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Posted on August 27, 2009 by Francis Beaudry | Posted under Music
The Song Remains the Same
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A song you haven’t heard for years comes on theradio and you’re transported back to the first time you heard it, ormaybe the last time you did. And the strange thing about that song andany other pieces of music that impact deeply on you is the fact thatthe meaning is yours and exclusively yours. Public Yet Personal Whetherpop music or music played by orchestral instruments, music is an artform that is vastly accessible and publicly available. It belongs toeveryone and yet it holds many secrets for a great many of us. It isheard by us all collectively, but processed by our hearts and minds invery personal ways. There is an especial intimacy that takes placebetween song and listener, or rather artist and listener. Gift – Receiver Theintensity of the ‘gift-receiver’ relationship that we have with musicis such that the opening bars of a piece can plunge us immediately intonostalgic mood when the furthest thing from our minds was theindulgence of reminiscence. And it isn’t always the case that happysongs cheer us up. Sometimes, when we experience sadness in our lives,the more upbeat ‘enjoy yourself sing-along’ is the last thing thatwould help ease our pain. We seek and find music that reflects ourstate of mind and our personalities, thereby creating a soundtrack toour lives. Deeply Personal Some of us vehementlydefend the musical choices we make; feeling affronted if an associatedeclares their abhorrence of Country and Western or Prog Rock if weourselves are devotees of either genre. We protect the artists we love,fight their cause, and even, when we are absolutely convinced of ourfavorites’ brilliance, do our avid best to convert others to our way ofthinking. Our feelings towards our favored performers are oftenso strong that we develop almost lifelong loyalties to them. Many agirl who claimed she would love a boy band forever has since grown intowomanhood who still declares the same passion for those boys who arenow men. A Reflection Of Ourselves What, it seems, wefind in music, are aspects of ourselves that we might otherwise findhard to express. We hear a song, listen to the words and think, “Yes,that’s exactly how I feel.” No matter that the song itself might bedescribing something entirely different from our own situation. Itmeans what it means to us, and certainly will mean somethingvery different to the next person. It’s the same song, but that’s themercurial power of music. It seems apt at this juncture to cite thetitle of the Led Zeppelin album The Song Remains the Same. And so it does, it’s simply the meaning to each of us that is unique. About The Author: Francis Beaudry is currently the conductor of two orchestras. He is a writer and arranger and has published musical works for choir and orchestra. In addition he is the president of TheMaxZone.net music equipment stores offering musical instrument accessories, music accessories, and more. Find this article at: http://www.themaxzone.net. |
Tags: MUSIC, MUSICIANS
