Music and Writing

Music and Writing

One of the most beautiful gifts we have in the world is music. It has the ability to break down language and show the exquisite splendor of other cultures. I am an avid music lover who will listen to just about anything. I love classical, oldies, big band, disco, eighties, just about anything on the radio and music from around the world.
When I was eighteen, I had the chance to travel to Europe on a bus tour. As we drove through the Spanish Pyrenees, they played, “The Gipsy Kings,” a famous flamenco group that strummed haunting rhythms on their guitars. It filled my soul with a love for something beautiful and different than anything I had ever thought or dreamt of before. Their music caught the essence of the land, a country that seemed to be alive and pulsating.
Soon the bus drove through Austria and I put on my Walkman. Yes, I am that old. I had brought my tapes of Mozart and Schumann along and soon realized why they composed such timeless music. To live in such beauty where you look out the window and see a green that is beyond emeralds. It’s a fairy tale, a dreamland, a place where glorious mountains rise to over eleven thousand feet high.
I believe that art begets art. For some artists, they can look out a window and find beauty inspiring their inner muse. For others it’s a piece of art or other great works of fiction. For me, music is my muse. There are times I can hear a piece of music and suddenly I have a scene already written. I have to run to my computer or grab a piece of paper to jot down notes. Other times I’ll hear something on the radio that conveys an emotion that I have wanted to write. Music is an amazing tool at breaking through writer’s block and I pray that it will continue to inspire and help me.
I’m curious to know what types of music you love.

Ciao,
Dominique Burton