Anthony stole my title

He didn't realize it, but I had been working on this post for a day or so and he ended up posting on the same topic, choosing an almost identical title. Ah well...

It was the voice of Mary which lulled the infant Jesus to sleep. It was the thunder from on top of the mountain which was the voice of God. It is the voice of the shepherd which the sheep know. It is with groanings that the Holy Spirit intercedes. It is with the spoken words of a priest that God is Emmanuel in the Eucharist, and by which we are released of our eternal debt for mortal sin.

The human voice is one powerful thing. I've even heard some say that speaking negatively is as powerful as a real curse uttered against someone for their spiritual ruin. Now, I may not go that far, but indeed, the point is still valid - the voice is a powerful instrument which can, even without words, express some of the deepest movements of the soul so as to unite one person with another, and hopefully God.

I've been listening to some music recently and I've noticed that those which are the most powerful to me are those which utilize the human voice, again, not only for the lyrics but also without words simply as a musical instrument. This gives the music an added element of passion. Consider, for instance, the voices utilized in many of today's movies. Permit me to submit the following list for your perusal (a number of these are from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - Howard Shore capitalized on the power of the human voice and made a large contribution in making these films truly epic):

• The eeriness portrayed by the sopranos in The Steward of Gondor of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
  
• The relief portrayed in Anduril (LOTR:ROTK)
  
• The power and horror portrayed in The End of All Things (LOTR:ROTK)
  
• The movement and strife indicated in Helm's Deep (LOTR: Two Towers)
  
• The solitariness portrayed by this soloist in Breath of Life (LOTR:TT)
  
• The suspension created in Forth Eorlingas (LOTR:TT)
  
• The angst of The Wheat in Gladiator
  
• The grief of Sorrow (Gladiator)
  
• Though this one be less fair since she is singing, supposedly, lyrics, nonetheless the excitement portrayed in Now We Are Free (Gladiator)
  
• The ritual droning in Sierra Leone, 1839 from Amistad
  
• Lastly, I would like to include a "favorite" of our brother Tyler. He calls it meaningless wailing, but I don't think it so meaningless: Dry Your Tears, Afrika, from Amistad
  
• Actually, Tyler just remembered that the movie Troy has some "meaningless wailing" in it as well. Check out both 3200 Years Ago and the even better background vocals in Remember!
  

Well, anyhow, the list could go on and on. The best, in my opinion, are those which raise the spirit not primarily in lament but rather in triumphant jubilation, which can be turned into an act of blessing and praise to our Lord.