It happened millions of years ago when only a few creatures inhabited earth and all of them lived underwater. Who knows whether some of them had a sense of the extraordinary event that would unfold above the surface that morning and whether it stirred anything in them, emotions or otherwise.

It is entirely possible that a daring worm was lying on the near beach, enjoying the hot sun and the cooling breeze coming from the ocean to travel up and over the dunes. There, the air weaved its way through a field of purple plants. They had hollow stems, and when the wind passed, the plant made a flute-like sound.

That morning - seemingly out of nowhere - that field produced a D flat major 9th chord with an F in the base.

It was the very first time the chord was heard on this planet, and the effect must have been breathtaking. Of course, we don't know to what extent there was an effect on anything. Upon reflection, it seems quite impossible that any living thing even registered it and it took an eternity before the chord was played again.

But when you hear it today - and it does happen much more frequently now - you will know what it was like on that day behind the dunes. It’s not uncommon for anyone to get a little bit emotional over it, without exactly knowing why.