Beatles, although I did not appreciate their kind of music at its inception, but have grown to favor them at times.

When I was a kid, as my grandchildren are, cartoon characters did not speak. This was before spoken words were synchronized to mouth movement. Instead, they played music and through the essence of music, the actions of the character were depicted. In silent movies, the words spoken were displayed on the screen along with a pianist setting the mood on a keyboard. These pianists were quite skillful in portraying imminent or impending danger and then setting the stage for a love scene with a whole different style of playing. The villain's presence was a gloom and doom or sinister sound while the heroes' presence was a victorious revelry of triumph.

The concept of background music is far from dead today. Just a few days ago while in the kitchen preparing supper I heard classical music coming from the TV in the living room where the "Grands" were. I put down what I was doing to take a peek. They were watching cartoons, but the background music was classical!

Some songs supports the movie's theme, but Walt Disney has a knack for creating and integrating dialog such as, Pocahontas' song to John Smith with smashing success. Another popular song and theme is Disney's "Beauty and the Beast."

It amazes me, how the early composers came up with some of the classical sounds. Compared to today, they were really limited in musical instruments. Today, we have brass, string, woodwind, percussion and electrical to choose from. The newest on the scene is quite innovative and almost primitive, and some might deny calling it an instrument. It requires a sense of rhythm, a numb leg, a microphone, and puckered lips. I had to call around to find the correct terminology, but this rhythmic sound is called "beat boxing." This form quite creative to say the least. Hey, I used to play the comb and once in a while played the spoons. My husband, however, does not share my opinions at all. He likes banjos and such like. I just wonder if there was a time that banjos were considered obtuse.

Whether your tastes run to pop, jazz, rock 'n roll, or to classical, etc., music will always resonate an expression of man's inner soul. Even King David used song and music as a means of baring his soul to his Creator in search of repentance, and expressing joy, celebration, victory, or praise.

Here's wishing you and yours a safe and happy New Year. May all your hopes and dreams come true in 2004. Wow! It's still hard to believe, two thousand and four!