The Secret Power of Music

152 Pages·1984·32.213 MB·English

by  David Tame

First published 1984
This edition first published 1988
O DAVID TAME 1984
to the,seventh angel
to the two olive trees
and to all who will sing the new song
The good is one thing; the sensuously pleasant another. These
Alln'ght~r e~erved.N o pan of thr~bo ok may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by two, differing in their ends, both prompt to action. Blessed are they
any meam, electronic or mechanical, ancfudz?tgphotocopyingr, ecording or by any
that choose the good; they that choose the sensuously pleasant miss
information storage and retnevd system, without pennirsion in wnting from the
Publisher the goal.
Both the good and the pleasant present themselves to men. The
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
wise, having examined both, distinguish the one from the other. The
wise prefer the good to the pleasant; the foolish, driven by fleshly
Tame, David
desires, prefer the pleasant to the good.
The secret power of music. - 2nd ed.
- Katha Upanishad
1. Music - Psychology
I. Tide
781'.15 ML3830
ISBN 0-85030-752-X
The Aquanirn Press ispart of the
Thorsons Publishing Group, Welhgborough,N orthamptonshire,
NN8 2RQ England
Printed in Great Britain by
Woolnough Bookbinding Limited,
Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire
Contents
A c~nowledgements 11
verture: Music and its Power 13
usic as a power - music, the individual and society - music creates order out of chaos
as in music, so in l$; Music as a Mould for Society - the protest of Confucius;
sound, Music. and the Wisdom of the Ancients - the walls of Jericho destrqed by
the scientific use of sound - music for good and music for evil - the ancients were more
aware than we of the unseen causes behind all outer events - music and moraliy; The
Hidden Side of Music - a personal experience of the author; Primal Vibration -
music as a manrfestation of the OM; Music and the Twentieth Century; Music and
Materialism - the modern viewpoint on music - Aquarian Age people have not yet
rejected anti-Aquarian Age music - an outline of this book.
1. The Ancient Wisdom: Music in China 3 3
Music and Morality - music as an energy formula - the beliefs of Confucius; Music
d Spirituality - the stoty of Master Wen of Cheng - the allegory behind the story -
rli.sit from the celestials; The OM in China; Astrology and the Twelve Cosmic
)na - one Cosmic Tone for each lpdiacal month; Sound Above and Sound Below
-- audible sound a manifestation of the twelve Cosmic Tones - music and ceremony -
Chinese music transposed in accordance with astrological gcles; The Mysticism of
Music - musical notes as an outpouring of the One Vibration - the subtlety of the
iiuidual notes - the mystical basis of Oriental monotone instrument.^; Music and
'
actical Magic - gigantic orchestras to release vast quantities of Cosmic Sound;
usic and the T'ai Chi -the forces of yin and yang in Chinese music; The Concept
the Logos in Chinese Music - Cosmic Sound associated with Cosmic Consciousness
Chinese emperors as incarnations of the Word - the huang chung; OfT imes and
{cles; Of Music and Modes - astrology, Cosmic Sound and earthly rtmtr - thr
ertial ynphony - to align earthly music with universal principles; The Hulrrrg Ch141g
the Foundation of Civilization - standardiatron of 1~7~~qabntdt mtvrtttrri
;IS
rl<~~rrnrcwnitt h the One Tone; The Eternal Quest - the prrilr offiw tm~;r.c~tr,k~~trlr~l! :
8 THE SECRET POWER OF MUSIC CONTENTS 9
the search for p6ection; Rigidity vs. -I nnovation: The Cwcial Dilemma - the Consciousness - music is the Iangrri!yr of languages; Motives For Music - Milk
dangers ofboth stapion and anarchy the Chinese middle way; n eM ysticism of
Music and Numba - note-ratios - the sign$cances of1,2,3, 12, / and 7; Mode Jager, "moving after the minds' - tI,r M rrrnas and the Papas deliberately cause a riot -
Mood - the 'biu!4m band', The Legendary Origins of Chinese Classical Music - the exalted ideals ofthe classical compttrt; Music Therapy: The Universal Cure? -
music therapy in histoy - music rhrrt~pr oday - musicfor the handicapped - 'evny
Lfivjve legendary monarchs; The Historical ER - Prince Tsai-Yu discovms qwl
illness is a musical problem'; Music and the Stnlcture of Society - music and
temperamm; The Loss of the Logos - decline and falL - disappearance of the
langwge - music and the perception of rinrr - does tonality encode the industrial world-
'hi& band'; The Use of Sound in Modern China - subject.rfir the no& opera
- anti- Western death-chants. view? - the creative role of music in thc .Soviet Union di,rpnt~edd ialectic materialism;
The Tonal Side of the American Rcvolurion.
