In 1969, I was a sixteen year old and like all teenagers, listened to a lot of music. For me, it was Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Simon & Garfunkel as well as Van Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, The Who and The Rolling Stones.My current WIP, Under The Bed, is set in 1969 in NYC, a year that began with the inauguration of Nixon as President. 1969 fell in the shadow of the previous year, which saw the height of the anti-Vietnam War protests, and the assassinations of both Martin Luther King Jr.and Robert Kennedy.The '68 Democratic Convention in Chicago was another scene of protest and riots.Writing the Sounds of Silence, and Changing Times
#Music Evoking #Memory
Supposedly the sense of smell is the most evocative of the senses in terms of memory. Whenever I catch a whiff of flowers beginning to fade I am ten years old on my knees behind the blackboard, changing flowers from one thick glass vase to another, the water green and smelly. There are worse memories.But music - ahh now for me that really strikes a chord - ok I couldn't help myself. I listen to all kinds of music now, but as a teenager once I'd passed the pop phase, protest songs were about the only thing I'd listen too. With a bit of Dave Brubeck,Miles Davis and Rolling Stones thrown in. Classical music was something I had to force myself to learn to like, which was a shame as there were wasted years of enjoyment. Same with opera. So my knowledge of both is sketchy at best .In my novel Radio Echo, music is a constant theme. Raffaella grows up in an apartment above Cafe Musica, where local musicians come to play , either bringing their own instruments or borrowing ones, Raffaella's father kept for that purpose. A musical impromptu get together is not unusual in Italy, especially in small towns. I've seen people show up of all ages, playing mandolin's, accordions guitars or drums. The music would change from traditional Italian to jazz to 60's folk depending on who was playing.Here are some links from you tube that encapsulate the progressions of the music in Radio Echo. As a novelist it's important to incorporate as many senses as appropriate in setting the scene. Music is often one that's forgotten.httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaJdjDOzL9w'Trio Lescano' were the Italian 'Andrew Sisters', extremely popular in Italy in the 30's and 40's, with their close swing and jazz harmonies. They were actually Dutch, but in 1941 they became Italian citizens.Two years later their fame ended as their mother was Jewish. They were first cancelled from all radio programs, then arrested and imprisoned on allegations of espionage. The accusation was "their songs contained encoded messages for the enemy". Once the war was over, after a two years' silence, Trio Lescano wanted to bid farewell to their Italian audience with a final performance broadcast live by the radio on 1 September 1945. The three sisters then moved to South America, where their artistic career continued.On a completely different note , Stefano, the son of the family in Bologna, played classical duets and Schubert’s Fantasia in F minor, the duet for four hands, was one of his favorites.httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzAx_IQydxELater in the novel we move to Cole Porter's Song "Night and Day" referencing Django Reinhardt and Stefan Grapelli. This is a 1938 rendition:httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOHdYA0XvAYI couldn't mention Reinhardt and Grapelli without including this fun little video of the members of the Hot Club of France playing "J'Attendrais"httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV6AB3WsNcMMusic is everlasting and a few bars can transport one back in time with such power it's often overwhelming.I'd love to hear your musical associations or if anyone else uses music in their writing.