Creative Arts

(this is some information that I received from Dr. Michael Ballam, this information is unedited notes of Dr. Ballam, hence there are the spelling error and typos. It is my intent to not edit them for the purpuse of not risking changing the meaning of the text. It is my desire to inform you of these errors so as to not take away any credibiliy from Dr. Ballam because of possible impressions that these mistakes may have on people to lower his credibility.)

CREATIVE ARTS
In 1877 Sir Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame) set Adelaide Procter’s text of The Lost Chord. It is remarkable, given the strained acceptance of women in literary circles of the time, as well as the concept of music having greater than entertainment value. Please examine the lyrical text:
Seated one day at the organ, I was weary and ill at ease, And my fingers wandered idly over the noisy keys. I know not what I was playing, or what I was dreaming then, But I touched one chord of music like the sound of a great amen. It flooded the crimson twilight Like the close of an angel’s Psalm. And it lay on my fever’d spirit with a touch of infinite calm, It quieted pain and sorrow Like love overcoming strife, It seemed the harmonious echo From our discordant life. It linked all perplexed meaning, Into one perfect peace, And trembled away into silence, As if it were loth to cease. I have sought, but I seek it vainly, That one lost chord divine, Which came from the soul of the organ, And enter’d into mine. It may be that Death’s bright angel will speak in that chord again; It may be, that only in Heav’n I shall hear that grand Amen. It may be, that Death’s bright angel, Will speak in that chord again, It may be, that only in Heav’n I shall hear that grand Amen
 Was Ms. Procter serious? Is this simply a lovely, lyrical, ethereal portrayal of the lofty nature of music, or is it a theoretical examination of the potential majesty of music. I assert that it is the latter. I believe music has monumental powers far beyond the realm of simple entertainment. She proposes that music can give energy when weary, replace fever with calm, quiet pain and sorry, overcome strife with love, replace discord with harmony, bring clarity of thought to confusion, bring understanding to the soul, not just the brain, and perhaps bring life to death. I make no apologies for my belief, that indeed music has these powers, and my hope is to provide you with information that will substantiate these claims. The purpose of this text is to examine music as it relates to human behavior and history in a multi-disciplined arena including:
t Religion
t Politics
t Business
t Medicine
t Intellect
t Romance
Since the beginning of time, man has wished to explain those concepts that are larger than life - BIG principles as it were, i.e. who made the sun, where does the sun go in the night, where are the stars, where did I come from, where am I going? Such BIG questions have been answered by a variety of means, theology, religion, mythology, and mysticism. Music has always been there are the explanation process takes place. Let us examine the way with which the Greeks attribute the gift of music. Before we do, remember that the behavior of the Greek Gods are not bound my human laws and morality. What the gods may choose to do, should not be judged by our sense of morality, standards or ethics. They are above the law. Zeus, or Jupiter in Roman Myth, had a number of wives to populate his universe. His made the mistake of having a favorite son, Apollo, who was the son of his wife Latona. Europa (Hera, Juno) did not approve and became enraged by the favoritism, since the child was not her own. She set upon a plan to destroy Apollo, thereby equalizing the favoritism to her own children. Zeus, heard about the plot and determined to save Apollo by exiling him to the isle of Delos, a small island off the coast of Mykonos, Greece. Zeus solicited the help of his friend Neptune or Poseidon, the god of the sea to garner the assistance of the furies to make the sea around Delos so turbulent that Europa could not approach with her entourage and destroy his beloved son Apollo. It worked! It worked so well that to this day there is tremendous turbulence in the sea about Delos. I tried some years ago to visit Delos, but to no avail. Even in a great cruise ship, it was impossible. My reason for wanting to go there was to witness the spot where a very important even in mythology took place. I will describe that event. Apollo was alone and abandoned on the island for some time. Though it may have been delightful at first, I am sure it began to cloy or loose it’s savor. After a while Zeus appeared to Apollo with apologies for the condition with which he was subjected. Zeus explained his reasoning, that in order to preserve Apollo’s life he must keep all else away from him. He conveyed his great sorrow, that due to his great affection for Apollo he was being forced into this exile. Zeus determined to give Apollo a gift that would compensate for this dreadful state. He would grant unto him a special gift could give energy when weary, replace fever with calm, quiet pain and sorry, overcome strife with love, replace discord with harmony, bring clarity of thought to confusion, bring understanding to the soul, not just the brain, and perhaps bring life to death. These are the very attributes described by Adelaide Procter in The Lost Chord. Zeus gave Apollo his most priceless gift to bestow...MUSIC. What