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dijomaja
Lorien
Aug 27 2015, 1:05pm
Post #1 of 10
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off on a bit of a tangent, but...
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A while back our colleague Magpie very nicely quoted something of mine on her fine website. The passage eventually found its way into my new book, 'Guitar Music for the Mid-Life Crisis (Music: Why We Listen, Why We Play)'.
“Inside a song”
The “why” of music goes even deeper. In ‘The Lord Of The Rings’, J.R.R. Tolkien depicts a conversation between two characters who have been brought to a place where a power above their understanding is at work. One character remarks, “I feel as if I was ‘inside a song’, if you take my meaning.” The phrase always struck me as odd and I knew that, as a professor of English, Tolkien chose his words carefully. Then I realized: Tolkien the philologist certainly knew that to be put “inside a song” is a literal rendering of the word "enchanted" (en=in, chant=canto, cancion, chanson, song). "Incantation" is a related word. We have the sensation of time being altered, of senses heightened when listening to certain music and people in earlier times must have understood this.
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Annael
Immortal
Aug 27 2015, 3:59pm
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We're all about the tangents on Off Topic, but this post is worthy of a place on the Main board as it's all about Tolkien.
Your book sounds fascinating & I'm sending the link to a couple of friends.
I am a dreamer of words, of written words. I think I am reading; a word stops me. I leave the page. The syllables of the words begin to move around … The words take on other meanings as if they had the right to be young.
-- Gaston Bachelard
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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Wasserwaldnymphe
The Shire
Aug 27 2015, 5:43pm
Post #3 of 10
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The Latin word would be "carmen"
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…, which means song, poem or incantation - Tolkien's expression is very fitting.
What can men do against such reckless hate?
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dijomaja
Lorien
Aug 27 2015, 11:49pm
Post #4 of 10
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Annael, thank you for the kind words. It's primarily a book about how and why we respond to music but mythology and etymology kept creeping in.
To the writer above (sorry, forgot your name): Right, carmen and carminum mean "song" in Latin as does cantus. I probably should have started with cantus but, as a musician and songwriter I just liked the rhythm of "canto/cancion/chanson/song" and I thought it illustrated the connection. There's a chapter on the blurred lines between speech, chant and song and this was a prelude to that.
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
Aug 28 2015, 12:05am
Post #5 of 10
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GNU Terry Pratchett
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo; on a large wastebasket. Dora was Drogo's sister, and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A Chance Meeting at Rivendell" and other stories
leleni at hotmail dot com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Eruwestial37
Rohan
Aug 28 2015, 4:16am
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This sounds like just what I'm looking for. I've read several of Oliver Sacks books on music and am now reading "This is your brain on music" by Daniel Levitin.
I've had numerous head injuries in my life and sadly expect the results to show up eventually (though my friends might have noticed them already ). So I am trying very hard to give my brain an advantage as I stagger into old age. (I'm 62) Music is the path I've chosen and it seems it's helping, at least in working on my mood. Learning to read music at my age is a challenge, but I took up the harp recently and it's been a very pleasant adventure.
I think music is often overlooked in our day. It's everywhere, but who actually sits and just listens to it? We tend to ignore it.
I'm a U2 fan, and the best example of 'being inside a song' is during their concerts, IMO. They don't sing to you, or at you, but rather WITH you. The audience is an intrinsic part of the performance. I've been to five of their concerts and every one has had positive effects on me.
Thank you for this topic. I look forward to seeing what others have to say.
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dijomaja
Lorien
Aug 28 2015, 11:25am
Post #7 of 10
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...you. I'm not sure what the rules are for posting links, etc. I'll have to get on that today.
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dijomaja
Lorien
Aug 28 2015, 11:32am
Post #8 of 10
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Sorry to hear about your injuries. I'm a musician and music therapist and, you're right, music can do some pretty amazing things to heal and to help maintain mental and physical health (I just turned 64 myself today). Sounds like you're on the right track; let me know if there's anything I can offer in terms of more specific information.
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zarabia
Tol Eressea
Aug 29 2015, 8:28am
Post #9 of 10
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Yes, there is something almost magical about music
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It's amazing how a song can instantly transport you to a particular time and/or place. Sometimes too particular.
But I love how music can lift you out of the mundane, making a simple drive to the store a celebration. I can be in a horrible mood when I get in my car, but when I crank up my favorite tunes, all the stress melts away and I'm....what's that word? Oh, yeah... happy.  
You realize that life goes fast
It's hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn't go down
It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning 'round
~Do You Realize?, The Flaming Lips
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dijomaja
Lorien
Aug 29 2015, 11:24am
Post #10 of 10
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"Yes, there is something almost magical about music"
I'd agree with everything but the "almost". I like to think the chapter that follows the passage quoted in the original post goes a long way toward demonstrating that. As far as "sometimes too particular", there's a section on that, too.
Moderators: I'm going to add the link to the book's publisher. If this is against the rules I'll gladly take it down. Thanks.
www.outskirtspress.com/guitarmusicmidlifecrisis
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