Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Meditation Through Music

How do you meditate?

I think that traditional meditation is wonderful--it's restorative, and it calms your mind (that's the best part, for me). But I think traditional meditation is also really difficult. Most of us don't have the focus, or maybe even the time, to just sit still for a stretch of time. If you're committed to meditating, you might devote 5 or 10 minutes to it per day.

But I've realized there are other ways to find that concentrated peace that you catch a glimpse of when you sit in one spot, without moving, focusing on the breath. There are other ways to be still, other ways to quell your racing mind, other ways to sharpen your focus and just be.

I've discovered a piece of music that I can only describe as meditative--listen to it carefully and it will lull and calm you. I heard this piece in a concert with my parents on my trip to D.C. a few months ago and the audience was mesmerized, totally silent, absorbed. In fact, as an interesting 21st-century twist, the pianist played from an iPad that she placed on the music stand, and when she needed to "turn the page," she ever so gracefully and slowly lifted her left hand and swiped across the iPad, then returned her hands to the keys. Even this movement became part of the performance, part of the slowness and sereneness, part of the contemplation.

This piece was written in the second half of the 20th century by an Estonian composer named Arvo Pärt.  I hope you enjoy it, and that it brings you peace.






11 comments:

  1. Lovely, meditative, and mesmerizing. Hope you are learning this piece :))

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  2. That was beautiful. Thanks for sharing! I play violin, and it was such a treat to listen to someone so talented play.

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  3. Oh, you read my mind :) I'd LOVE to play this someday with a violinist.

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  4. Oh I didn't know you played the violin! We could play this together, wouldn't that be fun? :)

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  5. Beautiful! Some of my favorite music is just a singer and their piano. Is this available on Itunes?

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  6. I haven't checked, but I believe my Dad recently downloaded it on iTunes. Just type in "Spiegel im Spiegel" and it should come up :)

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  7. Love Pärt. Love this piece.

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  8. I've never listen to Pärt before! several of my friends have sung his work before, but I've never been able to go - thank you for the introduction. this is so lovely.

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  9. It's my pleasure! He's not super familiar to me either, but I just love this kind of minimalist writing. I'll have to look up some of his vocal works.

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  10. one friend was the mezzo soloist for his Passio - guess I'll start there :)

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