a beautiful story. Is it all myth, or is music a gift from some greater power? Let us examine how man has answered that question throughout the ages, as music has been a central element in worship and explanation of the mysteries of the universe. Let us define music. Music is organized sound, sound is vibration, vibration is movement, movement is energy, and energy is life! I am not placing this in the realm of hyperbole, but have life experience and study sufficient to confirm that music has the power to do all that Ms. Procter suggests. If we were to lay this definition into a compendium, it would look as follows: Life=Energy=Movement=Vibration=(organized) Sound=Music. The element of organization is essential in the definition of music.. It is the magic ingredient that transforms sound into miraculous music. Music is both a science and an art. I propose that it is more of a science than anything.. It’s very nature is predicated upon universal principles of science. The great scientist, mathematician, philosopher and musician, Pythagoras, living 500 B.C. postulated extraordinary ideas about the essence of music. His theories are so remarkable and ahead of his time, I can only conclude that there was divine inspiration involved in their discoveries. Pythagoras asserted that each tone of music was actually made up of a series of overtones which are perceived by the human ear, though we chose to identify only the primary sound. One can experiment with this theory by allowing the damper on the g string of a piano to be raised by carefully depressing the key. Then, while keeping the g string undampened, strike the c below it. It should cause the g to sound itself in sympathy. That system of harmonic pitches sounding in sympathy is the derivation of the 12 tones of an octave. There are a number of mystical collections based upon the number 12 i.e. 12 months, 12 zodiac signs, 12 inches in a foot, 12 apostles and so on. Those twelve partials become the chromatic scale upon which western music is based. Somehow, through some sort of calibration, Pythagoras determined that if a string is cut in half, it will vibrate twice as fast, and the sound perceived will be one octave higher. Hence the note to which we tune orchestras (A 440, or rather a note that vibrates 440 times a second) will only vibrate 220 times a second if it is twice as long, creating a sound an octave lower, or 880 times a second if half the length. Determining this phenomenon today is understandable, given the technology available to us, but to have understood that in 500 B.C. is mind-boggling. His original theories were made possible out of an instrument called the monochord, a one-stringed instrument. By dampening parts of the strings it would emit mathematical equivalents which corresponded to the consonant (or harmonic) intervals in Greek music. The so-called Pythagoreans, having applied themselves to mathematics, first advanced that study, and having been trained in it they thought that the principles of mathematics were the principles of all things. Since of these principles numbers are by nature first, they thought they saw many similarities to things which exist and come into being in numbers rather than in fire and earth and water... Seeing, further, that the properties and ratios of the musical consonances were expressible in numbers, and that indeed all other things seemed to be wholly modelled in their nature upon numbers, they took numbers to be the whole of reality, the elements of numbers to be the elements of all existing thihngs, and the whole heaven to be musical scale and number. (4.25) Within 200 years this theory would influence the work of Archimedes and Galileo. Pythagoreans postulated that the entire universe was held together by a musical “map” and considered the whole heaven to be “a musical scale and a number,” (VB book) and Aristotle, in his account of the motions of the heavenly bodies, gives a detailed account of this theory: Some thinkers suppose that the motion of bodies so great must produce a noise, since even objects here on earth do so, though they are not equal in bulk to those, nor do they move at such high speeds. That the sun and moon and the stars, so great in number and in size, and moving with so swift a motion, should fail to produce a sound correspondingly great, it (they say) incredible. ON this assumption, then, together with the further assumption that their speeds, as determined by their distances (from the center) are in the ratios of the musical consonances, they say that the sound made by the heavenly bodies as they revolve is a harmony,. And in order to account for the fact that we do not hear the sound, they say that it is with us from the moment of birth, so that we are unable to distinguish it from its opposite, silence; for sound and silence are only known by contrast. Consequently, what happens to us is similar to what happens to workers in bronze, who are so used to noise that they do not notice it. 4.27 A whirling object around ones head (rhomboi) produces a sound, and the acceleration of the object raises the pitch of the object, based upon the mass of the object. With this principle in mind it is possible to understand that the heavenly bodies have an indigenous pitch unique to them. With this relative series of pitches emanating from the various planets and stars a concept of “heavenly harmony” or music of the spheres comes forth. The idea that planets and heavenly bodies are in relation to each other by measurable and highly organized ratios is the work of the Pythagorean Anaximander. However, placing the concept in a truly musical perspective was the work of Pythagoras himself who was, by experience, a musician. Shakespeare ponders the effect music has on the universe in a conversation with Lorenzo and Jessica in Merchant of Venice, citing the power of Orpheus and Erebus and the majestic means by which music can alter the elements. Plutarch bemoans that our natures are so imprisoned by the day to day experience, that we don’t even hear the music of the spheres: The ears of most souls are blocked and stopped up not with wax but with carnal obstructions and passions. 