PureInsight | December 31, 2001
People have a variety of opinions toward art. What is truly art? Quite often we don't know the answer in our hearts but still attempt to develop our own styles. An especially unique style is sometimes considered to be "good," and I used to feel uncertain about this subject. Recently I just completed a solo concert. During the course of singing and practicing, I came upon quite a few realizations that I'd like to share with my fellow practitioners.
Three days before I held the solo concert, I realized that I expected Master to give me an answer, a definitive answer. But I could never meet his requirements, because I am not him! I decided to calm down and look inward to find out what my most fundamental music is. I found that actually I had my own set of opinions towards music, and I had a yearning for good music. I realized and understood that I should be responsible for my concert.
On the day of the concert, when I heard the first note, the whole musical composition seemed be fully under my control. I knew clearly and could express all the tones as I wished. That was something I had never experienced before. Everything, from the weakest tone to the variations in all kinds of tones, suddenly became simple and easy to handle. During the course of my singing, I could feel special colors and moods reflected in my body. Time was fleeting, and everything became lighter and easier. An insight into all mysteries seemed to be within. My stage style is normally timid and reserved, but that day I knew I was a representative of Dafa practitioners in all professions. Thus I was able to overcome my nervousness and fear firmly, and I broke through the normally fearful side of me that day.
I completely laid aside the techniques that had always required special attention in the past. However, this meant that I had more freedom. I realized that people systematize techniques, but the true essence is the result of one's mind intent. Everyone must find his own way. Music is also a form of cultivation of the heart, and I could enlighten to my own characteristics within it.
Many aspects of techniques, as a matter of fact, can be obtained only by searching inside. Because your body is your own, you have a better understanding of how to adjust and utilize your body. Teacher can help the students find the direction and paths that fit them, but the final path, the path of an artist, is created on his own.
Recently while studying with an Italian teacher, I discovered why the issue of one's voice mechanism falls into the discipline of spirit. A good singer has to have a broad field of vision, gentle, soft and bright progression and patience. He has both virtue and feelings. In most situations we only focused on techniques themselves, but then music became only a by-product. When I found my spiritual level to be very low, what I sang was truly black. Fear and rigidity emerged quickly. Then I started to pay more attention to technique. However, the real problem was in fact spiritual in nature.
Why do a particular culture's songs take on a totally different interpretation when sung by someone from another culture? We cannot treat them all the same. There was one distinctively Italian song that we could not imitate well no matter how hard we tried. The key is not whether we could mimic it well but how we could infuse the principle of the universe - 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance' into our singing. Expressing the noble music with 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance' is the most magnificent characteristic of the arts. It is this righteous music that is worth listening to and can transcend national boundaries.
Pouring the principle of the universe into the music will formlessly rectify anything that is not righteous and turn it into the sounds of a pure, flowing stream.
When we discard all of our masks and pour our true emotions into it, music indeed becomes food for thought.
When full of criticism, music is piercing;
When full of complaints, music is depressed;
If one's mind is righteous, his music is pure;
If one is compassionate, his music is kind;
If one is forbearing, his music is full of hope;
When we send out our voice to every corner of the world,
Let us sing these kinds of benevolent, harmonious melodies together!
Art is a connection to benevolence and harmony.
Translated from:
http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2001/12/11/12827.html