2. The Twentieth Century: The 'New Music' 170
72 4. The Ancient Wisdom : Music in India
The Idealism of Pre-Twentieth-Cenmrj Music - the spiritual motives behind the
Intoning the OM - OM and the huang chung: OM - rlibration, the rource +he
music of Liqt - Mo~arta nd Masonry; The Revolution of Technique - the expan-
Creation - the Trinity in Hinduism - ahata and anahata; Thc Mystical Basis of
sion ofhannony; The Revolution into Materialism - 'hwiontdly'-directed music -
Music and Speech - the Trinity in music - the prima9 ofthe voice - the e~oteric
the 'new music' excludes God and moral purpose - Mussorgsb and his. 'bitter . . .
importance ofchanting; Music and Spirituality -yogi musicians; Name and Form -
language of truth' - Tchaikovsb, over-emotionalism and de music of d+at; Debus~
names are key-note formulas - bija mantras; Indian Music and its Appreciation -
Points the - or a - Way - the poet of moonlight and of velvet shadows;
Indian and Western music compared - The Raga - the 22 intervals of the scale -
CImopmrmesasinodnoissm - vCsh. aErlxeps rIevsessi o-n ihsims m; uTshice 'Stoe rbiaelpilsntsy e-d atosn naolti tny ircme'o; uIngcoerd S; tEranvteinrs: kTyh -e over-rigidity VS. anarchy: the Indian solutim - structure of the raga; Music and
The Rite of Spring - Ye shall know them 15 theirjuits; Ballet Michanique and Indian Civilization - differences between north and south - the entrance of Western-
After - Edgar Varbe - Deserts and Pohe Electr~ni~u-e S ilver Apples of the sole 'Pop'.
Moon - Bach is 'switched on'; Music Becomes Caged - John Cage: 'a ping j. The Twentieth Century: Jazz and the Blues - Their Nature
pal$ed ly a thud' - indetminary in music - antimuszc and perverted Zm - 187
and Origin
LaMonte Young, David Tudor, Steve Reich - anti-theatre and anti-dance; A Visitor
Tonal Anarchisrs Through thc Ages - the decline of Greece; Roots - voodoo and the
From Sirius Stockhausen; The B.F. Skinner Show, or Music to Get Under Your
Skin - rock L'n ' roll hot pants; Some Further Advances in the Art - the Water slave trade - early ragtime and blues - Buddy Bolden - the terms yax' and 'rock' 'n'
roll' rgeweed to the Sex act; Resistance - media reactions - Cyril Scott on jan; 'My
Whistle; Computer Music- GIGO - uocoding: the uoice of 'Luciano Jagtrl;
Daddy Rocks Me With One Steady Roll' (- The Lyrical Content of the Blues -)
Courageously Exploring Backwards; Assessing the Avant-Garde; What is thc lyrics of hard sex - swlig veiled Ly double-meanings; Jazz 'Arrives' - from
Purpose of Music? - Darwzni sugeestion - music aciording to MIT - .Ytephn -
whwehouse to speateag the Big Band; The Effects of the Music; Offsprings of
Halpm: 'reIuxing' into the New Age - Truth, Beau9 4 Goodness: separating the
the Jazz Rhythm; The Modern Era - tbe intellecmliation ofjax- a pophetic
three Sisters - eternal standards a dt he double-minded man; Roll Over Beethoven;
starementfim the 1940s - About Rock.
Roll Over Man - composing compuiers - mechanical music teachws; Emp.t v Scan -
.
the pub~ lic vote with their fief; Twentieth-Century Traditionalists - ,V aughan 6. Assessment: The Physics of the OM 205
William - Holst.
