The Importance of Being Silent

Over these past few days, I have now more than ever learned the importance of being silent. Being in the field of study that I am, music, there is not much time allowed for silence. Whether it be classes such as concert choir, chamber choir or opera, or private rehearsal for voice or just listening to music in the car, I find myself rarely, if ever, listening to absolute silence. However, with so many things going on during our Madrigal Feaste, I realize that silence is part of what makes music, and life enjoyable, and bearable.
Being silent, in my opinion, can be a necessity, or an easy way to heighten an emotional experience. With the twenty-one people on stage during madrigal feast, there was rarely a question asked when at least 10 people didn't answer. People don't understand the fact that you don't HAVE to say anything if a question is irrelevant to you. The thing that really, for lack of a better word, irritated me, was the fact that when a question was asked with a specific answer in mind, people would blurt things out that were completely unrelated. Completely. If you are not silent at least part of the time, then you are speaking ALL the time, and nobody is that intelligent or interesting I'm sorry to say. Oh well, so much for silence as a necessity.
Also, I have found that silence can be a tool used for increasing an experience or making you more aware of the sounds in your life. As I was standing on the balcony with my girlfriend Delia, it was so quiet and still looking out over Birmingham, it was an extreme moment of clarity and reflection. It allowed me to enjoy the sights, smells, and sensations all around me. Silence can be beautiful, if you only listen.
One composer perhaps got it right when he wrote his, "3'44", I don't remember the composer, but the concept behind this piece is incredible. A man sits at his piano for three minutes and forty four seconds, absolutely silent, so as to make the audience aware of their breating, heartbeat, and all the other sounds that are a part of the "silence." Incredible. This man truly understood the importance and beauty of being silent.

"It is better to be silent and to have someone think you a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."
-Abraham Lincoln
p.s. happy six months delia!!