Psalm 150

            In the first of his famous “Young People’s Concerts,” Leonard Bernstein asked his youthful audience the question “What does music mean?”  The maestro then offered his own simple reply: “The meaning of music is a feeling.”  

            With words, we express our ideas; but music is the language of the heart, expressing every emotion, from bitter sorrow to supreme joy.

            Therefore the Book of Psalms, which explores the full spectrum of human emotional life, closes with Psalm 150, a call for music.  Winds, strings and percussion are all summoned for the spiritual experience which transcends words: the prayer of melody, harmony and rhythm.