The profound nature of this quote by Edgar Watson Howe touches on the universal power of music to evoke deep, often elusive emotions. Music has a unique ability to resonate with our innermost feelings and memories, transporting us to imagined or longed-for places, moments, or states of being. This sense of nostalgia, or homesickness for something unspecified, underscores the idea that beauty and harmony in music tap into a shared human experience — the longing for belonging, peace, or fulfillment that we may not even fully comprehend or have encountered in reality. It reveals that our emotional response to music is intertwined with our subconscious desires for an ideal or a sense of completeness that remains out of reach. In a way, this quote encapsulates the bittersweet truth that art often reflects our yearning for wholeness; it stirs feelings of longing for a idealized past, a future hope, or a spiritual home that exists beyond our physical existence. Furthermore, it reminds us how subjective and personal the experience of music is, as it can evoke varying degrees of longing and nostalgic emotions in each listener. The notion that these feelings are rooted in experiences we never truly had speaks to the human condition — our persistent hope and longing despite life's inevitable limitations and unfulfilled desires. Ultimately, this quote eloquently captures the mystique of music: a universal language that awakens the soul's yearning for something beyond the tangible world, echoing our innermost hopes and dreams, often for realities that are forever just out of reach.