OM and the Unity of Crcation Myths; 'And God Said . . .'-the meatit~tpowero f
3. Assessment: Music. Man and Society 136 sound allegorically desnibed in Gtne.ri.r - the seven Tones of Creation; Egyptian
Music and the physical Body - music aflects the brain, the blood-pressure, the heart- Genesis - Creation 5 thought and sound - EgVptian bija mantras - the mysticism of
the voice; The Word Made Flesh - the Incarnation; Genesis Now; The Work of
rate and the muscles - music as a sedatizr or stimulant - musicogenL epilepg - the
- Ernst Chladni and Hans Jenny - Chladniplates - the tonoscope; The Song of the
dangws ofloud music the physiological effects of different tmrpos; Music and Plants:
Atom - matter = enerp = oibration; The Vocal Range of the One Singcr -
Some Preliminary Findings - Bach accelerates plant grobgth - death rock - electromagnetism and wave-Ffqumcy; The Mysticism of Colour - the colour octave;
objectively good and oeectively bad music - music changes plants' chromosomes; Music.
The Imminence of the Word - the OM in Tibetan music; Harmonic Ratios and
Mind and Emotion - all experiences, including music, affect man; character; Music
Proportions in Nature - universal harmonics in pbsics, chemisty and biology;
as an Encoder; Music as a Communicator and Multiplier of Statcs of
Harmonic Principles in the Natural Psycho1ogj of Man - Ur-song; Towards a
Overture :
Music and its Power
Our subject is not music as an abstract art, but music as a force
which affects aU. who hear it. Music - not as entertainment only, but
s a literal power.
Whenever we are within audible range of music, its influence is
laying upon us constantly - speeding or slowing, regularizing or
~rregularizingo ur heartbeat; relaxing or jarring the nerves; affecting
the blood pressure, the digestion and the rate of respiration. Its
effect upon the emotions and desires of man is believed to be vast,
and the extent of its influence over even the purely intellectual,
mental processes is only just beginning to be suspected by
researchers.
Moreover, to affect the character of the individual is to alter that
basic atom or unit - the person - from which all of society is con-
structed. In other words, music may also play a far more important
role in determining the character and direction of civilization than
most people have until now been willing to believe. The powers of
music are multi-faceted, sometimes uncannily potent, and by no
means, as yet, entirely understood. They can be used or misused.
'Ve forsake the conscious, constructive use of these powers to our
wn loss. We ignore these powers at our peril.
Though little thought is given today as to the meaning or
lllnction of music within society, the civilizations of former times
were usually very conscious of music's power. This was especially
true of the pre-Christian cr.. In fact, the further back in time we
look, the more people are found to have been aware of the inherent
owers locked within the heart of all music and all sound.
It has been easy for modern man, born and raised within a
~ciety permeated with the philosophy of materialism and
tductionism, to fall into the trap of regarding music to be a non-
jsential and even peripheral aspect of human life. And yet such a
>
14 THE SECRET POWER OF MUSIC MUSIC AND ITS POWER 1
viewpoint would have been regarded by the philosophers of anti- 111ca ncients believed that music could affect man and civilization.
quity to be not only irrational, but also, ultimately, suicidal. For from 'I'llc ancicnts were convinced that music could become internalized
ancient China to Egypt, from India t6 the golden age of Greece we I,y the individual; the music influencing, as it were. the rhythm of
find the same: the belief that there is something immensely funda- 111rn'st houghts, rhe melody of man's emotions, and the harmony of
mental about music; something which, they believed, gave it the his bodily health and manner of movement. In all these ways, music
power to sublimely evolve or to utterly degrade the individual was thought to determine the manner of our thoughts and actions.
psyche - and thereby to make or break entire civilizations. '4s in music, so in life - this one timeless axiom contains the
.. .
