You may well have done so already, but if not, you must read Hugh Kenner's superb lecture/essay, "Magics & Spells," published as a chapbook by Bennington (where the lecture was given).
Great post, especially about the reminder to contemporary musicians about the power of fearful music. But I somewhat disagree with your take that YA fiction is less dark now. A lot of YA fiction deals with death, abuse, agony, and other such topics without the mythical and mystical metaphors and analogies.
You will love it. It also appeared in the journal Parnassus (in 1988) and in a collection called The Ordering Mirror, ed. Phillip Lopate (Fordham, 1993), where the title was pedantically edited to read "Magic and Spells."
Modernity seems to hyper-focus on words, mind, thought. I counter that the melodies, tones, intervals, were the strongest part of the magic. I work with alternate scales and healing potential of the music itself, not frequencies alone, but frequencies contextualized in musical keys, scales.
You may well have done so already, but if not, you must read Hugh Kenner's superb lecture/essay, "Magics & Spells," published as a chapbook by Bennington (where the lecture was given).
Thanks. I know and admire Hugh Kenner's work (and even spoke to him on the phone on one occasion). But I haven't read this essay. I'll track it down.
Great post, especially about the reminder to contemporary musicians about the power of fearful music. But I somewhat disagree with your take that YA fiction is less dark now. A lot of YA fiction deals with death, abuse, agony, and other such topics without the mythical and mystical metaphors and analogies.
As someone with a 14 year old, I hear this.
You will love it. It also appeared in the journal Parnassus (in 1988) and in a collection called The Ordering Mirror, ed. Phillip Lopate (Fordham, 1993), where the title was pedantically edited to read "Magic and Spells."
I'm not sure that they could, but some current bards are capable
Very interesting. And the "Bruce Lee" of semi-modern bards might be Barry Manilow -> https://www.npr.org/2022/02/14/1080623397/new-zealand-protests-james-blunt-barry-manilow
The practice is still alive in Canada. #RamRanchResistance
Now we know what Father Jack was up to over in that ratty chair.
No wonder white conservatives are scared of rap . . . 🙄😉
Modernity seems to hyper-focus on words, mind, thought. I counter that the melodies, tones, intervals, were the strongest part of the magic. I work with alternate scales and healing potential of the music itself, not frequencies alone, but frequencies contextualized in musical keys, scales.