Music New Age, like its classical counterpart skillfully creates, through an alignment and attunement that present day composers often experience whilst composin, the spiritual dimension of music as a transcendant influence.
In the words of one composer, describing this alignment -
"... letting go of the self, allowing a force, something other, move front of stage, take over and create for the listener a heart felt awareness and experience of their true nature."
The Composer as alchemist
Changing base metal into gold was an alchemical dream. Literally taken it drove many to seek riches on the physical level by trying to crack an enigma. True alchemists knew this to be a metaphor for moving beyond physical constraints and shifting consciousness to a higher level of awareness.
"Do you know that our soul is composed of harmony?"
Leonardo Da Vinci
Today, the best of music New Age be it inspirational or devotional, offers a pathway to this goal.
The epithet, New Age music is often associated and poorly represented by slushy sentimental, electronically created sounds that have become New Age 'musak'. It is a pity, because within this collective term there are extraordinary and uplifting artists that have literally redefined the music scene in spiritual and relaxation music. They have no relation to the 'engineered' sounds that stack up as New Age music.
Finding a description that veers away from the worse associations of music New Age would be better.
So , in spite of the love of pundits to catagorise and pigeon hole all New Age artists under a single name, we have collected some of the greatest talents in this area and present them here, under the title of great music!
Each artist, in her/his own right, excels and offers relaxation music, music for healing, inspiration and visualisation. Relieving the stresses of life, dissolving day to day problems, and bringing an atmosphere of deep peace and contentment is where these artists score.
Constance Demby, whose music is seminal within the music New Age movement, has transformed our understanding of how music can be used for, and induce, visualisation and transcendent states.
Both Stephen Page , in their own unique ways, represent a refreshing and frontier breaking approach to New Age music.
Jon Mark, one of the original exponents of the New Age movement, having left his hard rock and pop history behind him, set bench marks in electronic music that many others after him imitate and plagiarise. His own label White Cloud Music features some of the best ambient, soft jazz and Celtic music around.
"Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence."
Robert Fripp
