Wir haben die Kunst, um nicht an der Wahrheit zu sterben

Friedrich Nietzsche

Sometimes the truth is so crazy, or complex, or contradictory, that it`s impossible to express it, and we have the feeling that it will rip us apart. I used to think that there must be a common truth, and if two people had a different perception, one must be wrong. Now I can see that the perspective is an important factor, and that a rabbit may be a small animal, but compared to a bee, it`s a pretty big one.

That is a pretty easy one, but when a person`s history, emotions, cultural differences etc. come in to play, the truth can be a rather wavering thing.

Art is free. It can contain different perspectives, it can express different things at the same time, and it is – well, should be – common to be open to different interpretations – for different people, but also to yourself over time. It talks to you on differnet levels, and it can be consoling beyond logical understanding.

Singing is a used worldwide to cope with grief, agression (think of soccer), pain (at least when you were a child and your mother would sing to you…), or even overwhelming joy, and I know a lot of people who don`t sing, because their families didn`t, who feel something important lacking in their lives. I have actually never met anybody who says „I can`t sing“ who didn` t regret it.

There are some African tribes who don`t have a word for music itself. There are ceremonies for birth, adolescence, healing, hunting, death etc., and music is part of each one, but it doesn`t exist without context. (Ruth Stone 1998 “African Music in a Constellation of Arts.”)

Music can be such a powerful thing, especially when we start to remember, why we are making music, or are listening to it – lest we perish of the truth.