4.30 Pythagoras was the first to call what surrounds us a cosmos because of the order in it. Prior to that time a perspective of void or chaos ruled. Cosmos, in Greek, has a higher meaning implying not merely to “set in order” but “to set in an order which is fitting” and between “beautiful” and “good”, suggesting them both. The principles of balance between light and dark, cold and hot, dry and most, consonance and dissonance are such a part of the Greek thought dating to Socrates it is no wonder that music is such an important part of that theory. What is music, but the balancing of these elements? Pythagoras even used “musical terms” to describe his desire to curb his passions or modify his behavior. He said he would “chastise neither slave nor free man in anger. He called admonition a “re-tuning”. The vibratory effect that operates in this mathematical realm effects everything in the universe from the smallest to the largest entity. Every cell in our bodies have their own unique vibratory effect or tone, and the planets do as well. From the infinitesimal molecules of our bodies to the immensity of the planet Jupiter, there is order and design in the form of vibration. Bode’s law describes the phenomenon that the planets are held in their orbit by the orderly arrangement of vibratory effect unique to each planet. Bode even goes so far as to note that the “tone” or rumble of the earth is an octave away from that of Venus, Mercury and so on respectively. Perhaps the myth of the universe being held together by “music of the spheres” is more reality than poetic imagery. Such immensity of organization causes one to contemplate the divine order of creation. However it came to be, it exists!

Music, Man’s “Holy” expression. “In the Beginning...” In 1995 I determined to go with my family to Israel for a sabbatical year. I had many objectives in mind, but related to my university studies, I wanted to study the art of cantilation (singing in the synagogue) and the ancient traditions of Judaic music. That necessitated learning Hebrew. I determined to set about to translate the Bible from Hebrew to English. Now, I understand that had been done before, but I felt it would be enlightening for me to do it myself. I was astonished with what I learned. I got as far as Genesis chapter 1 verse 1. Br-sheet bara Elohim et shamaim v’et ha eretz. I had assumed that it would begin with “In the beginning... it did not! I assumed the first word would be beginning or at least creation. Instead I found that Br-sheet meant chief or most important in a group. I could not imagine what that had to do with the traditional beginning found in the King James translation. The next word, bara, is a verb, but not creation. It means to organize. I suppose one could convey that to mean creation, but there is another Hebrew word for that. The third word, Elohim, had a familiarity to me as the proper name for God. Still, my mind was fascinated by the final syllable im which ends the word. In Hebrew, words become plural when im is added. Yelled is boy, yelledim is boys; musik is one song, musikim is song; melech is king, melechim is kings; and so on. Though Elohim has come to mean the supreme being, if viewed is strictest sense, it means Gods. Shamaim, another plural word means heavens and Eretz can be taken either singular earth or plural earths. Hence, if translating in absolute, the first line of the bible literally means...The chief of the gods, organized the heavens and the earths. The word organized is important here, as it implies that something came from something, that order was established in chaos. That principle of order is so important as we examine music, since it is the salient feature that sets music apart from any other discipline. Music is the very essence of order. Did you notice above, that the Hebrew word for music is musik? Interestingly the written form of Hebrew has no vowels. They are implied, but not written. They are referred to as the musicalisches, or the musical part of the language. It is even believed, that God speaks in that language. Music is one word which seems to have universal acceptance in many languages: musique in French, musica in Italian, musik in Hebrew; and so on. It appears to be one word that was not confounded at Babel. The music of the western world, that is, the music to which we are accustomed is based upon the civilizations represented in the Bible, namely, Judaism and Christianity. Our point of reference, namely the 12 tone octave that we observe is founded in those two world religions. That is not to say that Buddhism and Islam are not also steeped in musical tradition. They are! The importance of the Temple Bells in Buddhism and the cantors (muezzin) calling Moslems to prayer from the minaret, the tall slender tower of a mosque