Florencia knocked a glass off the counter of a cafe that shattered. The sound brought a visit from the police, instructing her to “keep the sound down.” It caused her to blush.
She was one of the residents of Cremona, Italy, the home to the workshop founded by Antonio Stradivari. His violins and cellos have filled the world with great music.
Fearing that the sound would be lost one day, the city started a project to digitally record the sounds of the Stradivarius instruments so they would never be lost.
The town had to be quiet. Noise-free.
Their first attempt sounded successful until engineers listened to the playback. In the background were distant sounds of car engines and a woman’s clicking high heels.
On the appointed day, everything in Cremona shut down. Bulbs went off, lest their faint buzz might be noticeable. The auditorium’s ventilation came to a silent hush.
A violinist put the bow to the string and placed the C-major scale. It was then, the glass, several blocks away shattered.
God calls Christians to hear the His clear voice,
As the psalmist put it,
“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”” (Psalm 46:10)
The voice of God whispers. It is only heard by those who still their desires and the voices of the times to hear him.
If the engineers in Cremona heard a glass fall half-a-town away, God can hear when you are not listening.
So, quiet, please.
-Robert G. Taylor-
