Romantic Music By Jill Mattson

Music in the Romantic era fragmented a- musical experimentation continued. Music became a matter of personal preference, not mystic or scientific explanations of universal energy.
 

According to Cyril Scott the graceful and elegant music of Chopin [1] awakened the desire for culture. The music sang like poetry and was enticing, leaving people hungry for more. As a result women who had been perfectly content to stay at home and make antimacassars for the household chairs joined societies for poetry and the refined arts. It was the beginning of the emancipation of women. [2]
 

During the Victorian era children were to be seen and not heard. They were punished for their natural exuberance, romping and making noises. Robert Schuman's music [3] abounded with innocence, tenderness, humor, questioning, fancifulness and dreaming, which he implanted in the hearts of listening mothers. Scott relayed that Schuman's music deepened the understanding of and improved support for children. Scott reflected that the Montessori system was inspired by this vibrational influence. The post impressionistic artists, Van Gogh, Gauguin and later Picasso, later displayed childlike qualities in their artistic pieces, but the sense of the childlike spirit
originated in music.
 

Piano music displayed conflicting rhythm patterns at the same time. For example, the right hand of a piano player may play five notes per measure while the left hand's speed runs at six notes per measure, creating a 5/6 rhythmic ratio. Pieces abounded with all kinds of unusual rhythmic ratios such as 3/2, 4/3, 5/4.... These ratios are similar to those that create intervals. Rhythms and pitches are parallel in this way.
 

Redmond uncovered that our brain hemispheres can attune to these conflicting rhythms. "Not only do the two hemispheres of our brains operate in different modes, they also usually operate in different rhythms. The right brain generates alpha waves while the left-brain is in a beta state. Or both hemispheres can be generating the same type of brain wave, but remain out of sync with each other." [4]
 

Richard Wagner [5] was a German composer, conductor, theatre director and essayist, but primarily known for his operas. Wagner's compositions featured complex texture, rich harmonies and upward movement that lifted the listener to new realms. Wagner formed musical themes that painted individual characters, places, ideas or plot elements, making his music symbolic. Wagner's was not afraid of discord. His music expressed realism, negative feelings, pain and suffering.
 

Wagner's dissonant sounds would have terrified many ancient leaders. With flagrant disregard for rules, Wagner's methods were scandalous, but inspired freedom. Scott clarified, "In order to attain unity, Wagner was breaking down barriers to unity." [6] With elegance he frequently transitioned into keys with no relationships that left the listener "floating" higher and higher without any grounding. Scott continued, "Wagner's music momentarily transported people to that exalted plane and rose to that state of unity of selfless and unconditional love." [7]
 

After noting that music can be used in positive and negative pursuits, Scott further fleshed out the impact of Wagner's music, "Wagner's music, coupled with the equally strong elements of the romantic and heroic, aroused the Germans to that feeling of intense nationalism for which they became notorious... Hitler himself loved Wagner."
 

Scott reviewed the influence of Johann Strauss, the "Waltz King" of Vienna. [8] Since the music of Strauss "revolutions and social upheavals have increased and all the various 'isms' aiming at greater freedom and self-expression have become more widely diffused. Strauss, with his daring blending of anti-conventional harmonics and melodies' exuberance, emotionalized humanity in such way that they aspired to break the bonds and become free." [9]
 

Strauss's music was "a German sweetness, for Strauss is even more national than Wagner.... Strauss not only caused the Germans to feel even more sentimental about their country than his predecessor, but by a grandiose portrayal of battle through the medium of music he glorified war and strife, thereby creating a thought-form which was used by the Dark Forces to help precipitate the war itself." [10]
 

Scott continued with musical history by analyzing the music of Claude Debussy, [11] a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, Debussy crafted impressionist music. His music is known for its sensualism and avoiding any key signature. Debussy's music channeled a refined energy of feminine sensuousness. Often Debussy's work reflected turbulence in his own life.
 

The music of nature is characterized by its soft subtle qualities. Debussy wrote "pure nature" music, displaying the realms of gnomes and fairies. Nature spirits sing, dance, bathe in moonbeams and shower in early morning dew, without the moral and philosophical thoughts that laden humans. They play in the breeze and laugh with the brook, creating an entirely different dimension than our emotional plane. Debussy's music makes us feel we are dancing with the nature spirits.
 

