My Addition to Thursday’s Class Discussion

Hi everyone! As you might have noticed, I was absent from class on Thursday. I did, however, find a piece of music that I believe is among the most beautiful I have ever heard. It may come as no surprise that my choice is a classical song written by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) and commissioned by Great Britain’s King George II for a royal celebration in recognizing the official end of the War of Austrian Succession. It was written as part of a large work titled “Music for the Royal Fireworks” and is played during the third movement titled “La Paix: Largo alla siciliana”.

The piece itself (as performed by the St. Petersburg Radio Symphony Orchestra) lasts a mere two minutes and ten seconds, but within this time, it is clear why this composition is undoubtably one of the greatest displays of beauty. However, “beauty” as a core aspect of what it means to see life in the most appealing light surely needs defining. My current definition of beauty is as follows:

Beauty is that essence in things seen, heard, and felt that makes one feel younger and more lively that their age or impediments demand of them. Something that is beautiful is not the sole form of beauty, but instead beauty morphs in as many ways as the mind will allow and has the power to attract someone, who in turn find its way to that beautiful thing with no hesitation or concern for their surroundings. (Circumstances, however, can dictate the manner in which beauty is attended to).

This composition may be seen in many lights, but in each one there lies something remarkably beautiful and deeply moving; an upheaval of sorts of the mundane buzz of the average day’s doings. Categorically, late night studying at the library is a far cry from a royal party, but listening to Handel’s “La Paix” has showed me that music that is beautiful does not have to be questioned (infatuation aside). To make a corny comparison, this composition is somewhat like ice cream in that the reasons for its wonder do not have to be questioned; one must only sit and experience the pure joy that comes with taking in its perfection.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE6Hdw2Lp50