Music to soothe the soul:
A widely disputed legend has it that Johan Sebastian Bach
composed the Goldberg Variations for the harpsichordist Johann Goldberg to play
for Count Kaiserling when the count could not sleep. No matter the time of night, Goldberg had to play the harpsichord in the next chamber until the count finally
dosed off. This gives new meaning to working the night shift.
Here is a short excerpt of the Goldberg Variations: Please click on the blue link if the video doesn't work or display.Goldberg Variations
Even further back in history David played music to soothe King
Saul’s dark moods. But it is not just
kings and counts that need to sleep. Mothers throughout the years
sang their infants to sleep either using a traditional lullaby or one of their
own making.
Here is a short version of Johannes Brahms’ Wiegenlied Op.
49 no. 4: Please click on the blue link if the video doesn't work or display.
Wiegenlied Op. 49 no. 4
Wiegenlied Op. 49 no. 4
Background music in shopping malls:
There have been countless studies on the influence of
background music on shopping behavior.
The focus of these studies were to find out if certain background music
can influence people to spend more money than they normally would. These studies
date as far back as 1982. Perhaps in the future it would be safer to go
shopping with earplugs.
Music therapy:
The psychological effect of music has always been
acknowledged, whether it is used to get people to purchase more items in a
local store or to help people in dire need of some solace. No one will attest to
music’s deeper effects. Some researchers have gone so deep that they literally
transcribed DNA into actual music.
Here is a link to a website that allows you to send them the
data of your very own DNA. They transcribe your DNA sequence into musical
notes, giving you the choice of tempo and instruments.http://yourdnasong.com/
Music and World War II:
V for victory, a symbol of the Allied forces during World
War II. The Morse code of the letter ‘V’ is three dots and a dash which is the
exact rhythm of the opening motive of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
Here is a demonstration of the four note pattern: Please click on the blue link if the video doesn't work or display.
Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
Music and the written word:
Music is very closely linked to emotion, especially if it
comes to characterization. The text of an opera is called the libretto and it is
usually written by someone other than the composer. It is only through music
that the libretto comes to life. There
are two methods composers use to merge the libretto with music. The
first is called recitativo. The vocal line very closely
mimics normal speech patterns. The second is called an aria. Arias are a lot more lyrical than the recitativo and have become familiar
to the general public because world renowned tenors and sopranos sing them
during their performances as separate items, completely removed from the original opera they came
from.
The reason the aria is so popular is because it was written as an emotional response to the recitativo. Which means that if the main character got stabbed during the recitativo, the audience would be able to hear what kind of impact it had on the character in the aria. Even William Shakespeare knew this, using music in his plays to enhance his characterization. Unfortunately he never composed his own music, which would probably have revolutionized the musical world.
The reason the aria is so popular is because it was written as an emotional response to the recitativo. Which means that if the main character got stabbed during the recitativo, the audience would be able to hear what kind of impact it had on the character in the aria. Even William Shakespeare knew this, using music in his plays to enhance his characterization. Unfortunately he never composed his own music, which would probably have revolutionized the musical world.
Symphonic Poem:
Composers have long since been drawn to poetry and prose, so
the advent of the symphonic poem is no surprise. According to Wikipedia a symphonic poem is an
orchestral piece that is written in one movement that illustrates the content of
a poem, novel or painting. Here is a link
if you want more information on the symphonic poem.
Music and the movies:
The notable John Williams, the composer of the soundtrack of
Star Wars, has made use of a method called: Leitmotif. The online Oxford
Dictionary defines a leitmotif as a recurrent theme throughout a musical or
literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation.
By utilizing this technique the musical score could foreshadow events in the
movie or at least echo them as they happen on the screen. John Williams wrote a
theme for Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Leia, the force and many other characters.
As writers we sometimes underestimate the influence of the
music we listen to as we write.
Musical writing thought of the day:
Assign a leitmotif (any track of music) to the following:
1. Each of your main characters.
2. An important object
3. Any recurring theme in your work.
1. Each of your main characters.
2. An important object
3. Any recurring theme in your work.