Music once again embraced the old concept of mimicking sacred geometry. Merrick reflected, "Incredibly, music emerged from the Dark Ages into the 20th century only to reach the Greek harmonic ideal of an apple - a circle inscribing a pentagram. Was this... a byproduct of subjective Romanticism or was it designed intentionally based on Egyptian/Pythagorean philosophies? Debussy's emphasis on the pentatonic scale surrounded by the odd-even circularity of dual whole tone scales certainly could be seen as a grand musical allusion to the ancient pentagrammon symbol." [12]
 

Claude Debussy was the grand master of the Priory of Sion for 33 years between 1885 and 1918. [13] He fraternized with many well-known Rosicrucians, who were also deeply involved in the ancient mystic teachings. [14] Surely he was aware of the patterns of the tritone and proportions found in natures that were used in music.

[1] Frederic Chopin, 1810 - 1849, was a composer, virtuoso pianist and music teacher. He was of French-Polish parentage. He was one of the great masters of Romantic music. All of Chopin's works involve the piano. They are technically demanding but emphasize nuance and expressive depth. Chopin invented the musical form known as the instrumental ballade and made major innovations to the piano sonata, mazurka,waltz, nocturne, polonaise, étude, impromptu and prélude. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Chopin

[2] Scott, Cyril. Music Its Secret Influences throughout the Ages, Samuel Wisner: N.Y., 1958, Pg. 86.

[3] Robert Alexander Schumann, 1810 - 1856, was a German composer. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era.

[4] Redmond, Layne. When the Women were Drummers: A Spiritual History of Rhythm, Three Rivers Press: N.Y. 1997, Pg. 173.

[5] Wilhelm Richard Wagner, 1813-1883

[6] Scott, Cyril. Music Its Secret Influences throughout the Ages, Samuel Wisner: N.Y., 1958, Pg. 97.

[7] Scott, Cyril. Music Its Secret Influences throughout the Ages, Samuel Wisner: N.Y., 1958, Pg. 98.

[8] Johann Strauss 1st, 1825-1899, was an Austrian composer of dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas and a ballet. He was largely responsible for the popularity of the waltz in Vienna during the 19th century.

[9] Scott, Cyril. Music Its Secret Influences throughout the Ages, Samuel Wisner: N.Y., 1958, Pg. 103.

[10] Scott, Cyril. Music Its Secret Influences throughout the Ages, Samuel Wisner: N.Y., 1958, Pg. 102-103.

[11] Claude-Achille Debussy, 1862 -1918

[12] Merrick, Richard. Interference: A Grand Scientific Musical Theory, Merrick: Texas, 2009, Pg 67.

[13] According to the Prieure Documents

[14] Frers, Ernesto. Secret Societies and the Hermetic Code, Destiny Books/ Inner Traditions: Vermont, 2005, Pg.171. 

About Jill Mattson: My personal interests in Sound Healing, helping people and expanding consciousness were the result of my lifelong love affair with music, coupled with my personal spiritual quest, which I started in earnest about 40 years ago. I was drawn to the study of antiquity; specifically, I extensively examined methods employing Sound Healing and music to alter and improve mind, body, emotions, energy and spiritual aspects of practitioners’ lives. I collected voluminous materials on Sound Healing over many years. This prompted me to write my first book on the field of Sound Healing where I interview leading researchers and scientists in the discipline. Concurrent with my research, I began producing my own Sound Healing recordings. In the early 2000’s I built a studio in my home to record my own compositions. I blend my original music with ancient techniques and embed special sounds in the tracks. The end result is pleasing and beneficial on multiple levels. Many people enjoy the music as a normal listening experience; more significantly, other people have been able to reach new levels of consciousness, peace and wellness by focused listening to my compositions. 

The field of Sound Healing is a rapidly growing discipline that is attracting great interest. As indicated above, many of the techniques that are employed stem from ancient traditions. There is also cutting-edge research underway, which is expanding the understanding and promise of this field. My personal specialty in Sound Healing utilizes the intricate combination and interplay of numerous musical effects along with specific frequencies. It is the magical and complex interaction of special healing sounds with the human body and mind that give the impressive results that can be achieved with Sound Healing. 

Jill's website: https://www.jillswingsoflight.com/