Something immensely fundamental about music central concept upon which entire civilizations once founded almost
It was exactly this that Pythagoras was driving at in his research (.very aspect of their society. And upon thls same seed concept
through which he discovered that all of music could be reduced to
generations of kings, ~riestsa nd philosophers based the whole work
-
numbers and mathematical ratios and that the entire universe and of the long span of their lives.
all phenomena therein could also be explained in these same terms of As in music, so in life,
the same particular numbers and mathematical ratios which were An axiom which declares that consciousness and all of civilization
found in music.
is shaped and moulded according to the existing style or styles of
Pythagoras' understanding of music was far more than a merely ~~lusicA. shattering concept indeed! When one ponders upon its
materialistic, academic one, and such an understanding is lamentably il~~~licadotnhsa:t music magnetizes society into conformity with
rare today. Yet we discover something of this timeless flame of ...
ilsclf
ageless wisdom preserved in that small minority of musicians who Could it actually be true that music tends to mould us, in our
still today have combined academic knowledge and the practical ~hou~hatnsd our behaviour patterns, into conformity with its own
experience of music with a genuine and earnest inner spiritual itlnate patterns of rhythm, melody, morality and mood?
development.
Irllmediately, one's mind turns towards specific examples: styles of
Few would disagree that such a person is the much-beloved l~rusico f which we know, and the society or sub-culture which is to
musical personality, Yehudi Menuhin. And we find a deep and truly I)c found around them. What of the music of today? The society of
Pythagorean flash of i'n sight in the opening sentences of his book, t~)dayC? learly the above axiom, should it prove to be valid, is one
Theme and Variations. Here, this great contemporary violinist has
Ir;iught with significance for modern civilization.
expressed the inner meaning of the tonal arts in terms so pointedly
true, and yet so all-embracing in their truth, that they are food for a MUSIC AS A MOULD FOR SOCIETY
great deal of careful thought: Whenever, at any time during the course of his life, modern man has
lislcned to music, has he really known the meaning and the implica-
Music creates order out of chaos; for rhythm imposes unanimity lions of what he was doing? Certainly not according to the ancient
upon the divergent, melody imposes continuity upon the disjoin- T~l~ilosopheWrs.e may take ancient China for example:
ted, and harmony imposes compatibility upon the incongruous. Each year, in the second month, Emperor Shun could be found
Thus a confusion surrenders to order and noise to music, and as journeying eastward in order to check upon his kingdom, and to
we through music attain that greater universal order which rests cnsure that everything was in order throughout the vast land. Yet he
upon fundamental relationships of geometrical and mathematical did not do so by auditing the account books of the different regions.
proportion, direction is supplied to mere repetitious time, power Neither by observing the state of life of the populace, or by receiv-
to the multiplication of elements, and purpose to random associa- ing petitions from them. Nor by interviewing the regional officials
tion. it1 authority. No, by none of these methods. For in ancient China
thcre was considered to be a much more revealing, accurate and
We co~llds top right there. We almost need to go no further. These scientific method of checking on the state of the nation. According
words of Yehudi Menuhin render a core explanation of the entire IO the ancient Chinese text, .Shu King, the Emperor Shun went
ancient-world conception of the power of music; of why and how :~lloiitth rough the different territories and . . .tested the exact pitches of
//~i-nhote s of music.
16 THE SECRET POWER OF MUSIC MUSIC AND ITS POWER 17
Back in his palace, if the Emperor wished to monitor the
would alter, and probably not for the better. Unfortunately we
efficiency of his central government, what did he do? Get expert
not know today entirely how the episode ended, and what effect
advice on policy making? Review the economy, or the state of I
r foreign music did have on the kingdom. But what we do know
popular opinion?
I llat despite the protestations of the legendary moral philosopher.
The Emperor was not ignorant of any of the above methods, and
at times may have taken recourse to all of them. But most important I- Huan did receive the females, and no court was held for three
~ y sw hile the Emperor and his government availed themselves of
of all, he believed, was to listen to, and check, the five notes of the
c sight and sound of the exotic foreign performers. So much for
ancient Chinese musical scale. He had the eight kinds of Chinese
c government's sense of responsibility to the kingdom! But Con-
musical instruments brought before him and played by musicians.
c,ius? The famous philosopher was absolutely uncompromising on
Then he listened to the local folk songs, and also to the tunes which
issue. The same level of importance which politicians today
were sung in the court itself, checking that all this music was in
odd attach to militay or economic matters, Confucius attached to
perfect correspondence with the five tones.
issue of the kingdom's music. He was certain and firm in his
11.
