Saturday, January 29, 2011


He is the only adorable one to me:
I have none other.
My tongue has left off impure words,
it sings His glory day and night:
Whether I rise or sit down,
I can never forget Him;
for the rhythm of His music
beats in my ears.

-- Kabir
(in The Essential Mystics,
edited by Andrew Harvey)

Saturday, January 22, 2011



In the swift whirl of time
music is a constant,
reminding us of what we were
and of that toward which we aspired.
Art thou troubled?
Music will not only calm,
it will ennoble thee.

-- Ralph Ellison
(in The Music Lover's Literary Companion,
compiled by Joan and Dannie Abse)

Saturday, January 15, 2011


When we are touched by mystic grace and allow ourselves to enter its field without fear, we see that we are all parts of a whole, elements of an universal harmony, unique, essential and sacred notes in a divine music that everyone and everything is playing together with us in God and for God.

-- Andrew Harvey
(in his introduction to The Essential Mystics)

Saturday, January 8, 2011


. . . . there is no better escape from life than through music, and yet there is no better way to understand life than through music.

-- Daniel Barenboim
(in A Life in Music,
by Daniel Barenboim)

Saturday, January 1, 2011


Every work of art has 'two faces,' one directed toward eternity and the other towards its own time. . . . .

We can perceive the infinite in music only by searching for this quality in ourselves. As human beings we do not possess infinite qualities, but as musicians I believe we can extend our finite power to a point where we can create an illusion of infinity. It is only by knowing ourselves that we come to know the things outside ourselves.

-- Daniel Barenboim
(in A Life in Music,
by Daniel Barenboim)