The Melody of Mortality
“But in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” While the phrase ‘death and taxes’ had been used before this point, Benjamin Franklin is most often quoted in his usage of it. In this context, it was used in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, a French scientist, regarding the newly constructed constitution for the fledgling United States of America. “Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes” (“Benjamin Franklin’s Last” 9). While the purview of the second topic is one better left to be debated amongst the mathematically minded folk, the first “surety” is one that deserves some discussion; death, which ironically is the most absolute given of life. Interesting, isn’t it, that those two go hand in hand so well. Anything that lives must die at some point; that’s simply the natural law of things in “this, our fragile, fleeting world” (Silvestri, “I: The Veil Opens”).
The fact that living beings have the ability to learn, to grow and change, to adapt and overcome trials; life truly is the ultimate wonder of existence. Plants grow according to their adversities. It’s been shown that trees that grow with strong winds constantly beating against them naturally develop deeper roots to fight against the storm. Animals have the added benefit of enjoying life; they can actively make choices that might make their living more comfortable. Different animals hold that ability to varying extents, but true agency and understanding of circumstances is the natural progression upwards on the intelligence spectrum. And at the top are humans. Not only do they have the ability to make choices that may benefit them, but they also have the aptitude to think critically about those choices, and the possible future consequences they may bring, whether for good or for bad. With that critical thinking also comes the ability to think about why they’re thinking about what they’re thinking about. So then, what of death, the ultimate stopper of life? And specifically, how does music even fit into that concept? What good could it do when it comes to something as total and severing as the end of mortality?
In a study conducted by Lauren DiMaio, assistant professor of music therapy at Queens University of Charlotte, and Alexa Economos, a music therapist at Starshine Hospice and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, they asked adult participants about the correlation between music and grieving in their own personal lives. They found that, “Music could help the griever connect to the deceased, to connect to others, to avoid silences or go into silences” (DiMaio and Economos 9). Essentially, music would help the griever to connect. Another research group looked more into music specifically being used during funeral services and rituals, and the process of choosing those songs with others. “Music was associated with positive memories of the loved one… [and] facilitated active participation in the grieving process through choosing farewell music together with a relative” (Viper et al. 1). Essentially it can be looked at it thus: music helps people to connect on both sides of the veil. And that connection is what can bring healing experiences, especially in times where one would feel the most disconnected from everything in the world.
That feeling of disconnection can be debilitating, bringing people to their knees in defeat, making it almost impossible to move forward. That’s a feeling that Charles Anthony Silvestri knows all too well. In 2005, his wife, Julie, lost her life to ovarian cancer, and he was left to take care of their children (Silvestri 1). His story is not unique, and perhaps it’s one of the worst things many fear they could experience in this life. After a while, his friend and American classical composer Eric Whitacre approached him, and together they worked on a set of pieces collectively known as The Sacred Veil. Originally the idea came to Whitacre as he read a poem Silvestri had written for his aunt’s passing, and Whitacre quickly came up with music for the poem. The poem reads:
“Whenever there is birth or death,
The sacred veil between the worlds
Grows thin and opens slightly up
Just long enough for Love to slip,
Silent, either in or out
Of this our fragile, fleeting world,
Whence or whither a new home waits.
And our beloved ones draw near,
In rapt anticipation, or
In weary gratitude, they stand;
Our loved ones stand so close, right here,
Just on the other side
Of Eternity.” (Silvestri)
This poem and the song Whitacre composed for it would become the opening piece to The Sacred Veil. The whole poem is talking about the dichotomy between birth and death, how opposite they might be, and yet how similar they are in concept. This poem was written specifically to grieve, and the music that eventually accompanied it is perfect for that purpose.
A choir joined with a single cello and piano makes for an ethereal-sounding timbre, and there’s even rich symbolism behind that. The cello opens the song with a middle C, which represents the veil itself. As the album moves forward, birth and life are explored with music rising above that middle C, whereas music touching on death and passing dives below it. What better way to represent life and death than by having a symbol so profound as a specific note that can ring to the very soul, the essence in everyone.
