Rhapsody

This is a placeholder post in actuality but the word 'Rhapsody' leapt off of a piece I was reading and I began to wonder what it meant. It's actually rather a nice word.

Rhapsody:
1 (music) a piece of classical music that is not regular in form and expresses strong emotion
2 a feeling of great enthusiasm, or the things you say or write to express this enthusiasm

Rhapsodize:
to speak or write with great enthusiasm

Reflecting on this word rhapsody we see that it is a piece of music that represents real life, strong emotions being expressed irregularly and even spontaneously. Strong emotions inspire spontaneous actions, both negative and positive while weaker emotions motivate more organised thought and structure. Neither is worse than the other. Emotion is a fundamental motivation in our lives in both the long and short terms. Logic along can not motivate people to self-centred or selfless acts, it must be powered by altruism or vindictiveness or a host of other spikey/smooth things in our brains.

It must be nice to have rhapsody flowing in the blood. I don't think I've consciously ever listened to a rhapsody, but that surely can't be correct? Ah, it is not, for there is Rachmaninov's 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini' in the music folder. Oh gosh, Rachmaninov, there is nothing to compare to such bliss from the board of a piano.

Coming up we have pieces on the book 'Hopscotch' by Brian Garfield and the movies 'The Core', 'LA Story' and 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'. For now there must be music, music and more music...

Oliver.