Perseverance Pays Off

I am now working on my next project, which is a CD on the theme of marriage.  At the moment the vision is that it will consist of five pieces with quotations and prayers from several sources.  So far, I have chosen quotes from the Baha’i writings on marriage, a prayer for husbands and one for women. I have also selected a quote from the Bible about love for which I just composed the melody last week.  I am looking for one more quotation about love from any source, so if you have any ideas or quotes to contribute, I would love to hear them.  

When I started composing the quotation from the Bible, I found a couple of phrases quite challenging to set to music.  It just didn’t flow at the time and it was difficult to find an appropriate melody for the words in the passage.  I decided to take a break, but after some encouragement from my producer to persevere, I felt inspired to try again. This time the music came so naturally and rapidly that I was amazed! 

 It is hard to describe what happens in those moments that one feels truly inspired:  I feel as if I am in touch with a different realm. Composing music is such an inspiring and mysterious subject for me.  In times when the urge to create is strong I feel impelled to put everything else on hold so that I can make a rough recording, otherwise I may lose it altogether and the next time I try, something completely different may be inspired. How important it is to make use of those creative moments and persevere!

Thought of the Day: 

“Endeavor your utmost to compose beautiful poems to be chanted with heavenly music; thus may their beauty affect the minds and impress the hearts of those who listen.”    

– Abdu’l-Baha