Unlike my soft-hearted husband who tears up easily, especially during the human-interest stories at the conclusion of the evening news, I am not one who comes to tears often. If you see me crying, you know that either my pain is great, or something is deeply touching my soul.
There are a few things that stir my emotions easily. One of those things is music.
You would think that being a musician means that I am always surrounded by music – in the car, in my home, in my office, and all the places in between, but that’s simply not true.
Recently, I have come to prefer silence over casual music listening. After teaching music classes all day, silence is what I desire most of the time.
However, driving home from church on the evening of Ash Wednesday, I decided to pull up my playlist titled, “Spiritual.” It was dusk as I was driving, which is my favorite time of day. The sun had left the sky with an indescribable color, the stars were popping out, and the moon was beginning to show off its glow.
There I was with ashes fresh on my forehead, and that’s when the tears started. At first, it was only a stinging sensation in my eyes, but then they began to roll down my cheeks. I wasn’t feeling lonely or sad. It had been a good day. I knew then that it was the music. It’s always been the music. It seems to touch me in the deepest part of my being.
I don’t know if it was the lyrics, the melody, or the harmonies but this gift of rhythm and sound felt so God-like to me.
A return to my “Spiritual” playlist reminded me of the reason that certain songs have made their way to my list. Some are old favorites like an old friend sitting next to me. Other songs have become new companions that have encouraged me on my journey.
During this season of Lent, I want to share some of the songs from my “Spiritual” playlist with you. I hope you will receive these songs as a gift. Maybe you will sit with them during these days of Lent and make a new friend, or maybe you will allow them to touch a part of your spirit that needs to be reawakened.
Gabriel’s Oboe
Lenten Playlist song number one is “Gabriel’s Oboe.”
To me, “Gabriel’s Oboe” is one of the purest and simplest melodies. I think that if I had to choose only one song to listen to for the rest of my life, this would be the one.
Composer Ennio Morricone wrote “Gabriel’s Oboe” for the movie, The Mission. In the movie, this simple melody is played by Father Gabriel on his oboe. The song was meant to be a bridge between cultures of vastly different languages and customs. Morricone delivered a most beautiful and sublime melody for this purpose. It is a song that needs no words because its melody is pure and full of the mercy and love of God.
You can listen to Gabriel’s Oboe and enjoy some beautiful scenery here.
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