Thank you for the work that you do... I have been listening to more than the usual amount of music over the last two or three weeks, due to the on-going political situation. All kinds of music. There were two compilation CDs that stood out in my mind. They were both collections of music from two foreign countries -- U.S.S.R. and Japan The first one had folk songs and the one from Japan had popular songs from the 1950s and 1960s. I felt that I really did not need somebody to translate anything sung into English. Those two CDs stand out in my mind. Anyone else, here, have similar experiences?

Drew,

My sincere apologies for the late response! This week (like many others) has been an incredibly hectic one.

The idea of music as a universal language is interesting and an astute discernment at that. Human language, such as English, are limited to its culture, with many non-native speakers struggling to understand the cultural and sociological implications of the language (simply because they weren't raised in an English-speaking country). Even those who speak the same language and were raised by the same culture still suffer communication breakdowns, word choice, intonation, and body language often misconstruing our message and its consequent emotions.

Music, however, is something that transcends culture, identity, and so much more. Though the lyrics are often lost when listening to a "foreign" artist, the music--its chord progressions, melodies and harmonies, or keys--speak to the listener's emotions, thoughts, and personality. Music is limitless as to what it can convey and who it can convey it to.

Even non-human animals are able to understand the complexities of music and the emotions it is trying to evoke. Research studies have shown that animals like elephants or dolphins enjoy traditional western music like classical or eastern music like Indian ragas. Though an elephant or dolphin may not understand an iota of human culture and civilization (not that they need to anyway), music is still able to speak to them in ways researchers are still trying to match.

I hope this explanation provides a clearer picture of music and the power it holds.

Stay strong,

Jude

Hello, Drew! Since I was a music major for an advanced program, I'd be more than happy to tell you about this expression and its truth. Please, give me a little bit of time to compose a coherent explanation. Until then, stay strong.