Music has not only been used to connect people to people, but to connect earth to heaven. Many cultures believe that death is not the end, and that life persists onwards. Some believe that those who made good choices go on to live in paradise, others that people are reincarnated, and that the choices they made in their past life dictate how they live in the next. In any case, those who have such a belief that people who pass simply go into another stage of life have access to a different view on the matter of death. Instead of a parting event, one to be feared and filled with uncertainty, it’s a joyous moment to be celebrated, where one moves onto the next stage in life. In a song titled Come, Come Ye Saints, sung by the pioneers of early America as they crossed the plains and dealt with tremendous hardships, they recite:
“And should we die before our journey’s through,
Happy day! All is well!
We then are free from toil and sorrow, too;
With the just we shall dwell!” (Clayton)
The freedom that comes from such a sentiment was sure to be part of what enabled these pioneers to make the perilous journey across the plains. While some may view it as lying to oneself, or simply having vain hope, it can’t be denied that it’s brought millions of people across time a peace that can’t be explained. The strength that people have found through faith in a power greater than themselves has allowed so many great achievements to be made throughout human history.
So far it’s been explored how music in general has helped people in many different ways find connection through grief, and better understand their emotions and feelings during tumultuous times. While many songs have this ability, the four specific songs below explore death and mortality in slightly different ways and with differing motifs.
“The Veil Opens” by Whitacre and Silvestri (2018)
Silvestri’s story of losing his wife to cancer is one that strikes to the core. Music is one of the best ways for many people to understand more abstract concepts such as grief and separation. And this song explores not one, but both sides of the coin of existence and cognition. “The sacred veil between the worlds grows thin and opens slightly up just long enough for Love to slip.” During both birth and death, love slips through the veil, either to mortality or from it. “In rapt anticipation or in weary gratitude they stand… just on the other side.” Words cannot express the absolute beauty of these passages. The music, with its heavenly sounding chords and different moments of dissonance resolving make it sound like you’re floating, above the troubles of life, able to look down on life itself with such a grander view. The rest of the album explores Silvestri's story in more detail, going through him finding his wife, the love they shared, the happiness they had and where they felt at home. It then goes into the uncertainty that comes with a terminal diagnosis, the preparing of the inevitable future, and the aftermath of the worst coming to reality.
“Come, Come Ye Saints” by William Clayton, performed by Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square (2012)
Not all music looks at death with hopelessness and sadness. Some songs look at it with almost a curious sense, or perhaps even a joyful one. The lyrics of this song explore how to overcome adversity and why it is good to overcome. They talk about how, “Though hard to you this journey may appear, Grace shall be as your day,” and ask themselves “Why should we think to earn a great reward, If we now shun the fight?” The early pioneers relied not only on their own skills and tenacity, but also their faith in God and their religious leaders. Because of their unique beliefs and where they put their faith, they viewed existence with a wider view, seeing death simply as the next step in existence. As gleaned from the lyrics pasted a few paragraphs up, death would be a chance to rest from their earthly trials and gain a resting place above. The next lyrics after those however mention how that, if they aren’t called to such a circumstance:
But if our lives are spared again
To see the Saints their rest obtain
Oh, how we’ll make this chorus swell
All is well! All is well!
Regardless of where they are to labor, they believed that they could be happy and joyous and work their hardest. This stemmed from their foundations not only on earthly principles, but on the eternal beliefs they held so dear. Mortality to them meant something different than it did to others, and they used music to help describe the situation they found themselves in at different times.
The next two songs will be a look into grieving with more modern musical motifs.
“This is what losing someone feels like” by JVKE (2023)
Before even talking about the song specifically, it’s necessary to bring to light the comments on the video page itself. They contain people sharing their experiences with death and grieving and how real it is. They also share how music has helped them to connect with others and even with themselves, with some comments talking about how they couldn’t fully process the pain and emotions until they had heard the song and related with its lyrics and music. Specifically, this song better explores the theme of guilt in loss, especially regarding to lost time or lost experiences that could’ve happened with the ones you loved.
You don’t know when you’re gonna lose them, now they’re gone
But you didn’t make that call
And now you live with your regrets because it’s all your fault.
Regret in loss. The concept that someone didn’t do something, they should’ve done it, and now they can’t. Or that perhaps someone did something, they shouldn’t have, but there’s nothing they can do now. To be frank, healing from that kind of grief is something so personal and individual, that no one person can tell another person how to deal with it. Some turn to God, others to forgiveness. And some never deal with it, perhaps with the guilt eating on their consciousness for the rest of their life. Looking to the future though, JVKE says, “It’s not that complicated, when you love someone, you tell ’em that you do.” This song doesn’t only apply to loss through death, perhaps there’s loss through hurt feelings or physical distance. Regardless, the principles put forward by the song hold true.
