It sometimes pays to turn to other creative disciplines as a reference point when trying to convey musical concepts. This is one of those times. It is not enough to use words such as understated and spacious when describing “Beautiful Earth”, the new song from Jennifer Harper, although the piece undoubtedly falls easily into such categories. It is better to turn to the language and imagery art.
If music is often akin to an oil painting, with thick sonic brush strokes creating bold musical hues, rich tones, and ornate textures, then “Beautiful Earth” is a delicate watercolour. With this medium, as much as the fine lines draw the eye and the restrained use of colour fills in detail, the space left on the paper completes the picture.
And so the same is true when considering the nature of “Beautiful Earth”. The gentle, lilting piano is the life line that draws the ear, Jennifer Harper’s gorgeous voice the gossamer colours of the song, but it is the spaces between, the pauses for breath, the fading of notes, the moments of gentle anticipation where atmosphere pools and percolates. Space is important. Space makes the song more than the sum of its parts. Space, when used as an instrument, as it is here, feels as if all the music has to do is gently capture and cocoon itself around the sound of the universe.
Songs celebrating the glory and grandeur of the natural world are becoming ever more prevalent as fear for our environment, world, and even our future existence rises. But even with more people penning songs about the beauty of the world around us, you will be hard pushed to find a song that does it as deftly and delicately as “Beautiful Earth”.
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