We are the Music Makers

I was just re-thinking over all the hub-bub after the Grammy's and a certain persons reaction to another person winning a Grammy (that'd be Kanye West and Beck).  I didn't bring it up to add to any controversy (this is a happy place, after all), but the situation did make me look up Beck as I wasn't familiar with his music.  I found a really interesting video with him and a large group of other wonderful musicians and it impressed me very much, so much so that it got me to pondering on music in general. Before I get into my topic further here is the Beck video for you to 

           

enjoy.  As I watched all the variety of instruments and the musicians that worked their magic with 

them, I was reminded of the artful beauty of music and how it can grab you deep inside and stir up feelings and emotions you either forgot about or never realized you had.  It also reminded me of a poem I first heard of in the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", as it may have been for you.  It's the "We are the Music Makers" poem, as I thought it was titled. However it's actually called "Ode" and was written by Arthur O'Shaughnessy.  I was familiar with the first stanza which I assumed was the whole work.  Upon investigation I discovered there are actually three stanzas.  So here is "Ode" in it's entirety...

We are the music-makers,

The Music Maker

And we are the dreamers of dreams,

Wandering by lone sea-breakers

And sitting by desolate streams;

World losers and world forsakers,

On whom the pale moon gleams:

Yet we are the movers and shakers

Of the world for ever, it seems.

With wonderful deathless ditties

We build up the world’s great cities.

And out of a fabulous story

We fashion an empire’s glory:

One man with a dream, at pleasure,

Shall go forth and conquer a crown;

And three with a new song’s measure

Can trample an empire down.

We, in the ages lying

In the buried past of the earth,

Built Nineveh with our sighing,

And Babel itself with our mirth;

And o’erthrew them with prophesying

To the old of the new world’s worth;

For each age is a dream that is dying,

Or one that is coming to birth.

I think these verses flow into my soul more so because I'm that Dreamer/Artsy Fartsy/Creative type of person and I suppose that's why I value art in all it's forms, especially music.  A river of music flows through our family and I am blessed to have been raised with people that appreciate and love that melodious art.  I hope you do, too!  I now leave you with a quote from the fictional character, Briscoe Darling, "Ya got time to breath, ya got time for music."  I couldn't agree more!

Yeehaw!