We stumbled into "Life or Something Like It" last night. In one scene, a reporter is interviewing the leader of some striking employees. She is tired of being objective and, feeling sympathy with their cause, begins leading them in a chant. It has a nice rhythm and somebody starts some music playing that gets the whole group dancing and shouting in rhythm. Before long, the riot police, standing in a grim line facing the strikers, started getting into it, too. First, a little toe tapping and a little nodding. Before long, the participation grew to be full bore and the opposing forces united.
You can steel yourself against infection by a rhythm. You can build up an internal impression that accepting a rhythm is primitive or wrong. You can even go so far as to decide it is criminal or sacreligious. But it is also possible to allow a rhythm your opponents are supplying to be part of you for a while.
Amandla! is the story of similar powers of music during the struggle in South Africa against white rule and apartheid.
Thoreau got my attention in Walden (1845) when he advised that music can be intoxicating. The pied piper led animals and children astray with music.
This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin and Musicophilia by Oliver Sachs are two books on the power of music that I mean to get around to sometime.
My wife's practicing of basic piano often puts a tune in my head, even when I am not paying attention. I have gotten so that if some music is playing in my head that I can't identify, I will get her to review what she has recently been playing. Sure enough, my brain has picked up one of her tunes. Right now, it is the minuet from Mozart's Don Giovanni (a.k.a. Don Juan). Here is just 12 seconds of it but it can grab you.
