Harmonization
I've been meaning to get around to writing about why harmonization touches me on such a spiritual level...but after this Sunday...I couldn't not. :)
The church Ben and I go to has little to no instruments other than the voices of the people. And almost every song is set up so that each member has his/her own specific harmony. It starts off with one part, everyone singing the same...then gradually people take on different parts, until the sound that fills the room is gloriously complex and beautiful.
But it's not just the beauty that gets to me. The whole concept itself is an allegory that resonates with my spiritual view. Each distinct voice, separate, comes together to blend into one complex and beautiful sound that could not be made without each voice. And then I can alternate my perception...first, hear the bass, then tune into the soprano...and then shift so I can only here the one sound of them all combined.
I love it. Especially when one of the voices is a cat trying to sing along, like this Sunday. She had the most perfect timing too. She'd meow after every phrase of the song. It was hilarious and awesome. :)
Comments
harmonization is good, and again, i agree with appreciating it as a sort of philosophy of life. it's individuality with the purpose of contributing to a community. combining the two means that there's balance, and i believe in balance, because no extreme is complete by itself.