Category: the visual arts, music and dance

The HEART of Easter

In this post I focus on the legacy of George Frideric Handel, who, unlike his barber-surgeon father, pursued music and composed the Easter oratorio “Messiah.” You may not hear Messiah at Easter services, but its message is just as applicable as it is to Christmas.

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.”

Job 19:25

He is Risen-praise, honor, glory, power, king of kings-Hallelujah
graphic from LIGHTSTOCK.COM, an affiliate link

 “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. “

1 Corinthians 15:56-57

 
 

“Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.”

Not “Like Father, Like Son” 

I know families with multiple physicians, including parents, siblings, or children. My grandfather was a dentist, but he died before I was born. My sons had no interest in medicine and instead chose technology careers.

Georg Handel was a barber-surgeon in northern Germany in the 17th century. Barber-surgeons were physicians in medieval Europe who only performed surgery, often treating wounds from war injuries. Eventually, surgery and barbery became separate occupations.

His son George did not follow his father into medicine. Instead, George Frideric Handel  followed his HEART and studied music and eventually composed his masterpiece , Messiah, first performed in 1742, and presented countless times since then.

Modern choirs perform Messiah at Christmas, but Handel wrote it for Easter. The lyrics of the songs in Messiah explore the HEART of the  Bible with passages that tell the story of God sending Jesus to earth to redeem His people.

The London Symphony Orchestra presents Handel's Messiah

Find Handel’s Messiah on iTunes.

The HEART of Easter-watercresswords.com

The Lyrics of Messiah

The scripture references in this post are used as lyrics in songs from Messiah, including the song that brings the audience to its feet, Hallelujah.

The text for “Hallelujah” comes from the book of Revelation in the New Testament.

  • Revelation 19:6: “Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”
  • Revelation 19:16: “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.”
  • Revelation 11:15 reads, “And he shall reign for ever and ever.”

The kingdom of this world;

is become the kingdom of our Lord,

and of His Christ

And He shall reign forever and ever

King of kings and Lord of lords

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

Hallelujah

Sharing the HEART of Easter

I’d love for you to follow this blog. I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.

Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.

I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.

Dr Aletha

Many people find using their phones a convenient way to read and meditate on the Bible. And it’s easy to do so with the Dwell Bible App.

With Dwell you can listen to and read the Bible and special devotional offerings for Advent, Lent, and throughout the year.

Using this affiliate link helps support this blog and my mission to share the heart of health wherever needed all over the world. Please join me.

Why music and dancing make good medicine

In this post I featured a 2013 flash mob at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, performing a selection from Tchaikovsky’s “The Waltz of the Flowers.” The event brought joy and therapeutic benefits to staff and patients, reflecting the healing power of music. It also explores the use of music in medicine, citing evidence of its positive effects on health.

A flashmob as medicine

Social media created the concept of  “flash mobs” although I haven’t seen many of them posted lately. This one from 2013 is still my favorite.

A flash mob (or flashmob) is when people suddenly come together in a public place to do something. After they are done, they disperse again.

Wikipedia

I guess surprise is characteristic of a flashmob, but this one happened in an unexpected place-a hospital-and illustrates what this blog is all about-exploring and promoting the heart of health.

(This post contains affiliate links, links which pay a commission for sales made with its use)

Who was Hadassah?

The Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem is named for an Old Testament Bible character, Hadassah, whose name was later changed to Esther. Among the 66 books in the Bible,  Esther is one of only two books named for women; the other is Ruth.

The story of Esther is one of the epic dramas of the Bible, full of intrigue, conflict, conspiracy, danger, risk, betrayal, discrimination, and ultimate justice. As the Queen of Persia, Esther faced the choice of risking her life to save others.  The story is so engaging that it has been dramatized in movies. (There is even a Veggie Tales version.)

You can read the whole story here-

The Book of Esther 

Who was Tchaikovsky?

The music in the video is  The Waltz of the Flowers by famous Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. If you’ve ever attended a performance of The Nutcracker during the Christmas season, you will recognize it. 

I love the way this performance brought people together- the musicians, dancers, visitors, hospital staff, and patients. You can feel the joy they created in a place that always needs it.

You can tell that some of the patients here are seriously ill. Perhaps they felt a sense of hope and peace and for a few moments forgot the reason they were there. Music can be therapeutic and I believe it was that day.

How does music make good medicine?

“There’s just something about music — particularly live music — that excites and activates the body,” says Joanne Loewy, whose work is part of a growing movement of music therapists and psychologists who are investigating the use of music in medicine to help patients dealing with pain, depression and possibly even Alzheimer’s disease.

“We’ve found compelling evidence that musical interventions can play a health-care role in settings ranging from operating rooms to family clinics,” says Dr. Daniel Levitin, author of the book This is Your Brain on Music.

The analysis also points to just how music influences health. The researchers found that listening to and playing music increases the body’s production of the antibody immunoglobulin A and natural killer cells — the cells that attack invading viruses and boost the immune system’s effectiveness. Music also reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

“Music very much has a way of enhancing quality of life and can, in addition, promote recovery.”

Music as medicine
Information taken from the American Psychological Association

sharing the HEART of health in music and dance

I’d love for you to follow this blog. I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.

Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.

I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.

Dr. Aletha

faith, hope and love in cursive letters
another inspirational graphic from the Lightstock.com collections of stock images, an affiliate link