“Fix You” by Cody Fry (2023)
While this song doesn’t explicitly mention death or even separation, it’s message can be related to grief and mortality all the same, especially with tribulations humanity goes through.
Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace…
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes.
Like JVKEs song, the topic of learning from the past and doing better is brought up again. Life is such that people grow from the trials they’re put through, and they learn from the experiences they have. Fry’s song here (which is a cover of a song with the same title by Coldplay) also gives a hopeful message about being guided throughout life’s problems. “Lights will guide you home and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you.” Everyone has the capacity to help others in their own paths. People work best when they work together, helping each other learn from the experiences they’ve had. And recording and sharing those experiences is how humanity in general grows and learns from the past, which is why it’s paramount that careful records be kept and circumstances documented.
“So if you’re going through a tough time, put on some music and let yourself feel. Let it be a source of comfort and healing as you navigate the difficult journey of grief” (Wotherspoon, 9). Connection is key in overcoming the trials of life. Whether that connection with self or with others, both living and dead, connection is what helps heal people from the wounds of mortality. Music holds an important key in overcoming those feelings of grief and helping to better understand them. And when they’re understood and properly dealt with, they can almost become a superpower in many ways, allowing those who have gone through grieving to help others who may be in the thick of it.
Reflection
Death is something that I’ve had to come to terms with. In the sense of close family members like siblings or parents, I haven’t lost any of them to death yet. However, there are people that I’ve known who have passed away. I’ve felt the pain that comes from knowing that there are some experiences that I’ll never have again with them, or things I’ll never get to share with them. Specifically, there’s one of my friends who passed away unexpectedly while I was living in Europe. He helped me through a lot of tough times in my life, and I was excited to share my time spent in Europe with him. When I learned that he had passed, the emotions of regret and hopelessness came in the sense that I would never get to talk with him about how much I had grown. Some people closer to me who passed are also my grandparents; however, they died before I was born, so I never even got the chance to know them in the first place. Hearing my older siblings and parents talk about them and how my grandfather used to make fresh bread all the time, or how my grandmother would be a stalwart foundation for my mother sometimes brings feelings of almost being left out, or sadness that I never got to see them that way. However, in reading journal entries and other historical records kept by my family, I’ve been able to get a picture for myself of the kind of people they were. And perhaps that’s something else that can be gleaned from all this. Take the time to journal about your life. Take the time to research your relatives and find their records. Get to know those who have passed on, and make it so that in the future, your posterity can get to know you somehow. Connection can happen in so many ways, whether through words, reading, pictures, or music. And when you find how you communicate best, you unlock limitless potential for helping others.
- “Benjamin Franklin’s Last Great Quote and the Constitution.” National Constitution Center, constitutioncenter.org, 13 Nov. 2023, constitutioncenter.org/blog/benjamin-franklins-last-great-quote-and-the-constitution. Accessed 4 May 2024.
- Clayton, William. “Come, Come, Ye Saints.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 1846, churchofjesuschrist.org, www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/music/songs/come-come-ye-saints?lang=eng. Accessed 4 May 2024.
- Patrick DiMaio, Lauren, and Alexa Economos. “Exploring the Role of Music in grief.” Bereavement Care, vol. 36, no. 2, 4 May 2017, pp. 65–74, https://doi.org/10.1080/02682621.2017.1348585. Accessed 6 May 2024.
- Silvestri, Charles Anthony. “I: The Veil Opens.” The Sacred Veil. CAS Charles Anthony Silvestri, www.charlesanthonysilvestri.com/the-sacred-veil. Accessed 6 May 2024.
- Viper, M., Thyrén, D., & Horwitz, E. B. (2022). Music as Consolation — The Importance of Music at Farewells and Mourning. OMEGA — Journal of Death and Dying, 85(1), 155–177. https://doi.org/10.1177/0030222820942391. Accessed May 6 2024.
- Wotherspoon, Cait. “Living alongside Grief: Music and Grief.” Cait Wotherspoon, 28 Mar. 2023, caitwotherspoon.com.au/living-alongside-grief-music-and-grief/. Accessed 6 May 2024.
