In today’s seminar, we spoke about something very close to my heart: music. I really do believe that music is more than just notes played on an instrument. Even without lyrics, music contains so much emotion inside of it that deserves to be appreciated. When we listened to Professor Kahan play Praeludium 1 by Bach, that emotion flowed seamlessly and beautifully with every key played.

Everyone in the class had their own reactions to Bach’s piece, but generally, everyone agreed that it was a very relaxing, peaceful piece of music. Once again, even though it had no lyrics that would depict happy thoughts, the notes played together evoked a sense of relaxation and tranquility. When we used our imaginations, we could even tell stories about what the piece was about. Being a musician, I had the ability to understand what chords were played and was able to immediately feel, say, the tranquility of a major or a suspension chord, and the darkness and sense of intrigue of a dominant 7 or diminished chord. What really impressed me, however, were the options and thoughts of the non-musicians; they reminded me why I love music so much in the first place. When I heard how my classmates interpreted the piece and  explained how it made them feel, I was immediately taken back to the reason why I originally started playing music: to be able to speak emotion and be able to tell a story with something much more powerful than words. While words will be comprehended, music will stay with you for a lifetime and leave a lasting impression. Hearing the dark feelings of the classmates that came from Praeludium 2  showed the power of music when it can be deeply appreciated. Even though some classmates had never played a single note of music in their lives, they were still able to provide vivid descriptions of what had gone through their minds when a piece of music had been played.