No matter what your passion is, find your muse
As I wrote the final column of 2022, I created three words that may have baffled you. I took three muses closely associated with music and created adjectives of their names. Euterpe, Terpsichore and Polyhymnia were probably not happy having their names invoked thusly, but I did have a 500-word limit.
There are nine muses in ancient Greek mythology. And before I am done writing this, I will have consulted my mythology resources to make sure I don’t miss a one of them. Not much is written of them, but much is credited to be written through them. Their role was to entertain the Olympian gods and inspire mere mortals in the arts.
Euterpe (name means well-pleased or good delight, literally) was the muse for music and song. She could take that which was done by her sisters and turn it into song or even instrumental music. Most of the writings of this column in which we extol the virtues of performed music could be credited to her.
Her sister, Terpsichore (name means delight in dancing), was the muse of dance. Why did she get in the music column? I think music and dance are interrelated. My musical mentor used to say, “All music must dance.” Some of the favorite music in the world is meant for dance: Swan Lake, Nutcracker, polka and schottische, waltz and laendler. … How many weddings have you attended where the bride and groom don’t have some kind of dance together to celebrate their new union? Even cuddling my infants, I practiced “slow dancing, swaying to the music …" It just was a little confining in church!
Polyhymnia (name means many praises) was the muse for paeans extolling virtues and heroics of the Olympian gods. In many of my columns, I have alluded to my participation in the art of sacred song. The lyric and cadence of songs of praises move many. Most church people have a favorite song, although we credit another for the inspiration.
Thalia (comedy) and Melpomene (tragedy) were the muses of theater. Calliope and Erato were muses for epic poetry and love poetry, respectively. Clio (history) and Urania (astronomy) rounded out the Muses for the Greeks. Together, these represented the well-rounded individual and you can see the music in them. Okay, you have to stretch Urania a bit, but remember “Stars Fell on Alabama” as the “moon hit your eye like a big pizza pie.” The point is that many times music was closely associated with the presentation of each muse, both here and on Olympus.
Even without being musical, you can have a muse to inspire your work, whether performing on stage or writing something for presentation. Follow your inspirations and share them. Be creative. Express yourself in meaningful ways. And I will see you on stage. Or at a slam. Or beating me in the writing contest this weekend. As another Greek goddess inspires us: Just do it!
Richard Tiegs coordinates music columns for the Press-Citizen. Contact him if you have a musical thought to share!
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: No matter what your passion is, find your muse
