Most of us know about the great German composer Ludwig van Beethoven.  I read recently an article about how Beethoven became the first composer to use human voices in a symphony.  Although many of his predecessors had used human voices in choral pieces, Beethoven, according to this article, was the first to use them in a symphony, notably his last and perhaps greatest, the Ninth.  It's an intriguing thought, really, and made me think of Psalm 19, which forms the basis of Joseph Hayden's The Heavens are Telling.  The psalmist writes about how the heavens are constantly testifying to the presence of God, how even though they appear to be silent, they are in fact day and night announcing the reality of God.
     Some may disagree with these sentiments; others may ask what does this have to do with Beethoven?  Just this:  if music reflects the ardor of the human soul, and if we view or represent the soul as the core or essence of a human being, then adding voice to a an already spectacular symphonic piece further underscores the inextricable link between music, soul and, if the psalmist is correct, the transcendence that surrounds us all or, put another way, God.  The heavens are singing, and so are human beings.