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A Casebook of Otherworldly Music – D Scott Rogo

Case No. 17 - Grace Russell

During a correspondence in which Miss Russell (Edmonds, Washington) was recounting a group of seemingly paranormal experiences to the author, she spontaneously wrote on October 15, 1968 (not knowing that I was working on a study of such cases ):

"Once I heard beautiful music coming from nowhere, divine music. It came from the air above me in early morning-a thousand violins; a thousand flutes, but really I could never say. It was just beautiful music, more beautiful than any I had ever heard."

I wrote to Miss Russell asking for a full account, and I quote from her letter of October 24,1968:

It was very early one summer's morning that I heard the music. I had, if memory serves me, slept very soundly, as was usual with me. But suddenly I was awake and there was music, wonderful music, coming in through the only open window in the room.

This room was on the first floor of a small house. Others in the house were asleep. All was quiet within. I got up, went to the window, and knelt before it looking into the morning light. I saw the large house across the way, perhaps fifty feet away. A widow and her daughter lived in this house. Neither cared for music. The music could not have come from there. It came from the air outside the window. It poured in, seemingly against my face as though some of the musicians were as close as ten feet from me-or so it seemed at the time and so it seems in memory.

I felt spellbound. I did not try to move. But I listened, and this is what I heard: A very large group of instruments being played in a way I had never heard music played before.  It was as though the instruments were not far apart, but close together, at least that is the impression that I got.  I have thought about this music with sincere effort, trying to decide what instruments must have played it, but I have never come to a conclusion other than I did not know then and do not now. No one instrument played solo at any time. All played in unison. All played as one. But I felt there were many because of the variety of tones. There were no wild clashes of sound, no beating of drums, no shrill high tones. But there was definite melody, wonderful harmony.

Back of the melody, which seemed an endless song without words, I heard a deep roaring sound, something like the ocean’s roar.  This was not louder than the rest, but it was there. The melody seemed to be carried by a great many instruments of high pitch expertly played. This music was of an intensity most unusual. It had meaning and great beauty. Not charm as some music but beauty that enthralled me.

This music seemed to come from many instruments; how many I hesitate to guess-maybe hundreds.  First the music was soft and to the right of me, then louder, much louder. I seemed to face it as it passed the window. It was strongest then. Then it came from the left, constantly growing softer. lt came from farther and farther and higher and .higher until it died away.

Miss Russell stated also that the experience lasted for about four minutes. It took place during a period of emotional depression