are examples of deep connection to musical expression in most world religions. Since the music to which we are accustomed are based upon a Judaic-Christian heritage, let us examine it’s roots therein. How did Moses, the author of the Torah, or the law (the first 5 books of the Bible), convey the message to the children of Israel? He wrote it down on stone or metallic plates of copper, brass, gold, etc. He wrote from right to left, the opposite of our written language. If you hold a hammer in your right hand and strike a stylus in your left, you will soon discover how much better it works going in that direction. If you go from left to right, it will not only feel clumsy, but you will block your own writing. The house of Israel devoutly believed they were preserving the word of God, therefore it was written in long lasting, perhaps even eternal, materials. But how did Moses pass his law around? He could not send out printed copies, and certainly he could not risk passing around the stone tablets or metallic plates. How then, did the children learn the law that would govern their lives for generations? He sang the law to them. The holy writings or scriptures were conveyed in an oral tradition from generation to generation by chanting them. This tradition is called chassan or chassonot, in plural. Moses, Aaron, and ultimately the Rabbi’s in the synagogues and temples would convey God’s will through the means of singing. It is Jewish tradition that Moses was commanded of God to sing the scriptures to impress them upon their minds. Today, with our heightened understanding of the power of music to help in the retention of information, we know that this is a true principle. Some have suggested that it was a means whereby Moses could over-come his slowness of speech. It is probable that Moses had a speech impediment such as a stutter or a stammer. You may already know that those who are afflicted with these challenges, are not troubled when singing or reciting poetry. Today with the wonderful technology of MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) we are able to see that speech is isolated to one segment of the brain, where poetry and song are located in numerous parts of the brain. Hence, more brain cells are utilized, possibly overcoming challenges of execution. This practice of singing stories is not singular to Ancient Israel, but is also found in ancient Greece. Homer, before 700 B.C. sang the Iliad and the Odyssey to his followers. It accounts for the way with which it was able to be memorized and disseminated to his followers. We hear of the ancient Greek dramas having choruses. This implies singing sing, the Latin derivation of coro or choro means to sing. There are those who would lead us to believe that the Greek choruses were spoken, but wisdom tells us otherwise. From an acoustic perspective is stands to reason that they were sung to fill the space of the auditoriums, as well as the potential for memory retention being heightened. The words chorus and lyric imply singing and being accompanied, most notably by the lyre. Any word which has as a root cant means to sing. Cantus, cantabile, even chant, indicate vocalism in the execution. The tradition of chanting the holy writing was passed down in an oral tradition for centuries, until a group of rabbis in Tiberius on the southern shore of the Sea of Galilee determined to write it down in the Bible. Their series of markings, called cantilation markings (do you see that root cant there?) are found in most credible Hebrew Bibles. They are written directly under the words, and move from right to left as do the words. They indicate when the pitches go up, down, cadence and embellish. They are supposedly as close to what the children of Israel heard and sang in the wilderness. The traditions and celebrations of Judaism are the most pronounced of their observances. The most important Holy day, or holiday, of the year comes in the fall, usually around mid September. It is called Rosh Hashana, or the new year. One of the days within that series of celebrations is Yom Kippur, or the day of atonement. It is a day where the house of Judah recognize their sins of commission and omission, and seek forgiveness and atonement from mankind and God. Within the Yom Kippur service there is a prayer sung called Kol Nidre, or Every Sin. It is a time to seek forgiveness of every sin one has committed, both remembered and unremembered. The tradition dates back to the time when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai to discover the children of Israel had returned to idolatry and wickedness. God commanded Moses to remember this day annually forever and to observe it as a Holy Day (Holiday) in which they would annually seek his forgiveness and the forgiveness of others. The Yom Kippur service is spine tingling. The cantor or chassan has a chance to use his (or in reformed observation, her) voice to the full extent of it’s technical skill. Jewish musical tradition is very demonstrative. Jews call out, perhaps even summon God, to hear their prayers. This is the antithesis of the Roman Catholic tradition of supplicating God through the Virgin Mary. Hence, the two musical traditions are quite different. When one observes a great chassan in action, it is easy to see why so many of them became great operatic singers. It is a small step from the Kol Nidre of the Yom Kippur service, to Verdi, Puccini, and Rossini. The great tenors of the Metropolitan Opera such as Jan Peerce, and