Grapevine, TX: A Hidden Jewel

By Phillip Smith Sr.

The SpIRIT OF THE COMPOSER

By Aaronda Smith

It has been said that “music soothes the savage beast”; therefore, it would not be wrong to conclude that music affects our emotions. Music speaks to everyone regardless of age, culture, or economic status. Often referred to as “the universal language,” it also speaks to the soul. Because of its massive ability to influence people, it bears acknowledging that in the wrong hands, music can be a dangerous weapon. Whoever controls the music is able to manipulate sound to create a desired response. It is the spirit of the composer that possesses the power to infiltrate one’s psyche undetected, never requiring an invitation. Ironically, it can be a silent threat. There is a science behind music, and this aids us in understanding how such infiltration is possible and how the spirit of the composer exercises control.

Infiltration

Sound cannot exist without a conduit: something to travel through. Most sounds we experience travel through air and reverberate off of our eardrums; it is that reverberation that results in hearing. From here, our brains process sounds by association. We connect it to what is familiar.

Music’s impact on the brain is not one-dimensional. “The parts of the brain involved in emotion are not only activated during emotional music, they are also synchronized.” This shows that music can transcend consciousness and impact the entire psyche. Music has been utilized in wars to prepare the troops for battle, in churches to set an atmosphere of worship, in schools to enhance student performance, and in society to influence attitudes. These exhibitions of music’s power to infiltrate the control center of our being further illustrate how, in the wrong hands, music can become detrimental.

Latin for “one who puts together”, a composer’s role is to write and create original works using various elements such as “melodies and harmonies, rhythms and dynamics, structure and sensibility.” They take sounds and construct a musical tapestry moving people in both conscious and unconscious ways. Whether willingly or involuntarily, the sounds ignite a surge of responses from the hearer. The music incurs emotional responses that lead to physical reactions. These can be anything from people dancing to people crying to people rioting. Whatever the sound, your ear hears, but your body responds. Consider those involuntarily toe taps, riveting head nods, or back and forth sways. You do not think about moving; your body just moves. The music controls the narrative, but the composer provides the intent. In the Bible, whenever David played his harp, his intentions were always pure, and the results were beneficial. Saul’s torment succumbed to David’s worship, and the savage became docile. The wrong note, the wrong melody, the wrong intent, and this story would have ended another way. The influential nature of the music, therefore, lies in the hands of the composer who possesses the power to move people to act. The more masterful the composer, the greater the influence.

The Instrument and the Composer

Many may believe that music originated during the Paleolithic period, but music existed before mankind ever discovered it. God is the creator of music and the ultimate composer. He distributes talents to whom He will. In fact, Heaven bears the record of the first instrument. He was the most beautiful and unique of angels; the anointed cherub - a being created to allow God’s glory to shine through him. He bears many names, but Lucifer was the name given to him at that time, and he was God’s instrument. Adorned with jewels as a covering and pipes as vocal chords, his role was something many covet in our world today. He was the first ever minister of music, head musician, praise and worship leader, producer, music department head, and lyricist. Nevertheless, he became enamored with the response the angels exhibited as he walked in his purpose as God’s “judah”, meaning praise. Lucifer’s prowess got the better of him, and he succumbed to a spirit of pride. His motives became tainted and his intent rebellious. He desired the glory that was not due him even though God declared, “my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” (Isaiah 42:8) The instrument was now becoming the composer of his own song.

Lucifer allowed his giftings to matter more than his God given purpose, and, as a result, he lost everything. Isaiah 14:12 - 15: says, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” The instrument chose his gifts and his own notoriety over his God and attempted to rob God of His glory. He lost his place in heaven, but the saddest part of the story is that the influence of his melodies cost other angels the same. (Revelations 12:9) This is the greatest example of how the spirit of the composer influences far beyond the sheet music and how easily you can fall prey to its melodies. The instrument that becomes the composer covets music and musicians and tries to use them to sway people against God and His will for man. He does not compose as much as he perverts the medium. Those who create melodies must stay true to music’s original purpose - to glorify God.

The Composer’s Role

The composer’s responsibility is to understand the impact sound can have on others and to be intentional in what they create. Every composer must never ignore music’s ability to influence. In our world, this influence is understood and has become the capital utilized to control the masses. It has led to the destruction of so many generations as many music producers have adopted Lucifer’s mentality in their affairs. Greed, popularity, and fame are the driving forces behind what they do with music, often corrupting many artists. They pull the strings, and the artists surrender full control, and the good becomes bad. Nevertheless, God already left an example of what happens when you take His gifts to acquire your own glory. Today, God, the original composer, is writing a composition, and it reads, “Make sure you do not become an instrument impersonating the composer.”