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here was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made." 1 Thus begins the Ainulindalë, the story that precedes The Silmarillion. Before the beginning of time, the Ainur sang before Eru, each one singing alone to the music that Eru infused in them. They each sang alone while the others listened because they could only sing of things from the part of the mind of Eru from which they sprang. In this way they grew slowly and understood better the greater part of Eru's mind. Eventually they sang in greater harmony and unison.
After a long time singing, listening and learning, Eru brought them all together and sang to them a grand theme, revealing to them greater things than he had previously shown them; "and the glory of its beginning and the splendour of its end amazed the Ainur, so that they bowed before Ilúvatar and were silent." 2 Then Eru willed them to sing, each to his or her own thoughts, and adorn the theme of music he had just revealed to them while he listened. In this way, the beauty of his mind would be awakened into song.
Then the Ainur lifted their voices up in song, and the beauty of their song filled all the depths and heights, and the echo of their song went out into the Void, and it was no longer void. At first, Eru listened and he was well pleased; there were no flaws in the beautiful music the Ainur were creating. However, before long, it came into the heart of Melkor to add some devices of his own making that were not in the vision and thoughts of Ilúvatar. He desired to increase the power and glory of the part assigned to him. These thoughts he wove into the music, and discord arose in the harmony. Some around him grew despondent while others began to attune their music to his.
Before long Ilúvatar arose and lifted up his left hand, and a new theme began similar to but unlike the original theme. It grew stronger and more beautiful, but the discord of Melkor fought with it for the power. The theme grew more violent, and many of the Ainur ceased their song, and for awhile Melkor had the upper hand. Again Ilúvatar arose and lifted up his right hand, and a third theme arose. This theme was entirely different from the others. "For it seemed at first soft and sweet, a mere rippling of gentle sounds in delicate melodies; but it could not be quenched, and it took to itself power and profundity." 3 The discordant theme of Melkor and the sorrowful but powerfully beautiful third theme of Ilúvatar strove with each other in complete disharmony. Finally, Ilúvatar rose a third time, and his countenance was terrible to behold. "Then he raised up both his hands, and in one chord, deeper than the Abyss, higher than the Firmament, piercing as the light of the eye of Ilúvatar, the Music ceased." 4
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The Music of the Ainur is a story from before the beginning of the world, and it explains how the world came to be and why the evil and discord that spread throughout Middle-Earth arose. It was because of the evil thoughts of Melkor that Middle-Earth could not be the perfect and beautiful world that Ilúvatar had envisioned and why the Valar, Elves, and Men had to contend with and fight the evil for all of their days.
Though I cannot claim to know all mythology, I have not heard of one similar to this in any that I have previously read. This is one of the most beautiful myths about how the world began that I have ever come across; it places the beauty and strife of the world into song, and there is nothing more perfect than song to convey thoughts and emotion, be they for good or evil. The rest of the story of how the world began is continued in the next section, The Creation of the World.