Primitive superstition? Certainly Emperor Shun did ,not believe
oral convictions, and was prepared to back them up to the hilt.
so. According to the philosophy of the ancient Chinese, music was
clusing to listen to the music, he stormed out of the court in protest.
the basis of evevthiwg. In particular they believed that all civiliza-
I lr had heard the alien music, and he had seen the writing on the
tions are shaped and moulded according to the kind of music perfor-
w;~llH. ek new.
med within them. Was a civilization's music wistful, romantic?
And just what was it that he knew? Along with all of the other
Then the people themselves would be romantic. Was it strong and
l.cit philosophers of his land, Confucius believed there to be a
military? Then the nation's neighbours had better beware. Further-
iddm significance to music which made it one of the most impor-
more, a civilization remained stable and unchanged as long as its
1111 things in life, possessing potentially tremendous power for good
music remain unchanged. But to change the style of music which
cvil. And we discover the same basic beliefs regarding music in
people listened to would inevitably lead to a change in the very way 01.
ril.l~lalle~v ery advanced civilization of antiquity It was the same in
of life itself.
Mesopotamia. The same again in cultures as far apart as India and
If Emperor, Shun, on his travels about the kingdom, had
t irrcce. These various peoples of the past were in agreement in their
discovered that the instruments of the different territories were all
uirwpoints upon music to a most striking degree. Music was not
differently tuned from each other, then he would have considered it
~rrnccivrdb y any of them, as it is conceived today, as being merely
a foregone conclusion that the territories themselves would begin to
,111 intangible art form of little practical significance.
(if they did not already) differ from each other. They might even
Rather. they affirmed music to be a tangiblef orce which could be
lose their unity and begin to squabble among themselves unless the lied
in order to create change, for better or worse, within the
tuning was at once corrected and made uniform from one place to
llrracter of individual man; and, what was more important, within
another. And if the music he heard performed in the villages had I
rociety as a whole. In fan, though today we still can hear people
begun to become vulgar and immoral, then the Emperor would have
\,waking of the 'magic of music', the ancients used the phrase far
expected immorality itself to sweep the nation unless something was
Illore literally, for music was men believed by them to be capable of
done to correct the music.
c.ffeaing change upon matter itself.
A graphic account has come down to us from the time of Con-
fucius which shows the very real and practical importance the wise SOUND, MUSIC AND THE WISDOM OF THE
men of China placed upon music. A gift of femalc musicians was
ANCIENTS
sent by the people of Ts'e to the kingdom of Loo. Confucius himself
A famous example of tonal magic is the story of Joshua's destruction
protested to Ke Huan, the ruler of Loo, that these foreign musicians
of'the walls of Jericho. According to the biblical account,' Jericho. a
should not be received, lest their alien, and possibly sensual, music
city rampant with evil, had closed its gates and prcpared to with-
influenced the native musicians of the kingdom. Confucius believed
r~:mdth e seige of righteous Joshua and his force. But when Joshua
that if the music of the kingdom was altered, then the society itself
Il.~da rrived near to the city he met a strange man, who called
18 THE SECRET POWER OF MUSIC MUSIC AND ITS POWER
~',,'~!
himself the captain of the hosts of the Lord, and who told Joshua
I,:II~IT. Aristotle, for one, wrote that :
1111 how to destroy the mighty walls of Jericho through the use of sound
i
produced in sequences of seven. Following the instructions, Joshua's .. . emotions of any kind are produced by melody and rhythm;
8
legions marched around the city, headed by seven priests blowing I l~rreforeb y music a man becomes accustomed to feeling the right
I seven trumpets of rams' horns. The rest of his men Joshua cornman-
l i ~ ~ , ~ ~ ! I-l~~otionms;u sic has thus power to form character, and the
ded to remain absolutely silent, uttering not a word. Once. they
1 v;~t.iousk inds of music based on the various modes, may be
Ill1 went around the city. And again on the next day. And the same for tlistinguished by their effects on character - one, for example,
1111 a total of seven days. But on thc seventh day they circled the city working in the direction of melancholy, another of effeminacy;
.seven times, and on this occasion Joshua told his people to shout
l 11nc encouraging abandonment, another self-control, another
along with the sound of the trumpets. This they did - and the walls
enthusiasm, and so on through the serie~.~
of Jericho, according to the account, fell down flat, the city then
'11
being stormed and taken. Ill ,I 11 Plato and Aristotle discuss the moral effects of music in several
Of course, as our modern materially-minded friends can tell us,
I 11 I heir major works.
the story must be only superstition; a mere legend.
