Ah, that shows you the power of music, that magician of magician, who lifts his wand and says his mysterious word and all things real pass away and the phantoms of your mind walk before you clothed in flesh.
Music has long been celebrated as a profound and mystical force that transcends the boundaries of ordinary perception. The quote highlights music's almost magical ability to evoke vivid illusions and inner worlds within our minds, revealing the depths of human imagination. When the musician wields their instrument, they become a magician capable of conjuring emotional landscapes that feel as real as physical reality. This transformative power underscores the idea that our perceptions are not always grounded in external truth but are heavily influenced by internal stimuli—our memories, feelings, and subconscious visions. The phrase 'all things real pass away' emphasizes how temporary and subjective our experience of tangible existence is compared to the enduring, ethereal quality of music's influence. It suggests that music can evoke illusions, memories, or feelings that momentarily displace our grasp on the physical world, creating a realm where phantom images and sensations materialize vividly within our minds. Such reflections deepen our understanding of how art, especially music, functions as both a mirror and a portal—revealing the inner workings of consciousness and allowing us to explore unseen dimensions of ourselves. This concept aligns with the broader idea that art transforms perception, blurring the lines between reality and imagination and allowing us to experience the intangible in a tangible way. The quote celebrates the mysticism of music as a conduit for inner exploration, capable of revealing hidden truths or birthing phantom worlds with mere sound, making it a profoundly powerful form of expression and escapism.
