In the immortal words of the John Connor in the movie, the Terminator, "The future's not set. There's no fate but what we make for ourselves." Well, in this derivation, my gun is a flute, and the mantra slightly different: "There's no fate. BUT there IS what we make for ourselves ...
So, Make Music!'
Unfortunately, in a world where marketing a flute relaxation album is about as challenging as promoting peace to the military-industrial complex, a helpful theory emerges:
Neanderthals used weapons.
Homo sapiens play flutes.
For the age-old question posed by Homer in the Iliad remains relevant: "What art shall calm the furious sons of war?" Indeed, developments in art and science often aid military technology in either ingenious feats of corruption, or corrupted feats of genius:
Uncover the weaponisation of sound with devices like the Mosquito, designed to deter teenagers from loitering. Classical music can do just as well: 'Playing classical music in public spaces to dissuade antisocial behaviour has been a tried-and-tested strategy used around the world for decades. By the music being uncool, the space becomes uncool and they're not interested in being there. Despite its effectiveness, using sound to affect behaviour, particularly where it could induce physical or emotional discomfort, raises ethical questions.' https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-31/swan-hill-toilets-classical-music-to-deter-loitering-vandalism/103612986?fbclid=IwAR3MXWMaryhBgAGobRf5Efk4WzSTQIIzRURftpFOE2wVSsKZOMF4gIp4rEo_aem_ASKpuIKvC--p9MZeFNosFkfziy0ugVaEIhOxeL37X-TozvVWQVDLY5DnjDMAPwuXpvn3hajfiyPOHFwQCq5fVYRj
Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), a communication system for the military. Delve into the controversial use of sound-based side-channel attacks. Link to LRAD Technology
Acoustic Espionage: From keystrokes to secrets, explore the world of acoustic espionage, where British universities develop a deep learning model capable of stealing data from keyboard keystrokes recorded with a microphone. Witness the potential implications of sound in the realm of cybersecurity. Link to Acoustic Espionage
Sonic Weapons: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_weapon?fbclid=IwAR35V5rUlAv7XccZeDlfamiTWViRgRxVpXW2LF-x2prrT6GX0Wst6M_Yrlw
Those cursed by power seemingly go along unperturbed by the haunting echoes of Shelley's "Ozymandias."
In the movie, Django, I was delighted by the German bounty hunter's fireside tale of Siegfried as the inspiration that sparked the American Revolution. The very same tale of Siegfried was the also the inspiration for an opera by Wagner, which I understand, Hitler forced his soldiers to sit through to inspire rage and hatred. As Siegfried waits for the dragon to appear, he hears a woodbird singing from the trees (Waldweben - Forest Murmurs). He attempts to mimic the bird's song using a reed pipe, but is unsuccessful. He then plays a tune on his horn (Siegfrieds Hornruf - Siegfried's Horn Call), which unintentionally wakes the dragon in his cave. Link to Siegfried (Opera). And so, Plato was right again:
‘Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul, on which they mightily fasten, imparting grace, and making the soul of him who is rightly educated graceful, or of him who is ill-educated ungraceful’ (Plato, Laws, Book III, page 1194)
As we navigate the intricate web of acoustics, from the ancient rhythms of flutes to the cutting-edge sonic technologies of today, the power of sound becomes both a creator and disruptor of worlds. In a cacophony of war and peace, music remains a steadfast force, echoing through the annals of time.
Eniron
Eniron is the music by Enya that plays in the Lord of the Rings when Arwen gives her necklace to Aragorn. The immortality charm protects him from the power of the ring ('Sauron'), with a whisper of 'Elessar'.
'I knew everything from the beginning but I couldn’t remember until this moment. I was woven into the creases of the lullaby.'
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