How I "See" the song "Anthem" by Emancipator, by a Synesthete

The first time I heard this song, I was almost frozen in place. It was so beautiful, I simply couldn’t move.

I actually know very little about music, I don’t know much about the particulars such as most instruments or notes, chords, etc. I just know how I feel when I hear it.

In this song, the combination of air, color, taste, and the feelings I got from it was magical. Then the violin comes, and I can feel it – normally violin is an indescribable color closest to a transparent golden ochre, yet the sound is clear and I can taste it on my tongue. There are clear, sweet pure “angel tones” and also the goosebumps rise on my skin and I can feel the strings of the violin running through my arms and creating tears in my eyes. Often violin makes me cry, it is so beautiful.

The colors of the song Anthem by Emancipator are “top” colors, “clear” colors that are reserved for songs that tend to be soprano and certain gospel music.

This song is one that to me bears emotions of love and tenderness, yet longing. There are pastel clouds and splashes of colors that include some unnamed color between a light orange and yellow, a warm purple like spring crocuses, and just a hint of green.

I hear it every time. It doesn’t change for me. The better the sound system, the more intense the experience is. I don’t know what the creator of this music sees or experiences when they play this song, but for me, it is ethereally beautiful.

*If you know Douglas Appling- “Emancipator” of Portland, Oregon, please send this to him so he knows how much this song affected me!

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