Richard Tucker were also chassanot or chanters in the synagogues. Today, even woman, in reformed congregations, may serve as chassanot. The famous Metropolitan Opera Sopranos Beverly Sills and Roberta Peters function in this way with their congregations. The High Holy Days of Roshashona are the most musically expansive with great observance in the synagogue. Having observed this great Holy Day in the Great Synagogue of Jerusalem, I can attest to the majesty of the ceremony. During the winter months, a celebration of Chanukah is observed. This is a holiday to remember the miracle of God providing sacred olive oil in the temple of Jerusalem during the time of conquest as a miraculous sign of His connection to his chosen people. There are songs of celebration for this Holiday, reminiscent to the joyous carols of Christmas. In the Spring the most important and most personal holiday takes place. It is called Passover, and is a re-enactment of the deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt, made most dramatic by the sparing of the first-born of the house of Israel, when God sent a curse to destroy the first-born of all the land. The Hebrew children were “passed-over” by placing outward emblems (the blood of a unblemished lamb) on the door lentil, as a sign of their lineage and connection to God as his chosen people. The Feast of the Passover, or Seder, is held in the home and has many hymns as well as stories being told through the evening. The conclusion of the evening is the singing of Psalms of rejoicing, particularly to the God of Israel, or Jehovah. A song of praise is called a Hillel or a Hallel, hence the term Hallelujah is a contraction of Hallel to Jehovah ( Jah is the contraction of Jehovah). In other words, Praise Ye Jehovah or for those who are reluctant to say his name, Praise Ye the Lord. Kosher (which means to follow the law) or orthodox observance in Judaism requires that God’s name not be written or said in exactness. It is believed that it breaks the commandment regarding taking the name of the Lord in vain. Hence, an orthodox Jew will not have God written in a book, even the Bible, rather it will say G-d, instead. Notice that the vowel (or the musical part of the language, or God’s language) has been removed. Likewise a nonsense syllable (shem) is used to replace a syllable in His name such as Adonai (Lord) becomes Adoshem or Elohim becomes Eloshem. This is one of the most pronounced differences in Orthodox and Reformed observation of Judaism. In addition, highly Orthodox (Hassidim) observers do not use musical instruments in the synagogue. In examining the music of the synagogue as well as secular Judaic music, it is evident that most of it is written in a minor mode. In most Christian religious music, particular the hymns, the reverse is the case, namely major modes. The history of Judaism is fraught with pain, suffering and persecution. It is no wonder that the music that reflects that history is created in the minor mode. Even in modern day Israel, not the national anthem, Hatikvah, is in a minor key. It has a sad song. The text is about the longing of every Jewish heart everywhere for a home...Zion. The traditions of ancient Israel throughout history till today are very important to the world’s great musical literature. My agent used to say, “if the Jews went on strike in the Arts, there would be no Arts!” Think for a moment the great artists who were/are Jewish: Jan Peerce, Oscar Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Stephen Spielberg... The list goes on and on. The reason: to quote Sheldon Harnick in Fiddler on the Roof: “That I can tell you in one word.....Tradition!” The tradition of the lineage of the House of Israel is one of BIG, monumental expression! The Jews have always strived to be the best. They have had to! Moses did not make it into the promised land. He led the children of Israel through the wilderness but it was Joshua who actually crossed over the Jordan into the promised land. Joshua was commanded by God to destroy the city of Jericho. He did so in a most unconventional way. God told him to surround the city of Jericho with 70 men with shofars (trumpets). The shofar is the rams horn blown during the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. God told Joshua what pitch to blow, and to blow it long. Joshua did as commanded and the wall came tumbling down. That story was popular as a Negro Spiritual during the pre-civil war history in the deep south. It is no wonder that Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, would speak to the hearts of black southern plantation slaves as an ensign for their own deliverance, even if it required miraculous intervention. Was the story of Joshua a pretty story unfounded in fact, or is their scientific validation for it? When my wife and I moved to New York City in 1977, I could not afford to practice in a practice studio. It was $3.00 an hour which was out of the question in those days. Fortunately, one of my first voice teachers, Eugene Tueller, had warned his cousin Peggy Tueller, who worked at the Metropolitan Opera, that I would be coming to New York, and that she should take care of me. She had a friend Joyce Gibson who had a lovely apartment and piano on the upper west side. She taught school outside of the city, hence the apartment was empty much of the day. I spent many hours there practicing. One particular day I was working on the role of the Calaf in Turandot. I was studying the aria