Guest Jeannette Wannamaker
GuestForum Replies Created
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I’m late to this discussion but what a super topic, Jung! Great melodies can be found in all kinds of music. I would find it difficult to choose between Mozart and McCartney. Mozart might have a slight edge because his melodies can pack a heftier emotional punch due to their more complex construction, i.e. change of keys within a melody, more sophisticated harmonic underpinning, melodic ornamentation, and beautiful phrase structure. Having said that, there is no denying that Paul McCartney’s melodies are also beautiful and memorable. Our brains love structure – logical musical phrases, the musical build-up of tension and then release, the repetition of musical motifs. All these things plant a melody in our memories, but what makes it affect us emotionally is more elusive. I imagine that it is the inspired combination of the melody with its harmonic underpinning that gives the emotional impact. The ancients and the renaissance philosophers accorded different emotional affects to different keys or modes. I think they were onto something! Mozart and McCartney were too.
Here is a very beautiful melody by Mozart that begins simply and sweetly, and grows in intensity, expressing the longing of a page boy for his mistress. The song begins at :57.
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I love it Jacki! You’ve captured the essence of our collective enthusiasm for MLT.
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Belated happy birthday wishes, Jacki! I’m sorry that it is a bittersweet day for you. I hope you found some joy nonetheless. I celebrate you as one of the groovy people I’ve met through MLT – we wouldn’t be the same club without you, my fellow Canadian! 🙂♥
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I agree with you Tim, that a Duo session recording of “Alone” would be lovely and I’m definitely in favour. I also agree with Roger, however, about not wanting to pressure Mona and Lisa into doing something they don’t feel is a valuable use of their time. The song probably evokes different feelings in them since it is their earliest work – I know how I feel when I look back on my early attempts at anything! It is hard to have the same objective perspective that we, as outsiders, have, because it is so personal. From the perspective of an outside, music-loving fan, I love the song and have replayed it on the livestream many, many times! It haunts me, even in my sleep.
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What a beauty! Those eyes…
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I wish you and Lady Jane Beagle all the best for her appointment tomorrow. I’ve never understood why dogs have lives that are so much shorter than human lives. It doesn’t seem fair when they are such wonderful companions. Honestly, that is the reason I’ve never brought a dog into my family – I don’t think I could bear the anguish of losing one after a short time.
That song was very special indeed, and if it gets you happily through a staff meeting (I’ve endured plenty of those!), good!
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I’m glad that your mom experienced such positive responses to music despite the ravages of a stroke. It is wonderful that many hospitals have music therapists on staff. There need to be more, for sure.
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Oh, Jung, that is one of the sweetest songs I’ve ever heard – straight from the heart of a child. Thanks for sharing it with me. Melody-writing is a gift, there is no doubt.
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Ahhhhhh, just what I needed, Jung, after a very challenging and exhausting work day. My aching body and bruised spirit feel soothed and enlivened. Listening, I could almost feel the caress of a gentle spring breeze! I’m sure that it must have had a soothing effect on your mother too.
Music therapy is an area of great interest to me as well. I shadowed many music therapists on the job when I was a music teacher of students with developmentally disabilities. The program I developed for my students was therapeutic in nature and adhered closely to the practices I had observed and discussed with the therapists. Over the years, I saw first hand the power of music to heighten awareness, bring back memories, reduce anxiety, promote communication skills, improve social skill… the list could go on. I found that my autistic students processed instructions when I sang the words – instructions that didn’t register with them when spoken. A brain neurologist, whom I heard give a lecture, said that music bypasses the cognitive circuitry of the brain which is why even those with limited cognitive ability reap the same emotional experience of music. I had a student who was virtually comatose – showed no sign of awareness – but with the help of the nurse who attended him, we could see that the measurements of both his heart rate and oxygen levels changed in response to music. There was another very medically fragile student who had no movement, no language but loved music. We used to lift him in a sling to the top of the piano so that his body rested on the top. The wide eyes and the broad smile that dawned on his face to the musical vibrations he felt were priceless. So powerful! I can well believe that we were musical creatures before we had language.
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Very interesting article! I’ll work my way through the playlist! I forgot to mention that, ultimately, any melody that moves you, or brings forth an emotion is great. That is a very personal preference. But all great melodies are built of the same building blocks, no matter what style of music. It is the genius behind the composition that both Mozart and Paul McCartney possess.
You may be interested in the following article, Jung, which talks about the emotional connection to music from earliest times.
Music and the brain: the neuroscience of music and musical appreciation – PMC (nih.gov)
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Oh Diana, I’m sorry to hear of your loss. What a difficult time to lose a loved one! I hope that you have family and friends nearby to help you grieve. I’m sending good wishes your way.
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Thanks, Jung. Well said and a good reminder for us all! We are united in our passion and our support for the MLT. In that unity, we can leave our personal differences in other areas of life behind, at least for a little while, when we come to this sanctuary of peace, love, and grooviness!
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Good point! Hopefully it won’t come to a hands and knees request!
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I don’t think we need to feel bad, Bill – how can we help but want more of the music we love! We just need to be sensitive to the wants and needs of Mona and Lisa at the same time. I’m sure they understand our desire and will be forgiving if we seem a little too pushy!
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Thanks, Jung.