Music and morality. Is there a connection in reality? Certainly
illi
'l - Except that the ruins of ancient Jericho have been unearthed, I I I i~de a that music exerts an influence - and a ~owerfuol ne - over
I and it has been found that the walls apparently did at some stage 1111.c haracter of mm persisted on a widespread scale beyond the
11' collapse, falling outward,
I I 1r11ru f Christ, through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and
But still, the modern scholar tells us, there must obviously be
the last century. The concept that music affects character was
1 some perfectly natural explanation. II~IO
111c onr great inspiring force behind the creative lives of the great
-
Yes, WC reply, a -n atural explanation. Certainly it must have a I.~\\icdal nd romantic composers. It is clear from what we know of
been natural. And yet in order to fully understand the account,
11r.ir characters that each of them, motivated by an earnest desire to
1
perhaps we need to wait a little longer, for science to progress a little
I .. . *.c .rrfr ;md spiritualize humanity, saw their music as one of the most
further in the field of acoustics .
I~t,w~.rmfe~a~nsl posrihle of influencing the consciousness and direc-
While the people of ancient times certainly did believe that sound of the human race. Wars and politicians come and go, but
III,II
was capable of such spectacular feats, they were nevertheless equally
,'I,'l/ 11illsica bides indefinitely, never failing to affect the minds and hearts
concerned with the more usual effects of sound and music - upon ,111 who hear it.
1, 111
the human psyche and upon society. If a civilization's music was in
, I ' l As Andrew Fletcher, the writer and orator, stated in the Scottish
111 the hands of the evil or ignorant, the ancients believcd, it could lead I' ~rliamento f 1704: 'I knew a very wise man who believed that if a
the civilization only to an inevitable doom. But in the hands of the
111.lew ere permitted to make all the ballads, he need not care who
l 1 illumined, music was a tool of beauty and power which could lead .,l~rI IIICIm ake the laws of a nation'.
ll'i the way for an entire race into a golden age of peace, prosperity and It can easily be seen, then. that the subject of music and its
brotherhood.
!-a\il~lpes ychological and societary influences is anything but an
\M
I To the major civilizations of antiquity, intelligenth-organized ~lr\cr,ice,t heoretical one. If music can be used to exert
#
sound constituted the highest of all the arts. And more, for they also
l~iil~~rnocfe tsi ther a negative or a beneficial name over us, then we
I, believed music - the intelligent production of sound through musical II.I~I better know about it! What damage might certain kinds of
~:'1~l1, instruments and the vocal cords - to be the most important of the ~llliaich ave already imposed upon our without our
i!l l 1; sciences, the most powerful path of religious enlightenment, and the I r.~liringi t? What opportunities might there be for us to take the
very basis of stable, harmonious government. More than anything
kind of music an; use it from now onwards in order to
IIITCC~
l; 1 else, however, the great thinkers of antiquity emphasized the 11 r clrratc our own mental and spiritual evolution? Clearly, these
powerful effect of music upon the character of man. Since music
c~~~c*\tiaornes o f importance to cach and every one of us. Virtually
seemed to hold such sway in determining the morality of people, it
i ~ r ~ h loistden~s t o music in one form or another. When we speak
1 I was a subject which none of the great moral philosophers could 1 #I'r 11,ln' or of 'the listener' in the pages ahead - that also means you
.'l I
l
,111 THE SECRET POWER OF MUSIC MUSIC AND ITS POWER 2 1
.rrrtl IIIC! Fcw could claim to be free from any possible influence ,II.;I ;IS the sublime vision seemed about to wane, therc began the
wllic11 music may exert, directly or indirectly. ~rncerto's unique harpsichord solo. Again I was whisked quite
... c
Perhaps none could, if we are to accept the ancients'
Iwyond myself, and saw the music in a way never perceived before.
