someone shared this with me on FB, and thought it might be appreciated here.
wrt music. One prof (not one of mine) said that all music is rhythm - even the frequencies that create notes is a matter of cycles per second, which is rhythm.
Of the authors I've read, Michael Ondaatje writes some of the most musical prose I've ever read. His works would probably translate really well to audio-books.
Elias Canetti suggested that writing originated from hunters tracking their prey. From the footprints in the mud/snow, they could tell the numbers and cadence of animals. The marks denoted a rhythm of sorts. Whether this this true or not, it's an interesting idea.
In case you were ever curious (s = unstressed/short, L= stressed/long), look at your feet.
dibrach (pyrrhus) ss
iamb sL
trochee Ls
spondee LL
tribrach sss
anapest ssL
amphibrach sLs
baccius sLL
dactyl Lss
ampimacer (cretic) LsL
antibacchius LLs
molossus LLL
tetrabrach (proceleusmatic) ssss
quartus paeon sssL
tertius paeon ssLs
minor ionic (double iamb) ssLL
secundus paeon sLss
diamb sLsL
antipast sLLs
first epitrite sLLL
primus paeon Lsss
choriamb LssL
ditrochee LsLs
second epitrite LsLL
major ionic LLss
third epitrite LLsL
fourth epitrite LLLs
dispondee LLLL
.
Yeah, love this, and also what I love about Shakespeare is that he writes in this perfect iambic pentameter, de-dum de-dum de-dum de-dum de-dum....
but when he breaks it through word stress, it's a clue to the actor to fight to get back to the iambic beat, the rhythm. The break, and consequent fight is a symbol of the character in a state of psychic turmoil, fighting to re-instate his own emotional balance.
Genius.
reading aloud really says something about the music in one's language. I heard that for prose, you should find the worst reader you can to read it for you, to ensure that the words themselves can grip the audience, because there are no actors to give them proper inflection to add interest.
but building a rhythm to break it with significance.. One more reason why I really like that Bard.