Nessun Dorma, wherein there is a phrase: “dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle!” It concludes with a series of high A’s (A=440). As I was singing full voice, (the only way possible in this aria) the door bell rang. By the time I got to the door and opened the 15 locks there was no one there. I was puzzled. I went back to the piano and began again. As soon as I got to the phrase, “dilegua, o notte!”, the same thing happened again. I was quicker this time, and not so many locks needed unlatching. Still, there was no one in the hallway. I was very perplexed. This time I determined to trap the interloper by locking only one lock and being prepared to jump from the piano. As soon as I hit the first high A, the bell rang and I sprang to the door, opening it in record time. Much to my consternation, there was no one there, neither could there have been. They could not have escaped in that time. What was going on? I wended my way back to the piano through a circuitous route. I walked this time through the dining room and passed the china cabinet. There, on one of the glass shelves was a crystal goblet vibrating intensely. I looked at it for a moment wondering if I had caused it to vibrate in sympathy to the aria. I started the phrase, and it soon became apparent that it was vibrating in sympathy to the A=440. The longer I sang the note the more dramatic was the vibration of the goblet. The vibration became so spectacular that I realized that if I continued, Joyce would probably not let me come to her apartment any more. I would have destroyed the goblet. Why? Because the vibratory effect of the glass was A=440, and it could only contain a certain magnitude of vibration without breaking the glass. I was reminded of the Memorex commercial in which a dear friend Nancy Shade had sung the last line of Un bel di from Madama Butterfly, to created the same effect of breaking the glass, then it would be done with a Memorex tape to demonstrate the phenomena. It had worked well in the rehearsal, and the glass had complied, but when it came time for the filming it did not work. The reason was that they had a new glass with a different vibratory effect. It was not in tune with a Bb but rather an A. They had to transpose the orchestra down a step to end on the note that was sympathetic to the glass and break it. I understand well the principle that every element in the world from the largest planet to the smallest atom of our bodies has a very specific vibratory effect. If we were to know exactly what that vibratory effect is we could either enhance or annihilate it. If one believes that God has an omniscience of understanding, would it be such a stress for Him to know the vibratory effect of the wall of Jericho? Could it be that He could call us back home with the same principle? That is what Adelaide Procter implies in her song The Lost Chord, that a sound will take us from life to death, or the reverse. Is the biblical image of a trumpet sounding to bring the dead to life a poetic phrase, or a scientific fact?
SACRED VERSUS SECULAR
 In 1927, history was made when Al Jolson sang in the motion pictures. The talkies were born and entertainment as we know it would never be the same. It is the story of a youth who is the son of a canter in the synagogue. Jackie is fascinated by the new music of lower Manhattan, namely Tin-Pan Alley, Rag-time, and in particular, Jazz. He is at odds with his father because of his musical tastes. It creates such challenges in their home, that he leaves home, later to return as a famous Jazz Singer about to make his Broadway debut. He wants his parents, at least his mother to be there for the debut. It is High Holy Days, Yom Kippur is about to be celebrated. His father is ill and cannot sing the service. The Father pleads with his son to go to the synagogue and sing the service for him. With great heartache and soul searching, he determines to step back into his roots and carry on his fathers tradition. The father dies before he can start the service, but appears to him in spirit as he sings the famous Kol nidre. It is moving on many levels, but paramount is the pull between sacred and secular, modern and traditional, family and career.

(Bloggers notes:
There is a lot of content in this posting,  on thing that I would like to comment on is about the Battle of Jericho.  Like a glass breaking to a certian magnitude of the tone that is identical to the vibratory effect of the glass, it falls in to compliance with Teslaw's Theory.  I learned as boy when up in the woods on day that if you go up to a dead tree that was still stuck in the ground and pushed it back and forth the wieght of from the tree would sway back and forth and then eventally pull and break off the root under the soil and the tree would topple.  However the tree had to be pushed at a certain low vibration/ frequency, if you will. Let me explain the process in more detail.  When one pushes on a tree it would slightly sway forward, then i would sway back, then when it started to sway forward again, then another push was administered causing it to sway slightly mor forward then the previous time, untill it went back and forth at until it hit the breaking point, then the tree would topple.  Elephants in Afriaca use this principal to push trees over as well.  It is just like pushing a little kid on a swing set.  Perhaps that is how a glass breaks, but at a much high frequency then pushing a kid on a swing or toppling a dead tree over.)