MUSIC: Introduction to Sound contd.
In Part 1, I talked about Sources of sound and materials producing sound. For example:
Humans, animals, cars, wind, heavens, musical instruments, voices…
On the physical and spiritual sounds, we have God’s voice, his word, joyful sound as well as voice crying for help. With those voices resonating in our ears, the humanity part of us shall respond, and this response would evolve into fulfilling the godly human project of love to all peoples and worshipping the LORD. (We’ll discuss more on this during the worship session)
Today, I will not really speak about sound from the throne room of God, and angelic-heavenly hosts voices, but share few tips on two instruments that we use daily and in our service gathering
1. Voices
Everyone has a natural voice with which he/she speaks. However, we aim to get a refined voice with adequate voice training. From childhood to adulthood and the aged; texture and depth of sound differ. A child’s voice is quite different from an adult’s, while in some cases, voices change as one gets older.
So, we have various pitch(highness or lowness of a sound).
We also have basic four parts harmony of, Soprano/treble, alto, tenor and bass voices. In classical nusic, we do have up to eight. We’ll study more under Music and Harmony.
I have heard beautiful voices from the villages to cities; Africa, Europe, the West, Asia, Caribbeans and the Americans. Each and every sound is perculiar and of pleasant tone, sonorous and sweet to hear. If all these voices combine together to make a shout, we will have ‘multiple sounds in complex rainbow colours’, all of God’s creation!
It does means that with our natural voices, we produce sound throughout the world. These sounds are heard by other creatures around us, i.e, birds, horses and the heavens. Occasionally, we can speak to the wind and oceans. Jesus did in Mark 4:39 ‘And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.(KJV).
Joshua said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon…: And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man…’ Joshua 10:12,14.
The Creator hears sounds from his creation day after day, as years passed by from eternity to eternity.
He listens to the,
Global voices,
Sounds from other planets and Spaces above,
Angelic-heavenly hosts voices,
Sound eternity.
2. Musical instruments
Jubal was the father of those who play musical instruments. Gen. 4:21.
Musical instruments were made from woods, irons, brass, steel…
The history of these musical instruments could be traced back to over 5000 years ago. From the Eastern world to ancient Egypt, Asia, Europe and Africa, every culture invented and made instruments of music from the natural endowments around them.
For example
a). String instruments: harp, lyre, lute, violin, indian sitar, guitars, piano
b). Horns: shofar, rams horn, trumpet, cornet, flugehorn
c). Woodwind: flutes, saxophone, kakaki, clarinet
d). Drums & Percussions: drums, timbrel, gong, rattle, tambourine, timpani, xylophone
e). Pipe organ
Please note that,
All things were created by God for his glory, including all musical instruments, irrespective of who invented them or what they have been used for in traditional worship.
A friend in ECWA once told me of how a White man broke down in tears when he saw people playing guitar in the church in 1950/60s. Because guitars were played in the club house in the Western part of the world, and the sound played had a connotation of sinful atmosphere. And again, those white missionaries were against the use of African drums just because they believed they were dedicated drums for idols.
I could also say that of few CAC in Ibadan in the 1980s. Whao! Thanks be to God for Jesus and our African founding fathers of SIM/ECWA churches, African Instituted churches, Pentecostals, Mainline churches who defied all odds to incorporate these instruments into the worship of God as well as composing tunes that truly reflect the biblical message to us in our intelligible languages.
I’ll stop here.
PRACTICAL
I hereby ask the musicians in the house to record one minute of each instrument they play for us to study and identify the instruments’ quality of tones or timbre.
Trumpet
Saxophone
Trombone
Bata drum
Talking drum
Flute
Clarinet
Guitar: acoustic/bass
Drums set(cymbals, sneer drum, crash…)
Organ
African xylophone
Kakaki
Choir voices: soprano, alto, tenor and bass
And any other instruments available.
……..
OLU SAM
Tonality Music
Ikeja, Lagos.
