Exploring How Music Works Its Wonders

Comments

A Beautiful Song

Leonardo de la Paor

11/28/2011 9:54:44 AM

Leaving Nancy

In comes the train and the whole platform shakes

It stops with a shudder and a screaming of brakes

The parting has come and my weary soul aches

I'm leaving my Nancy, oh

But you stand there so calmly determinedly gay

And you talk of the weather and events of the day

But your eyes tell me all that your tongue doesn't say

Goodbye my Nancy, oh

And come a little closer

Put your head upon my shoulder

And let me hold you one more time

Before the whistle blows

My suitcase is lifted and stowed on the train

And a thousand regrets whirl around in my brain

And the ache in my heart is a black sea of pain

I'm leaving my Nancy, oh

And you stand there beside me so lovely to see

But the grip of your hand is an unspoken plea

You're not fooling yourself and you're not fooling me

Goodbye my Nancy, oh

And come a little closer

Lay your head upon my shoulder

And let me hold you one more time

Before the whistle blows

But our time has run out and the whistle has blown

And here I must leave you standing alone

We had so little time and now the time's gone

Goodbye my Nancy, oh

And as the train starts gently to roll

And as I lean out for to wave and to call

I see your first tears trickle and fall

Goodbye my Nancy, oh

And come a little closer

Put your head upon my shoulder

And let me hold you one more time

Before the whistle blows

And come a little closer

Put your head upon my shoulder

And let me hold you one last time

Before the whistle blows

Some research on melody

Nicky Penttila

6/20/2010 5:05:31 PM

Good question. We reported on some research on using melody in therapy earlier this year in the story "Harnessing the Restorative Power of Music", http://www.dana.org/news/features/detail.aspx?id=24512 .

Where is melody?

Robyn O'Neill

6/20/2010 4:19:51 PM

Umm, what happened to melody? I can only guess that rock musicians have very little experience in even recognizing melody, much less understanding its importance. I shouldn't be surprised since melody has been almost eliminated from modern popular music over the last 40 years. IMHO, melody is the main component in the attraction and expessiveness of a piece of music, and harmony is second in importance and rhythm is last. Too bad future generations will have no melody to appreciate. Do you ever hear anyone these days humming a fragment of harmony or a bit of rhythm? Only melody can be reproduced by the human voice.