New Mexico Symphony Orchestra is No More
In April New Mexico lost something that will cause a shrinking of the spirit of the place for a good while to come -- the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra. I want to say a little about this because it seems that when the arts lose out in rough economic times, we all lose out, now and for years ahead.
On April 20 the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra filed for bankruptcy following a period of some bad management making less-than-stellar decisions, but above all because of the drying up of revenues with the bad economy. Ironic it is that many are blaming the economy entirely, yet this orchestra was started in 1932 during the throes of the Great Depression. That is 79 years of going through a great many ups and downs.
There are also those who suggest that the public is losing interest in classical music, that “Those who loved it are dying off.” Dave Tall, bass trombonist with the NMSO snaps back to this view by quoting Sir Winston Churchill. When told that Britain, during World War II, would have to cut back on funding for the arts, Churchill snorted, “Then what are we fighting for?”
If the orchestra’s 75 musicians had not believed in the importance of classical music to the people across the area, certainly they would not have have been performing without pay for these many, many months! Some musicians have lost their own homes due to the downturn, as well as to their long unpaid period of service. Yet they were willing, even eager, to go on. What does that say?
The arts hold a high place, indeed, in the Baha’i view. On the subject of music, ‘Abdu’l-Baha said:
"Musical melodies are ... those peculiar effects produced by, or from, vibration. However, they have the keenest effect upon the spirit ... Although music is a material affair, yet its tremendous effect is spiritual, and its greatest attachment is to the realm of the spirit. If a person desires to deliver a discourse, it will prove more effectual after musical melodies. The ancient Greeks, as well as Persian philosophers, were in the habit of delivering their discourses in the following manner -- First, playing a few musical melodies, and when their audience attained a certain receptivity thereby they would leave their instruments at once and begin their discourse."
He also said: "The musician's art is among those arts worthy of the highest praise, and it moveth the hearts of all who grieve."
Notable ancient Greeks and Persians were in the habit of warming up their audiences with music. Could it be that in an economic downturn so many arts programs get canceled that people, in general, unconsciously accept the message that the arts are unimportant when compared to wars, for instance? It is true that different types of music have very different effects upon people. Consider the many studies done that establish positive effects of Bach, Vivaldi and other composers of the classical world. How many crying babies calm down when hearing Fur Elise? How many people find unbearable grief lightening a little bit when listening to Brahm's sublime "German Requiem"? How many think warmly of human brotherhood while listening to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony? Of joy and overcoming a challenge when hearing Pachelbel's Canon in D Major?
However, Baha'i teachings note that different types of music have various effects on people. "Melodies, though they are material, are connected with the spiritual, therefore, they produce a great effect. A certain kind of melody makes the spirit happy, another kind makes it sad, another excites it to action."
"If a heart full of good feelings and a pure voice are joined together, a great effect is produced. For instance: if there be love in the heart, through melody, it will increase until its intensity can scarcely be borne; but if bad thoughts are in the heart, such as hatred, it will increase and multiply. For instance: the music used in war awakens the desire for bloodshed. The meaning is that melody causes whatever feeling is in the heart to increase. Some feelings occur accidentally and some have a foundation. For example: some people are naturally kind, but they may be accidentally upset by a wave of anger. But if they hear music, the true nature will reassert itself. Music really awakens the real, natural nature, the individual essence. With whatever purpose you listen to music, that purpose will be increased. For instance: there will be a concert given for the poor and unfortunate, and if you go there thinking of the aim, the music will increase your compassion and generosity. This is the reason why music is used in war."
I, a person who has never studied music, will say what seems so obvious: If classical music had been causing noticeable negative social trends such as riots in the streets, aggression and violence against complete strangers, how would it have endured down the decades and centuries to ever become known as classical music? As cities like Albuquerque lose their orchestras, there's more, so much more, to it than simply not having a Christmas concert to attend in fancy dress. More than missing the wonderful evening concerts to which I took my daughter and a friend or two some years, at the Albuquerque Zoo
It has long been my view that music and the other arts represent nothing less that the very soul of humanity. The arts are forms of languages for which there have never been, nor will ever, be any words whatever. If we upheld the importance of music, fine art, literature, poetry and artisanry in tough times these things would create and maintain jobs. They help people to just plain endure. As a passing observation here, sports also, in a very different way, serves a vital purpose in keeping spirit strong.
Drew McManus, musician, manager, and cultural entrepreneur, writes more about this situation: Some Thoughts on the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra.
There is a bit of a buzz around the area about forming another orchestra. Stay tuned. There are other orchestras within this state, though at considerable distance from the most densely populated Albuquerque region.
Santa Fe Symphony & Chorus
Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra
Roswell Symphony Orchestra
