How does music reside in memory? In what specific form is a melody embedded in our brain? I always found these questions fascinating, but something I listened to today brought home these questions in more vivid terms:
When I was a child, there was a TV show on Greek television. I never really watched it, and I could not even remember what it was called. BUT, I did remember a theme played on the harpsichord at the end-credits. It's strange; this theme has ever since remained "intact" in my head, down to the smallest detail - in fact, I could (still can) play it by ear on the piano. And today, some 20 years on, I bumped into it on the internet! And I listened to it again after such a long time of keeping it vividly in my memory for so many years. I really cannot grasp the mechanics of such a mysterious procedure. I can only say that music is a powerful thing, much more powerful than it may seem to be. For it affects in a decisive way not just our emotional world, but our whole being in ways that are really beyond comprehension.
Just for the record, here is the theme...
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