Primal
Verse—whether spoken or sung—
appears to be deeply encoded
in the human brain.
Cursing, singing lyrics, and reciting poetry
are understood as instances of automatic speech,
as distinguished from propositional speech….
that constitutes most everyday conversation.
–Oliver Sacks
Today I attended the April Verch concert in Long Grove. The Long Grove Arts and Music Council invited Verch and her band to perform for the fourth time for the summer series. Verch’s rendition of Canadian traditional tunes was reminiscent of Bluegrass, the mountain music of the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina. The music and step dancing reminded me of tales of barn dances recounted by my mother when she was a girl. Mom grew up in rural North Carolina in the 1930s. The music mediates the presence of immigrant ancestors from those farming the rural South to those logging in the Ottawa Valley, Canada.
Today I heard their voices in the singing fiddle…….
