"Music evokes emotion, and emotion can bring its memory.
It brings back the feeling of life when nothing else can."
Oliver Sacks
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Music and Memory: A Journey Through Time
Music has the profound ability to transport us to different times and places, a phenomenon that has always fascinated me. Whenever I hear the Four Tops' "Don't Walk Away, Renee," I am instantly taken back to my teenage years, walking past a Glasgow café at the age of thirteen. The melancholic tones of the song wafted through the door from the jukebox, marking a poignant moment in my youth.
In 1981, I found myself in Magaluf, Majorca. During a sleepless night, I ventured out for a walk around 1 a.m. The eerie quiet of the evening was suddenly pierced by "The Lunatics Have Taken Over the Asylum" by Fun Boy Three, blaring from a café's jukebox—a surreal soundtrack to my solitary stroll.
My fascination with Norway began in a classroom, listening to Edvard Grieg’s "Morning." This piece inspired a dream that came true in 1999 when I lived in Randaberg, Stavanger. Our home was a spacious three-bedroom cabin with a view of the lake. One memorable journey from Oslo through breathtaking mountain landscapes ended with me so exhausted that I slept on the grass, waking to the early morning light. The tender, folk-like melody of the second movement (Adagio) of Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16, vividly brings back that morning. Known for its heartfelt lyricism, this movement, influenced by Norwegian folk music, weaves a delicate interplay between the piano and orchestra, encapsulating the beauty of the Norwegian landscapes.
My yearning to explore Sweden was fulfilled in 1995 when I visited a family in Målsryd, near Borås. After touring Stockholm and other locales, I left Sweden with a heavy heart. Upon returning home, a letter from Sweden awaited me, containing a CD with a track from the musical Kristina från Duvemåla. The song "Guldet blev till sand" recounts the poignant tale of Swedish migration to America during the 19th century. Each listen takes me back to that transformative holiday, stirring deep emotions connected to those days.
Music, a wondrous gift from the Creator, not only captures every nuance of our emotions and experiences but also packages them into a vivid cinematic reel in our minds, continuing to live within us, evoking the essence of moments long passed yet vividly remembered.
The pieces discussed
The Four Tops - Walk Away Renee (Live)
Fun Boy Three - The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum (Official Music Video)
Peter Jöback - Guldet Blev Till Sand (Live Grammisgalan 1997)
Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXPDXzVNujg