OPINION
Axelheart
“Music should strike fire from the heart of man and bring tears from the eyes of a woman”.
Ludwig van Beethoven
I’m not overtly emotional, but my Achilles heel to a ‘stiff upper lip’ is hearing a certain melody or piece of music.
Whether you’re musical or not, there are certain tunes that can evoke an emotional response that hits your gut, pushes at the rims of your eyes, and causes aches in your throat.
“I haven’t understood a bar of music in my life, but I have felt it”.
Igor Stravinsky
The minor keys are predominantly the culprits.
Take the beautiful but haunting “Schindler’s List” Main Theme by John Williams. It’s as if the violin and bow take over the violinist, singing in sadness, piercing your core. I don’t think you even needed to see the film to get how potent this composition is.
Or the timbre of a lonely ’cello as it wallows in sorrow. Some may view this underrated instrument as the poor cousin to the violin – it is anything but.
The rich lament of Barber’s Adagio for Strings. An unofficial mourning piece for Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) and JFK; played at the funerals of Albert Einstein and Grace Kelly; used in well-known movies: most notably featured in Oliver Stone’s Award-winning film – Platoon – where I discovered this poignant Adagio.
This deceptively simple piano piece in its portrayal of unrequited love: Glasgow’s Love Theme from Love Actually.
I haven’t even scratched the surface. The emotive, turbulent and tragic compositions of the Russian composers, for instance, are a whole different beast.
Naturally, there are also numerous moving and emotional songs (and arias) that are either universally sad, or unique and special to each listener – ‘sad songs say so much’.
There is a term called ‘The Sadness Paradox’: despite feeling emotional upon hearing ‘blue’ music, the experience for some listeners is paradoxically comforting, consoling and almost enjoyable.
Certain melodies, compositions and songs trigger memories, nostalgia, moments, feelings, and physiological manifestations that are experienced and released upon hearing this music. I would call it a serene sorrow – being wrapped in a sad, but peaceful blanket, surrounded by nurturing notes.
The air is filled with a melancholy that can provide solace. Is it because the composer has put into music what you’re feeling deep down, but cannot articulate? The composition (or song) is usually borne from the composer’s own heartache, so it’s bound to resonate. You have company.
Music has given you permission – allowed you to wallow and grieve, releasing your sad spirit to mingle with the harmony, which otherwise may not have happened. A cathartic experience as you let it wash over you, therapeutically filling your whole self, whilst appreciating the craftsmanship of the composer or songwriter.
I wonder where we would be without this kind of music. Well…my eyes, throat and gut would feel better, but my heart and soul would suffer.