A Language of the World

When one young person out of two celebrates the music of the world through an instrument, Maurice Fleuret thought why not celebrate this music annually? And that's how this day became World Music Day!

World Music Day, Illustrated by Miloni Munipally: Visual Storyteller at ThisDay

Music expresses that which cannot be put into words, and that which cannot remain silent. -Victor Hugo

After a long tiresome day, we come home and ask Alexa to play some soothing music. In traffic that seems like it will never clear away, we switch on our radio to listen to some latest tunes. During meditation, to make relaxation easier, we play soft music that tranquillizes our mood. No matter which part of the world one belongs to, there is one language that connects us all. Even nature joins us in singing the language of the world and in the silence, the music rises as one thing that unites the world.

There is nothing comparable to the tunes of a favourite song. It enters our ears, relaxes our bodies and the rhythms play a little dance inside. Sometimes, the melodies take us to faraway lands, to unimaginable worlds far and near, where one is put in a world where the memory of those gone long by languishes in the strings of our heart.

Music is an instrument to cater to all emotions that a human is capable of.

In France, one Maurice Fleuret recognized what music does to the world. On close observation of the cultural practices of French, he discovered that in the five million people that he studied, one of every two young people played one or another musical instrument. All he wanted to do was to invent something through which all these people could be brought together to celebrate their similarity.

Fleuret took on the position of Director of Music and Dance at the Ministry of Culture. All that he knew about music, he applied it to his work and the evolution of music. While the music was everywhere, the concert was nowhere. To rectify the situation, in 1982, he planned the Fête de la Musique in Paris.

The festival eventually became an annual thing internationally, growing every year, a festival when all music come together to celebrate the language of the world.

More than 700 cities and 120 countries celebrate World Music Day on 21st June to celebrate music in all forms and to honour the impact it has had on the world.

Music is a stimulant to the mind, peace for the soul, and emotion of the heart. When the tunes of different instruments combine to make one whole, the world seems to come together. In the falling waterfalls, flowing rains, the patter of rains, there is music, relaxing and soothing to the ear. In the delicate strings and stretched goatskins are the nuances that the skilled and talented bring forth in unfathomable ways.

At all levels of life, music has immense worth. More so, in education. Music enhances expression and value in life, beginning a host of qualities that are immeasurable in any aspect. Learning music is like learning a new language. It is abstract and one for the world.

On this day, music is brought to the streets, made life for all to enjoy and public spaces and parks are filled with melodies. Concerts are opened for all and musicians play music for free for the world to enjoy. Families and friends come together to enjoy music for what it truly is - a collective celebration of humanity. Whether you understand music or not, you can play an instrument or not, you can sing or not, Music Day is meant for all.

"Music is the universal language of mankind" - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.