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If Music Be The Food Of Love, Play On

by

Catherine Harvey

This famous quote from Shakespeare shows us that people have long been pre-occupied with music. It is an integral part of life from the womb to the grave. The fact that it goes so deep within a soul is shown by the fact that it is not only humans but also animals that enjoy music. Different types of music can provoke different reactions in humans and animals and is further proof that there is something about it that can reach far deeper than we can understand. Even whale speak is sold to humans as music for soothing and relaxing.

It will come as no surprise then that the music download business is one of the fastest growing in the technology arena. Some people complain about everyone wearing earphones these days, particularly the younger generation, yet there is barely a person on earth who does not have some sort of favourite music they like to listen to and I’m quite sure if everyone had access to an mp3 player, that there would be some point in every week, if not every day, where they chose to listen to their favourite music downloads.

Babies in the womb are capable of hearing music played through the abdomen and any pregnant woman will tell you that heavy rock music will make her baby lively and soft, gentle music will calm it. Music that the mother personally hears also has a bearing on her unborn baby as it will affect the mother’s moods and this, in turn, affects the baby’s mood.

Throughout life, people will develop a taste for music. Some types will stay forever and others will change throughout our lives. This often depends on what is going on in our lives at the time and we associate different songs with different events, times, ages and emotions. Immediately we hear those tunes again we will be transported in our minds eye back to whatever was going on at the time and we will also relive the same feelings. These may fade slightly over time but they will still be there.

My daughter and I are great music fans and some music is simply our favourite because it’s just a great, catchy, tune but listening back to these we can still remember where we were when we heard them, where we lived and what was going on in our lives at the time.

Given that personal music players hold so much music these days, there is room for sentimental stuff as well as upbeat music, old and new, and you will often see people frantically clicking through their players to find something that conjures up the right mood.

As well as music being such a huge reminder of events and people and feelings we can also use it to deliberately alter a mood. For those who want to create a romantic atmosphere then some mellow love songs will go a lot further than some heavy metal rock tunes.

Favourite music is often played to those in comas because it is understood that even though unconscious, memories can still be stirred. The patient may look asleep but their brain needs the extra stimulation of forgotten thoughts, feelings, memories and even smells that can all be invoked by music. This has often been enough to wake a person from their unconscious state and the sooner they awake, the less severe the damage is likely to be.

So we can see that music is a very powerful force, it can cause new feelings, revisit old feelings, awaken people, send them to sleep and even stir them to great actions. The power of music should never be underestimated.

Musical expert Catherine Harvey looks at how everybody’s choice in

music downloads

is used for various effects.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

August, 2014 byAlma Abell

It has never been easy to be a jazz singer. This is certainly true of those first men and women who stepped on the stage. These were classic jazz artists but many people chose to forget their contribution and focused overwhelmingly on the band. To some authorities, jazz was the music not the singer. In fact, they questioned the existence of a jazz singer at all. The exception perhaps, being Al Jolson (1886-1950) in his movie “The Jazz Singer,” which took a different and dramatic version of Jazz, Blues and popular music to the movies in 1927.

Big Band Vocalists/Classic Jazz Artists

While Jolson remained the favorite of the American public, he was not the only jazz singer around. Time saw the rise of an entire flotilla of men and women during the Big Band Era which combined with the Swing Era. This was the period from the 1920s to the end of the Second World War. It saw the rise and fall of many major classic jazz artists including:

*Frank Sinatra (1915-1998)*Billie Holiday (1915-1959)*Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996)*Helen Forrest (1917-1999)*Dean Martin (1917-1995)*Joe Williams (1918-1999)*Anita O’Day (1919-2006)*Nat King Cole (1919-1965)*Peggy Lee (1920-2002)*Kitty Kallen (1922 -)*Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990)*Doris Day (1924 -)*Mel Tormé (1925-1999)

Some are rarely mentioned in outside of jazz music circles these days. This includes Helen Forrest who was well known during her era as being the girl singer for three of the most famous and recognizable bands of the period: Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman and Harry James. Her performance and acceptance by all three big bands of the time earned her the appellation of “the voice of the name bands.”

These jazz artists worked hard at what they did. They toured for extended periods of time. Many became popular singers for the period, although some since have been downgraded to popular singers e.g. Nat King Cole, Doris Day and Dean Martin.

Death of an EraAfter World War Two Jazz evolved and the Bid Bands petered out. There were revivals but the focus in the music was on exploration of jazz tempos. The music became frantic at times and wandered off into the stratosphere with the works of Mikes Davis and John Coltrane. Classic jazz artists – both men and women also took new paths. Some explored the realms of popular music while others began to experiment with their voices in other ways.

While the ranks of jazz singers were on the decline during the 1970s and 1980s, they have since rebounded. Today, while only a few can consider themselves classic jazz artists, many follow in the old tradition. It may not be Big band or Swing, but they touch on it. Some, such as Sylvia Brooks and Diane Krall are worth noting for their repertoire that sometimes recalls the past glory of the classic jazz singers.

Sometimes titled “Jazz Noir” Sylvia Brooks takes to the stage with a torch in her voice. Like many of her contemporaries, Sylvia Brooks has learned well from the Classic Jazz Artists. She is now taking the old, and making it, subtly, her own. To learn more about Sylvia and her music, visit Sylviabrooks.net.

byAlma Abell

There are many decisions that need to be made when a family member dies. It can be overwhelming for a grieving spouse or child to face them. They can call one of the Funeral Homes in Middletown for help. There is always a funeral director on call who will answer the phone. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the middle of the night or on Christmas morning. The funeral director will be there within hours to help the family. He can make arrangements to have the body moved, notify the proper authorities and fill out the needed paperwork.

Funeral Homes in Middletown can help the family with any type of funeral service. They can work with a church to accommodate their religious beliefs or create a personal memorial service. If the family would like to include a viewing prior to the memorial service, they can help them prepare for that. Funeral directors encourage families to make the viewing as personal as possible. They recommend that they select music that the deceased person would have enjoyed. Photographs of the deceased can be displayed as well. Often funeral home staff members encourage the family to display artifacts from a person’s life. If the deceased loved wordworking, some of his pieces can be displayed. Sharing these with visitors creates a warm atmosphere that encourages people to remember the deceased person and what they believed in and enjoyed.

Families have to decide between a traditional burial or cremation. Families are choosing cremation more often than they used to. Some of them are following the wishes of the deceased and others are concerned about the cost. Others believe that cremation is better for the environment. Once the body is cremated, the family has to decide how the ashes will be disposed of. They can be buried in a cemetery with other family members or they can be scattered at a location the deceased loved. Sometimes a wife or husband decides to keep the ashes in an urn at their home. Funeral Homes in Middletown can help families make these decisions.

There is no right way or wrong way to do things. The memorial service and disposition of the remains should honor the memory of the deceased and comfort the family. Families can visit JohnPCondonFuneralHome.com to learn more about planning a funeral.