Now a bit of story time. When I was younger my older brother used to play the trumpet. He would play it in the school band. So of course at some points mom and I would go “watch” him play. I say watch, but I was never really able to see anyone on the stage playing. So one time m mom told me to just close my eyes and listen to the music instead of trying to see things. I remember this because it’s something that has stuck with me even now. Closing my eyes and listening to music that has no vocals to them unfold their own stories in my mind.
The reason this is so important to me is that this story telling through music actually spawned the idea for my novel I’m working on. Waiting for the bus after a long day I was just listening to my music. It helped that that day we had a talk in one of my classes about music and how it could be used therapeutically. That combined with my love for playing my flute turned into the idea I had, and every time I listen to music I get different feelings and it’s amazing.
Another thing that came out of this was a poem that I wrote (posted below) based on music. During my poetry class in college two years ago my teacher gave us an assignment. She asked us to take a picture and write a poem based on that picture in any way we wished. Of course given my lack of sight I talk to her about how I could do the project without having t be able to see. We came up with the idea that instead of a picture I would find a piece of music (without vocals) and I would write a poem based on that. I can’t say it’s a great poem, but it’s what came to my mind while listening to the piece. I’ll add a video of the piece as well so you can hear it for yourself.
Waves (A poem on Beethoven’s 7th symphony, movement 2)
By: Phillipa Colman
Rise and fall
violent and calm
Like a wave rises
through the ocean
mild, calm, lapping at the shores
merely tasting the sand and the feet of people.
Playful and gentle
Then, the strike of the large waves.
slamming into the earth, crushing all under it
The white foamy head the only indication
as it blots out the sun for that one second
Collecting power
crashing down
Then it calms,
The mighty ocean rests
letting the waves continue to lap the shore
mere whispers of the wave that has passed
small, barely cresting at all
Wet sand all that shows of their coming
Though all know that again
a wave shall rise up
to consume all in its way
To destroy and to eat at the earth
No matter how long the large waves last
or the small ones chase the shore
they will always move into each other
Through the calm will come the chaos
and after the chaos will come the calm
The calm and peace of the small waves will not last
but the large ones will cease
leaving only the calm once again