thomasmartinmusic.com

After a lifetime of performing and creating music, it is clear to me that there is more going on here than simply stimulating air molecules for profit and recognition. The human race seems permanently entwined within the worlds of sound and poetry, using this involvement to address issues of survival, reflection, and enjoyment. More than simply amusing ourselves, this pursuit sometimes seems aimed at deeper things, maybe subconscious things, that attract our attention as we move through the experience of being alive. Primitive cultures seemed certain that music had healing and mystical powers, and as such placed it in almost sacred regard. Now reduced to a mere commercial commodity, it mainly seems eminently disposable and forgettable. More a reflection of corporate taste and profit-taking, music no longer seems aimed at these higher goals of solace and healing. Still, those whose lives are dedicated to the creation and presentation of this most human endeavor perceive the increasing difficulty of this pursuit. Choked between satisfying business interests and the fickle tastes of adolescent youth, serious elements of the power of music are discarded as so much sonic chaff, while more and more the commercial intention seems to use music to facilitate the sale of products. Perhaps the highly evolved sophistication of symphonic and operatic music escapes these shortcomings, but the struggle to retain audiences for these musical forms seems increasingly difficult. Not all forms of human endeavor should be reduced to commerce, and the healing power of music is sorely needed now more than ever.