When Silence Is Music

Lately, I’ve been drawn more deeply into silence. Emptiness and stillness feel both profoundly necessary and mysteriously comforting. This pull into the space between notes happens when silence is music.

Remember Paul Simon’s The Sound of Silence? Ecuadorian-born Giovanny Bautista performs this short— a beautiful Andean pan flute version:

A funny scene in the film Amadeus has Mozart seeking the Emperor’s approval for his recent work. The not-musically-savvy king repeats what Mozart’s enemy has put in his ear. There are, he says, too many notes. A baffled Mozart insists he’s written no more or less than required and asked which ones his majesty would remove.

In fact, we know Mozart as a master of silence between notes. 

Music would not exist without silence. The pauses allow us to experience and appreciate sound. Perhaps in a similar way, life’s pauses create a complete symphony over time.

When I hear a call from the depth of silence, it’s time to slow down the doing, the thinking, the writing, the planning. Get quiet on the inside, and listen. 

Once I stop doing my days in a way that’s become routine, I settle into silence. Then, inner sounds quietly emerge—the trill of a single flute, melodic phrase of an oboe, or even a brief brass quintet. 

Somehow, these sounds illuminate me, bringing me into harmony with a higher heartbeat. The result is balance, and my next direction becomes clear.

If you’d like to explore your own space between notes, consider this an open invitation to slow down, get quiet, and discover sound in silence.

That is living as music. 

**********************************

Read about other amazing sounds and music here. Or subscribe below for twice monthly blogs. 🎶