Back in my college days, we had a speaker who said, “Tell me the decade of your birth, and I’ll tell you what your outlook on life is.” He pushed that a bit too far, an over-simplification. For instance, he missed the fact that February often has an effect on people’s outlook; one of the cheerful Latin meanings of the month’s name is “fever” (febris).
On the other hand, certain forms of music may almost prove the speaker’s point, as in this digital age many of us have put together from online sources various playlists that typically include favorites from a certain time in our lives. To illustrate, I’ve looked at some people’s online comments about songs. When the YouTube channel began playing certain old Simon & Garfunkel covers from the 1960’s and 70’s, I decided to check the replies. These included rapturous responses such as these —
“As a 70 year old … thanks for bringing a warmth and inner glow that I have not felt for a long time.” And from a 62 year old: “You (young performers) give me hope for the youth of today.”
It seems obvious that music (as well as what we view or read) has some effect on our feelings and moods, and even our thoughts. The experiences of the passing years can deepen our thinking and the lens through which we see life, and that may have some influence on the kind of music we prefer to remember and still listen to. I can now appreciate better the old tune by the 1960’s social activist Pete Seeger called “Turn, turn, turn” as he uses a bit of wisdom from a passage in Ecclesiastes (“To everything there is a season…”). Times and circumstances really do change and modify how we deal with life.
For some of us adults who are getting on in years, we do think of some older music styles as making more sense, and sometimes reflecting better values. Life is certainly not all romance, song and dance and glory, and even certain folk songs and older spiritual music were originally put on paper by lyricists who were dealing with much suffering in life. People could be comforted in their trials by such music as the following:
Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side,
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide,
In every change He faithful will remain.
Cultural background is another factor in what musical styles we like. European culture has often demonstrated a musical historical environment, with many choirs, stringed orchestras, and genuine ethnic traditions that all seem far less present in the common culture of North America.
For example, the Dutch violinist André Rieu and his Johan Strauss orchestra have long had rock-star status in Europe where each concert is attended by tens-of-thousands from various countries.
[Shown: a fraction of the audience at a stadium for a Rieu concert in Amsterdam]
I suppose the mere fact that I spent the first years of my youth immersed in post-war European culture has formed my tastes and interests to some extent. And you know, I think that has helped me. It doesn’t mean there’s no dark side to European history (and there certainly is that, just like any society anywhere, any time) but there are also many meaningful and good aspects to its culture.
Cultural history does matter; it does affect us in various ways. Personal history shapes us too. As a former mental health worker in the community, I came to understand better the agonies of some people’s backgrounds, their drugs, their sexuality and the violence in their lives. Those things were also reflected in the kinds of music they craved, though many also longed for “peace and quiet” and music which promoted that.
In the title photo above, a group of Millennial young guys from London, England, sing an 1882 composition called “O love that will not let me go.” The video below has the lyrics, but the exceptional performance of this song done by the London group can be found at: YouTube Westminster Chorus (add the song title); look for the spectacular version they did 11 years ago, though they performed the song at other times and places as well.
NEXT WEEK: A special post for Valentine’s Day.
bookends2016 