MusicThe Artful Advocate

Monday Mood 29.7.19 : The power of music by Eliza

Happy Monday everyone!

Shakespeare’s play, ‘Twelfth Night’, gave us one of the most familiar quotes:

“If music be the food of love, play on;
Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.”
(Act I, Scene I).

Although, the latter part of the quote is not so well known, if Shakespeare knew what music was to become, his interpretation of its excess on one’s musical appetite, would undoubtedly surprise him. But, music has come an exceptionally long way from Shakespeare’s Chaucerian Entertainers and the instrumental sounds of wooden flutes and medieval stringed instruments! It has made a fundamental difference to the world we live in.

This week’s #MondayMood theme is the ‘Power of Music’.

Many of us who listen to music on a regular basis can recognise the effect of its powerful elements in provoking our feelings and thoughts. Suffice to say that music has the ability to change our experience, alter our moods and influence our perceptions to a level where it almost becomes spiritual.

Thirty-four years ago in 1985, a new era of all-star charity concerts began with ‘Live Aid’. When a catastrophe occurs, whether the cause is by nature or by humanity, we’ve come to expect rock star celebrities to respond to a disaster. Setting aside global awareness and fundraising, the surprising element from such purposeful events is, perhaps, the reinvention of song collaborations, interpreted to fit the occasion, which in turn, becomes poignant.

So, with that in mind, I’ve chosen three video clips from ground breaking live concerts for your viewing.

Until next week.

Enjoy!
Eliza x

Queen, Annie Lennox and David Bowie – Live Aid (1985)

Bruce Springsteen – America: A Tribute to Heroes (2001)

Justin Timberlake – Hope for Haiti: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief (2010)