Music, Myth and Folklore
Music, Myth and Folklore
Music has the capacity to touch us deeply in ways that science is only just beginning to understand - but it is something that we know instinctively. There is very little that identifies a people so quickly and completely as their folk music. Could you, for a moment, mistake the bounce of an Irish folk song for the cadence of one from Hungary? Most of us can easily identify by ear the music of India, the Far East, Greece and Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Africa. The music developed by a people is a part of its heritage, and those folk songs stir deep feelings in any who hear them - all the more so if it is the music of your own culture.
In my CD World on a String, I drew on those threads of culture that form our world 
tapestry to create a work that speaks to the soul inside us each. World on a String is deeply rooted in my feelings of humanity and the special relationships we all share with each other in all of our paths through art, music and culture. Through the expressive language of music, we have the wonderful ability to communicate on a level that is independent of words, reaching instead past the verbal and into the subconscious mind where we share a common human experience.
Author Joseph Campbell explored some of these commonalities in his works about mythology and myth. He postulated that we all share a deep connection through the folklore and mythology that we create as cultures. His books about Man and Myth, Mythology and Masks and the Hero are widely read and credited within the fields of psychology and therapy. I postulate that those same centers of humanity are at work in the creation of folk music in our cultures.
Music speaks to each of us in a unique and indefinable manner. For decades now, I’ve been exploring the ways that sounds resonate within us and can bring about change and healing. Each of my collections is a compilation of music that touches emotions and creativity within us all. They are my gifts of thanks to the world.
I’m very excited to be working on a new CD, and will share some of the process of choosing the pieces, the joyful work of arranging them and the pleasure of creating them with you here on my blog. I look forward to hearing from you here about your own experiences with music as well.
Love and Peace,
Daniel