Aldous Huxley once said, “After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” And it was Joseph Addison, an English essayist who said, “Music wakes the soul, and lifts it high, and wings it with sublime desires, and fits it to bespeak the Deity.”

Music has a very powerful influence upon our lives. Where spoken words may not be able to convey a certain message, the sounds of music oftentimes can. With our varying tastes in music, we must learn to be discerning about the types of music that we listen to. In a January 1974 Ensign magazine article, Elder Boyd K. Packer exhorted that “music is one of the most forceful instruments for governing the mind and the spirit of man.” And Ardeth G. Kapp in her 1990 address titled ““Crickets” Can Be Destroyed through Spirituality,” remarked, “Music has a very powerful and wonderful influence in establishing feelings and moods that can lift and elevate your thoughts and your actions. But because it is so powerful, it is clearly used by the adversary to stimulate your thoughts, feelings, and moods, to pollute and poison your mind and cause you to do things you would not otherwise consider doing.”

The intrinsic beauty of music is that it is a universal language. A person does not have to understand the language in which a song is sung to appreciate the message that it conveys. Music has a unique way of speaking to the soul so that no immediate translation is necessary.

Music can also be a soothing, healing balm in times of adversity and distress when the aching soul yearns for calmness and peace. During moments of quietness and reflection, music can also help bring to remembrance even some of the little things of life that may have long since been forgotten, but for which we should forever be grateful. It is through the venue of music that we can also express our jubilation, praise, and thanksgiving to Him from whom all blessings flow.

This week’s “Video Find of the Week” features three talented singer-songwriter sisters from Salt Lake City, Utah – Seli, Desi, and Ari – and their bilingual rendition of the beloved LDS hymn “I Know that My Redeemer Lives”/ “Yo sé que vive mi Señor” from their Christmas Light album.

Together the sisters, two of which were born in Chile, comprise the group known as Elenyi. They have been singing since the ages of 7, 9, and 10 respectively, and began vocal lessons a few years ago. They also play piano, guitar, and harp. According to their Facebook page info, some of the people who have influenced their music include Aaron James and Rachel Karr, Dean Kaelin, Justin Williams, Masa Fukuda, Mariko Oserloh, Clive Romney, David Osmond, Aaron Edson, Micah Miller, and Karl and Peggy Miller.

The name of the group, Elenyi, comes from the Greek language and means “ray of sunlight.” As a person listens to the angelic voices of these three sisters, it is almost as if a ray of sunlight illuminates the area where they are listening, bringing warmth, peace, and contentment to the soul. Thus, their main goal in singing of being able to touch the lives of others for good is fully realized.