civilization tribal based societies. In modern day it is used to promote wellness in countless areas including those in clinical settings.

In terms of centuries past, previously mentioned Greek philosopher Pythagoras (6th century bc) was considered the father of music therapy by many, and he is said to have cured many ailments of the body, soul & spirit by having certain specially prepared musical compositions played in the presence of the sufferer, particularly led in song accompanied by a Lyre (ancient stringed instrument).
The great Hippocrates, the father of medicine (think the Hippocratic Oath) believed music as fused with healing and is noted as playing music for his patients (in approx 400 BC), and Aristotle claimed that music healed and purified human emotions and the soul. Plato later conceptualized that music attunes the soul to the cosmos.

Up to and throughout the middle ages music was actually held with such great importance that law mandated those that studied medicine also did with appreciation of music, as it was believed that healing of the psyche with music also healed the body (Take a Look Here).
It has been said that music throughout the centuries has played a part in uniting and healing people even when in times of worldly chaos & destruction.
Just for starters there is quite abundant evidence that the possible therapeutic benefits of music and it’s energy & sound vibration is incredibly powerful in many areas (Take a Look Here), (Here)  & (Here) .

Modern day medical technology has shown that music activates more brain regions therapeutically than most any other mental activity and it has been researched regarding it’s impact on health in areas such as its potentially powerful and positive effect regarding neurochemical changes (Take a Look Here).
As previously mentioned, research has also found music as being a language linked to our emotions, and it having the ability to give a voice to our feelings (Take a Look Here).
Neuroimaging studies have even found that strong emotional responses to music such as the “thrill & chill”  effect  we sometimes feel is potentially due to activity in several of the brains reward/motivation, euphoria & arousal centers. Quite amazingly these are similar areas also activated by stimuli such as substance abuse, food & arousal…& though music does not actually seem to possess a direct link to survival, the functional and powerful connectivity among brain regions and their potent chemical release of reward and feel good chemicals from it such as endorphins (natural painkillers) & dopamine (reward chemicals), indeed links to the most basic traits of human biology & survival. (Take a Look Here) & (Here).

In addition, due to these potentially powerful effects on the brain, including the release of those pain relieving endorphins (hormones named after “morphine” & Morpheus the God of Dreams in greek mythology) that are known for things such as  pain cessation, analgesia & euphoria, music has even been suggested in some circumstances as a possible therapeutic  alternative or supplement  to drug/opioid use for  chronic as well as acute pain (Take a Look Here).
Interestingly, when administered opioid opposing drug naloxone (which reverses the effect of opioids), it has been found in some findings that listeners to music had less thrill or pleasure, as the drug essentially also blocking and reversing Music’s positive effects…(Take a Look Here).
Along with its potential capabilities regarding pain management, music is also noted for its therapeutic value to areas such as brain injury, speech, memory and children with developmental  disorders as well as autism. (Take a Look Here).
Music has additionally been noted as being helpful for people undergoing surgical procedures regarding its ability to again decrease pain, as well as helpful regarding postoperative pain and recovery, stress & anxiety (Take a Look Here) & (Here).
There is also even evidence that music and its therapeutic power includes strong potential immunomodulatory (immune system balancing) effects (Take a Look Here).
..& just to mention,  there actually is evidence that even just the Imagining of music in your head can activate auditory & other areas of the brain and therefore be beneficial in various & similar ways. (Take a Look Here).

This is all really just the tip of the iceberg regarding the therapeutic force of music.  It has been shown throughout history to be a valuable medicinal tool & its incredible power continues to be uncovered to this day….
You know you Always feel better when you hear it...

“Music can heal the wounds which medicine cannot touch.”
 Debasish Mridha

We are Fortunate to Have it at our Fingertips..

The first human composer of music whose name is thought to be known was a woman named "Enheduanna".
Enheduanna was a high priestess and daughter of Sumerian King Sardon whose writings were composed between approximately 2300 & 2200 BC in Mesopotamia. She is said to have written 45 songs in Sumerian on clay (cuneiform) tablets including 3 hymns to a Goddess named Inanna, who was known as the Venus Star and the the Sumerian Goddess of Love & War. Enheduanna as a high priestess served Inanna's Father "Nanna" ~ the Moon God (Take a Look Here).
Especially in that time at the dawn of civilization, when sitting  to write music at her clay tablet for the Venus Star Goddess of Love & War whilst serving the Moon God, one can't help but wonder if it all must have come to her, just  channeled from the ethers .
So many songwriters & composers and even artists in modern day speak of this phenomenon afterall. As is often enough stated, that at times they have absolutely No idea where their creation actually came from, as  it just arrived in their head somehow, sent or sensed of the heavens or magically delivered in a dream..

Any way it happened though, Enheduanna likely didn't have a huge audience in 2300 BC..
She certainly had zero access to any form of recording equipment or device, mail, phone, electronic device, not even an actual pencil or piece of paper...
Basically no communication with anyone other than who she was sitting, standing or lying directly next to.. If music was Shared back then, it was through actual person to person contact only...

We are actually so very fortunate to be living in a time in history that the gift of music is ridiculously available to us. Actually, up until the 19th century (the first recorded sound occurred in the mid to late 1800s) the only way to really listen to a piece of music other than in person amongst a very small group was to go to a live performance (formal concerts themselves are thought to have begun around the fifteenth century). This meant that most people that were even able to attend a live performance would perhaps only hear a piece of music a few times in their lifetime (Take a Look Here).
So we are indeed fortunate that in this modern day we can reap the benefits  as most everything is recorded and ready to be streamed to our slick mind melding (& melting) electronic devices. We can listen to absolutely any type of music we desire at anytime...

.. & Since it seems that music has perhaps been with us since the earliest of times and basically our evolution into humans, in the 21st century it has certainly not gone away.. and it most likely never will as long as our species (& perhaps others) roam the earth (or anywhere else).
That is what you call Powerful...
It's nearly impossible not to be highly affected by the sound and influence of it. From the path of those seeking enlightenment, to healers of the suffering, to human connection, and most everything beyond and in between, music is interwoven.
All things goodness, harmony, biology, memory, vibration, emotion, wisdom, connection, bliss, medicine & miracle ..
My Mom was Right, It will Not let you down.
 It is Magic..

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.”
Plato

Disclaimer   
This blog, it's content and any linked materials does not provide medical advice and is presented and intended for informational purposes only. It is based on my personal experience and research and is Not a Substitute for Medical Advice or Treatment. Do not Disregard Medical Advice, or delay in Seeking it because of something you have read in this blog, website or in Any linked material. Consult with a Medical Professional if you have a Medical Condition.