The influence of music on real-life crisis: The case of Barber’s Adagio for strings
The girl looks through the horizon. There is nothing beautiful to see miles on end. The land is desolate. Everything lies in ruins. People have gone silent, and the silence is deafening. The once magnificent settlement has been laid bare, and the people who survived the tragedy are left in a sombre mood, reflecting on the way forward. There is a desperate desire to hold on to even a minute ray of hope that seems so far away. However, they console themselves with the thought that this too shall pass and they shall indeed rise again.
Barber’s Adagio for Strings comprises slow music that brings out a sombre and reflective mood. It indeed depicts the situation in the above short story of this girl. The musical tones flow in such a way as to invoke the feelings of slowing down and thinking deeply as though one was fast-moving, but something has happened to bring them to an almost complete halt. The feelings of sadness and hopelessness can be felt vividly throughout the piece, just like the girl looks on to the horizon with despair as she comes to terms with the evident reality at hand. The composition also incorporates a gentle vibe that is related to acts of reflective or critical thinking upon facing a difficult situation. Indeed Bernstein was right when he stated that music will never be the same again and that it will be done more intensely, more beautifully and more devotedly than before. A composition such as this that that is powerful enough to evoke particular emotions and thoughts that are so relevant during a crisis is indeed a work of art. The best current example is the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Drawing from the perspectives of the music piece to this current scourge, it is evident that the feelings of helplessness, desperation and despair are in the air.
The mood is sombre. Profound reflections on the way forward are a common occurrence for everyone in the world, and the hope of a cure or vaccine seems so far away. Just listening to this music piece, makes one feel like they are being reminded of their current reality of being in a world with a disease that has no cure, spreads fast, has no vaccine and necessitates social distancing—denying people the right opportunities that they enjoyed previously that now seem like a distance memory and a fantasy begging to be relived but is still far from reach. Currently, the mood in the United States of America is a sombre one. Having the highest rate of Covid-19 infections and a considerable number of fatalities, the country is on the verge of being the new epicentre of the disease. The song is genuinely relevant, and listening to it brings out the perfect current vibe. It is a constant reminder of how music is powerfully contextual in every sense. Moreover, we draw lessons and find solutions amidst the crisis representative of the distant ray of hope. Though it tarries, it will soon come to pass and the sad waiting period will come to an end.