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What constitutes beauty in music?

What constitutes beauty in music? What gives it such force to influence our emotions? It has the capacity to move and put us in touch with a primal well of inner joy. We are 'connected' through music. It transcends the existential isolation of the human condition. 

One such example: national anthems. The fact that these national 'hymns' unite citizens in a common experience of connectedness in which they, while even though 'separated' from from others, share a common experience of being 'moved' by the same event. The music becomes the medium by which we are united.


To explore this, I turned to the one nation that does anthems better (and worse... remember Roseanne?) than anyone else, the USA. Here are two examples. Listen to them and look within yourself to become aware of what wells up within you. (The 3rd example is only for those who are into self-flagellation!)


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