If you're like me, when certain music touches your ears, your soul takes flight. It inspires you, energizes you, and reminds you of important times in your life. Maybe it moves you with its beauty.
Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations (Opus 36) does that for me. I’d never heard of Elgar until my husband-to-be, Mart, asked me to listen to this piece. He wanted to have it played at our wedding, as I walked down the aisle to meet him and say our vows.
Turns out, the story behind the creation of The Variations is fascinating and fitting. One evening, in 1898, Elgar came home tired from a long day of teaching violin lessons. So he sat down at the piano and started playing with a tune. His wife, Alice, liked what she heard—the theme he kept coming back to. As they talked, he started creating variations of it that depicted the personalities of Alice, some friends, and even Elgar himself.
I think it must have been a joy to create something like that. A tribute of beauty inspired by his wife and friends. What a gift that would be! And perfect for a wedding.
Did I know all that when I walked down the aisle? No. I just knew it as music that shone with beauty and grace. A piece my husband had hand-picked for us because he loved it.
When I hear it now, it takes me back to that day of wonder: a pearl-encrusted dress, fragrant and colorful stargazer lilies, readings of poetry and scripture, laughter triggered by our funny pastor, loved ones everywhere I looked, and tears of joy and gratitude. Its beauty moved me the first time I heard it, again this morning, and every year on our anniversary.
What types or pieces of music inspire or move you with their beauty? I'd love to know. Please leave me a comment below.
For a 3-minute clip of Enigma Variations with some nice photography, click here.
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Photo by Gianni Scognamiglio | Unsplash