The Muse in Music

Calling on My Musical Muse.

February 2, 2025 :: Landscape

Music is my Muse. It can wake up my senses and it can give me a spark of inspiration. It can pick me up, it can calm me down. It can shut out distractions and focus my attention. And it can relax my attention when the time is right. Music grounds me, gives me solace, grants me moments of peace, and it gathers my calmer, quieter thoughts.

Maybe it's the same for you. You listen to certain music that moves you. What kind of music is a personal thing.

Evening light on sand dunes in Death Valley National Park, California.

My go-to music is Classical. From Bach piano sonatas to Brahms concertos to Beethoven symphonies, Classical music always finds a way to inspire or soothe me. That's not to say that other styles of music don't stir my spirit when I need a jumpstart or calm me down when I need a pacifier. I'd never want to be without Jazz, Classic Rock, Modern Folk, New Age, Musicals, and Choral works. They all have their time and place in my audio world whether I'm traveling, exploring, relaxing, reading, writing or editing images.

But Classical is my Swiss Army knife of music. With its variety of rhythms, tempos, dynamics and moods, it gives me the tools to get things done. It helps me gather my thoughts before I step out the door. It declutters and refocuses my thoughts as I scout a location. It encourages me when my enthusiasm fades. It calms me when I'm frustrated. And it comforts me when I'm at rest. Classical music greets me in the morning, accompanies me through the day and wishes me sweet dreams at night.

How I listen to music varies, too. There's nothing cutting-edge about my sources. When I'm driving close to home, I most often listen to the radio. I'm fortunate to live near two universities that broadcast Classical music on commercial-free FM stations all day and night. For variety, I play CDs or connect an Apple Ipod Nano MP3 player to the radio.

At home, I also play CDs, a Nano, and sometimes LP record albums, but mostly I listen to the radio. A bonus source is apps on an old cell phone. I have a free Pandora account and an Amazon Prime music account for all musical genres. My favorite free app is from Minnesota Public Radio. YourClassical.org provides Classical music 24/7 and offers it in a dozen different categories to fit your mood. This wonderful source is free, but it's worth supporting.

Sometimes I connect the apps from the old cell phone via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm mini-RCA audio cable to a cordless OontZ Angle 3 Ultra speaker. It's small and light weight enough to move around the house or to travel with. It's two precision drivers and bass radiator produce pleasing sound throughout the range. A Nano connects to it, too, with the mini-RCA cord.

And I'm never embarrassed to go old-school with a twist. I'll gladly connect the old cell phone or a Nano via the mini-RCA cord to my stereo tower from college days or to the boom boxes in the kitchen, the basement, the garage and my office.

Finally, there's the music that follows me into the field when I'm photographing. Sometimes as I'm scanning a landscape or watching a bird or studying a close-up subject, I call up music in my head that fits the situation. I might hear phrases of Antonio Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" or Ralph Vaughn Williams' "Lark Ascending." Maybe I replay movie tunes like "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" from Oklahoma! or "The Way That You Wander is the Way That You Choose" from Jeremiah Johnson. Then there are times when I hear choirs singing "Amazing Grace," "Beautiful Savior" or "Silent Night."

If I'm lucky or clever, I might make photographic compositions that have some visual reflections of musical elements. I may catch a stormy mood I heard in a concerto. Maybe I capture a symphony's musical dynamics in a landscape's dramatic light. Maybe I record a folk dance's tempo in a moment of wildlife courtship. Or maybe I photograph a lullaby's rhythm like in the implied wave action of the sand dunes in the Death Valley image above.

After all that, there's always a time for quiet. As much as I like music, I like silence more.

Studies show that listening to Classical music reduces stress, improves your mood and increases productivity. I have anecdotal evidence of those benefits and so may you. But other studies suggest equally healthy results from silence. They say it can improve our physical health, our mental health and our communication with others.

There's truth there worth exploring another day. For now, I'm happy to keep nurturing my Musical Muse.

A Footnote about the times: Music is on my mind lately. I rely on it to calm my concerns about current civil matters. And I don't mean "civil" as the dictionary defines it: "formal politeness and courtesy in behavior or speech."

These are disappointing and dangerous days. We need to stay attentive and alert to those in power as they claim to be acting according to the people's will. We must stand together against those who seek power without regard for the outcomes.

So keep playing music. Seek peace. Nurture hope. Pray for deliverance. Work for justice. Change history. Vote.

MAKING THE PHOTOGRAPH

SUBJECT: Sand dunes, Death Valley National Park, California

CONDITIONS: Calm, clear, mid-60s F, mid-January

EQUIPMENT and SETTINGS: Nikon D850 camera, 24-120mm Nikkor lens, Gitzo tripod, Really Right Stuff ball head; Matrix metering, Aperture exposure mode, Manual focus, Manual shutter mode with manual cable release.

EXPOSURE: 1/60 sec @ f16, ISO 800

This photograph is another example of why it's smart to scout a location, return to it when the light and conditions are good, then wait for the right moment.

Related posts: My Classical Story

You can read more about location scouting in previous Journal entries: Be a Good Scout, A Notable Tree, A Butte with a View, and A Cellular Sketch Book.

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