viewpoint. For in addition to music's more direct effects upon man
'I'llc long, fugal arpeggios trilled through thc air like visiblc, emanat-
- the psychological effects of its audible melodies and rhythms -
waves of divine essence, one behind the other, filling all the hall
I I I ~
therc was also to be taken into account music's second, yet more .111clp assing beyond its walls into the city. I cannot say that I saw
extensive and more potent, power. A mystic power this, a force
111m~ usic-wave's, for the process did not involvc my cycs; yct ncvcr-
inaudible and invisible, and a force only understandable in terms of I l~i~lesI ss omehow did see them. I saw the music!
the ancient philosophy and its distinctly non-materialist basis. As the other instruments came in once morc with indcscribablc
I~,veliness,t his impression of emanating waves of a tangible goodness
THE HIDDEN SIDE OF MUSIC
1,ccarne reinforced still further. It felt as though the music possessed
One evening in London I attended a concert of Bach's Branden- ;I definite and very real energy, and that this was radiating out
burg Concertos. Seating myself, I exchanged some words with my Iwyond the hall in all directions. My consciousness scemed to
companion, and took pleasure in glancing around at the marvellous cancompass the entire city. For a few moments I felt as though I
Royal Festival Hall as it began to fill up. It was only as the players were looking down from a viewpoint which revealed to me the
came out and took their bow, and as they tuned up, that I dimly cantire urban spread; and not only the visible, physical city, but also
began to feel it. Something uey dzflerent and unique was lurking llir underlying, causative forces which shaped and moulded it. The
about. It could not be seen or heard, but I could feel its presence, r~nderstanding came that this music, as it radiated forth, was
and it seemed to be approaching! somehow acting as a sustaining, invigorating force for the whole
And then, as the players prepared to begin and as the audience slirrounding area.
hushed, this unknown something saturated the air with a crackling, As the awareness of my body returned, sitting in its seat in the
pregnant potential of which none other seemed to be aware.
lioyal Festival Hall, the impression was left with me that the
Then, literailyfrom the fist note, the timeless moment was upon concert was in some way a glowing light amid a great, chaotic sea
me. Yet I was already far beyond the ability to reflect consciously
darkness. The darkness threatened to encroach upon the flame
11f
upon it, for the experience was totally engulfing and all- nd extinguish it forever. I shall never forget this sensation: one not
encompassing. It left no scope whatever for any other mental
fear, but of the deepest, gravest concern; of the vast importance
lf
activity other than to be the perceptions to which my mind now ~f the music which I was hearing, of the deepest gratitude for the
scemed to have been opened.
lpportunity of experiencing it, and that it should at all costs be pre-
My body seemed to come alive with light; my heart was a fire erved for the humanity of the future.
which flared forth to consume the dross of my soul. My perceptions Mystical experiences have been a subject of debate for centuries
were opened as though they had always before been firmly closed. among philosophers. Up to the present day no general consensus of
Never had I hcard music in that way! What previously I had often opinion has been arrived at as to the reality of such experiences. Are
listened to as abstract sounds were now Sound - a tangible, living they less real, equally real, or more real than our usual experience of
filigree lattice-work of mathematical precision which I could almost everyday life? Each must judge for himself. But it is interesting that
reach out and touch, and which I could virtually see as it flowed visionary and mystical experiences are known to have provided the
from the leading violin. Every note hung suspended in the air, initial inspiration behind many of the world's greatest inventions
timeless and immaculate beyond all powers of verbal description. and scientific breakthroughs; even those of such giants of the mind
My body froze into a coma-like rigidity as I hung my consciousncss as Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla.
upon each next chord. For several long minutes I lost all awareness It can be noticed from others' accounts of such experiences that
of myself. The sheer beauty of it all was quite indescribable. From
unless we are of the stature of a Ramakrishna or a St John of thc
the first bar, silent tears ran from my staring, unblinking cyes.
Zross, they can come upon one when one least expects it -and then
The Fifth Brandenburg Concerto had opened the evening, and hey are gone, seemingly impossible to recapture or call back. Ficklc
l
Ill
2 2 THE SECRET POWER OF MUSIC MUSIC AND ITS POWER 2 3
and fey, as though they have minds of their own; for our own IIIC substances and forms. According to the combination of Cosmic
imperfections do not enable us to embody such experiences on a per- 'I'o nes pres ent within any given area of space, so was the nature of
manent basis. Or as the mystic would word it: it is the vision of 111c substanc e within that space determined.
transcendent reality which is permanent and cternal, and we who And thu1 s we find ourselves throwing light upon the widely-held
insist upon being fickle and fey in our relationship to the Supreme.
