Amanda DeSalme- Silence in Music

I was reading Van der Leeuw's section on the Influences of music and religion, and came across an interesting statement. Van der Leeuw likens silence and near silence to darkness and semidarkness in architecture and the pictorial arts. (p. 236). I found it to be a great comparison between the different artforms. He also likens modulation and certain timbres and textures in music to light in the visual arts. Use of light and darkness is really affective at conveying a message, especially a holy one. When talking about silence, Van der Leeuw states that "It is not the silence of a man who has never spoken, but the falling silent in the presence of the holy- holding one's breath. For before the wholly other, one stands in silent reverence." (p. 236) This reminds me of some of my most spiritual experiences with music, where the use of silence in music can sometimes mean even more to the listener (or performer) than the actual pitches and sounds. It makes me think of "pregnant pauses" between phrases, or that moment of silence right when the song is over, before the audience explodes in applause. It is as if everyone in the room understands that something spiritual just happened and they fall silent in reverence before expressing their appreciation for the art that brought them closer to the wholly other. Silence makes music so beautiful. Van der Leeuw describes the sublime nature of music: "This overpowering can be fascinating or awe-inspiring. It can enchant, captivate, illuminate, remove a burden from the heart. It can also oppress, bring fear, cause horror and terror. Wherever the accent may lie, according to our working principle, no work of art can be an expression of the holy unless it contains both elements." (p. 232) Reading this section on music made me appreciate Van der Leeuw's interpretation more. I did not agree with him calling music "demolishing," but I agree with his detailed descriptions of the power of music in this section of his book.