The Cosmic Sheath: Tragic Musical Phenomenon

Music is a messaging system used to speak directly to the Gods, but this communication can often go awry. The effects are often magical and of a natural order, but not always pleasant. Music is a cosmic system and preoccupation with it can "wear a hole in the cosmic sheath and allow a direct intuitional awareness of inner realities to take place," divulged the late author, Gareth Knight. Some of these realms may be of an opulent nature, but music's original purpose was divine. It has only been distorted throughout time to suite mankind's own sense gratifying needs. The power of music was originally brought forth as a messaging system for ideas beyond our visual and optical perceptions. Later on, the first troubadour, William of Poitiers, developed what is called the "Courts of Love," during the rule of King Richard I. It was delivered in song form and touches upon rescuing damsels in distress and other acts of chivalry. These stories were transported musically from place to place, to communicate core values of life. The legend of Robin hood and his Merry Men also told tales that invoked universal life lessons through heavy rhyming.

However, music could be used as a form of spiritual control. Every religion seems to be steeped in some form of hymn or chant, from Catholicism to Hinduism. Sounds, after all, are vessels of power that can often be manipulated. That is when the trouble seems to arise. Music has represented some form of power or control, dating back to the first days of Rome, and its founder, Romulus. The first king's staff is said to be the basis of the musical 'staff' we now see on sheet music. This power has of course been morphed into a conglomerate scheme by the corporate "fat cats" running the record industries of modern times. There is little to no hope that it will ever return to its pure form during our planet's term, but it has still managed to stir up raw emotion throughout history, and sometimes unfortunately, resulting in tragedy.

During the Swing-era, Lionel Hampton's mega hit, "Flying Home" created such a frenzy on dance floors, that it was banned from being played in Connecticut, worrying venue owners that their balconies would collapse. At the Apollo in Harlem one evening, a man who was high on 'reefers,' jumped to his death off the upper balcony, as Hampton tore through a frenzied performance of the song. It is rumored that the man thought perhaps he was able to 'fly home' for real. These types of incidents, unfortunately, still happen today. On Sunday, October 20, 2021, a man jumped to his death off a four-story balcony section of the San Francisco Chase Center, during a performance of the jam band, Phish. No evidence of foul play was found, and the man was reported to have been at the show all by himself. Concert goers a few rows up claimed to have seen the man climb up onto the barrier and leap off. The author, Gareth Knight, once again made an interesting observation (on live music), stating that: "The hypnotic throb of music and the deliberate building up of emotion to the point of mass hysteria gives a magical powerhouse of considerable proportions, far beyond the capacity of any small esoteric coterie." This "mass hysteria" that Knight speaks of is extremely apparent in the rock world, with its orgiastic worship and mass release of inhibitions, but the world of jazz has also seen its fair share.

Tragedy and music seem to go hand in hand, and this connection sometimes comes in the form of phenomenon. With Billie Holiday's 1941 cover of "Gloomy Sunday" (by Rezső Seress, 1933), such is the case. The original had been associated with 19 suicides in Hungary and the US, with the first English recording of the song arriving in 1936, by Hal Kemp and Sam M. Lewis. At this time, there were reports of its sheet music being found at the bedside of suicide victims. With Holiday's rendition, the record had been found playing on gramophones at the location of suicides. The legendary jazz singer had also been plagued by drug addiction throughout her entire career, leading some to speculate that she was cursed by the song. Billie Holiday's, "Gloomy Sunday" was banned in the US during wartime, after its release in 1941, however that ban was lifted in 2002. Rezső Seress, the song's original Hungarian writer, coincidentally committed suicide in Budapest in 1968, and the country of Hungary had the highest suicide rate for years after the release of "Gloomy Sunday." This, of course can't all be contributed to just one song. Or can it?

Music most certainly holds the power to stir up intense emotions, sometimes even deadly, but is it to blame for peoples' wrong doings? Points will continue to be proven both ways and all's one can do is be cautious. When the 'cosmic sheath' of music is unveiled, there is no telling what the effects could be, so please tread lightly. We need to make a conscious effort to use music to heal, instead of to manipulate and separate. As Plato stated, "Music is moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, and life to everything. It is the essence of order, and leads to all that is good, just and beautiful, of which it is the invisible, but nevertheless dazzling, passionate, and eternal form."

Sources:

• "Billie Holiday and the Gloomy Sunday Curse." American Hauntings Inc.
• Knight, Garreth. "A History of White Magic." Skylight Press. 1 December, 1979.
• Lewry, Fraser. "Man falls to his death during Phish show in San Francisco." Louder. 20 October, 2021.
• Mikkelson, David. "Gloomy Sunday Suicide." Snopes. 12 November, 1996.
• Morgan, Hal and Kerry Tucker. "Rumor." Penguin Books. 7 February, 1984.
• Rickert, David. "Lionel Hampton: 'Flying Home.'" All About Jazz. 22 August, 2005.
• Waldner, Nicole. "Gloomy Sunday-Life of a song." Financial Times. 14 August, 2023.
• X, Malcolm and Alex Haley. "The Auto Biography of Malcolm X." Grove Press. 29 October, 1965.