I~rlirft hat all matter is composed of one basic substance or energy.
Christians may be correct in speaking of divine grace. Those who
11ccording to the great thinkers of old, this energy was Vibration. In
are searching for truth seem frequently to be granted a kind of nod ern times, the physical sciences are now arriving back at this
spiritual 'honeymoon' period. All kinds of experiences and revela-
original point of departure. Once again, science is beginning to
tions come to them in the early days of their quest, and at the time it
suspect that matter is all composed of one fundamental something,
is as though All Truth were already theirs. But then the honeymoon
.ind that the frequencies or rhythms of this something determine the
is over, and one comes to realize that one has been granted a vision
.;pccific nature of each object and atom.
of the goal, as though as a goad to move towards it. For a few
The universal vibratory energies were called by the ancient Egp-
months or a year the veil was drawn back for one, but only as a
inns the Word or Words of their gods; to the Pythagoreans of
temporary act of grace, bestowed by destiny. And now it is one's
( ireecc they were the Music of the Spheres ; and the ancient Chinese
duty to reclaim that vision and that knowledge through one's own
knew them to be the celestial energies of perfect harmony. The
unaided effort. Truth has temporarily been brought to us, but only Cosmic Tones, as differentiations of the OM, were the most
in order that we might then be encouraged to find our own way
I>owerfulf orce in the universe according to the ancients, for these
along the long and difficult path to its permanent abode.
'I'ones were the universe - the very source of the Creation itself.
In retrospect, I now see that my experience of that evening was
And herein lay the vast significance of all audible, earthly sounds,
one of the key starting points which eventually led to the develop- such as are by the performing of music or the uttering of
ment of this book. Only later did I discover how closely the
sl)eech. For audible sound was believed to be a 'reflection', within
occurrence of that evening tied in to the ancients' conception of'
11ic world of matter, of the Cosmic Tones. Audible sound itself,
music and its innate power.
which is taken so much for ganted today, was in those days
tllought to contain within itself something of the enormous
PRIMAL VIBRATION
(:restive, Preservative and Destructive force of the Cosmic Tones
In ancient times sound itself, the very basis of all music, was thought
~l~emselvesT.h e very phenomenon of sound was regarded with
to be intimately related in some way to non-physical and sacred
great reverence. He who knew how to could release sacred energies
dimensions or planes of existence. Why was this? Because audible
~lirought he use of audible sound, and thereby wield a mighty
sound was considered to be but an earthly reflection of a vibratory
p)wer. And, in fact, spicific knowledge was not nrcessarily
activity taking place beyond the physical world. This vibration was
~.rquiredf,o r something of the mighty energies of the Primal Vibra-
more fundamental, and nearer to the heart of the meaning of things,
lion was believed to be released whenever and whercvcr audible
than any audible sound. Inaudible to human ear. this Cosmic Vibra-
sound was produced. According to the nature of the audible sound,
tion was the origin and basis of all the matter and energy in the
so would its hidden effect be determined.
universe.
Hence, the role of music within civilization could not have been
In its purest, least differentiated form, this Cosmic Sound was
considered more vitally important. In the long run, the power of
known to the Hindus as OM. Yet just as pure white light diffe-
sound as a force which could be used for good or evil was con-
rentiates into the colours of the rambow, so this Primal Vibration
idered to be unsurpassed. And as a specific and concentrated form
was belicvcd to differentiate into a number of more greatly defined
,f sound production, music was of ultimate imporvancc, deriving
superphysical vibrations. These different frequcncies or Cosmic
ts energy from Above for the working of change in the world
Toncs were thought to be present in differing combinations
\>rlow.
throughout the universe. Not only were they present within all sub-
As Julius Portnoy, the musicologist, puts it, the common belief
stances and forms, in differing vibratory combinations, but they weye ~l~rt,nghoutth e world in many past epochs of history was, 'rhat