Category — Counterquotes

Lately, my younger brother has been posting inspirational music quotes on his Facebook page, probably to help motivate himself as he prepares for college auditions. Today’s quote was,

“When people hear good music, it makes them homesick for something they never had and never will have.”

I totally agree that good music has a way of revealing to us that there is something beyond the here and now. Whether through the intricacy of a Bach fugue, the power of a eighty-piece ensemble, or the simplicity of a well-crafted song, music forces us to look outside ourselves and recognize there are powers we can’t explain.

But does music just create a perpetual Weltschmerz (world-weariness)? If one’s beliefs about the nature of the world and God are vague or basically pessimistic (i.e. there is no God), then sure. Music is ultimately just a reminder that there are things you can’t explain and can’t have.

As a Christian, I am thankful that music serves a much more redemptive purpose. To me, good music reminds me that there is a Creator much greater than I, and that the music I will one day encounter will blow the best performances on this earth out of the water.

Music creates homesickness, but also inspires hope.

(Related: A good article on Christians and singing by John Piper.)

(Photo: Robb North)