Striking a Chord

Abstract

There is much that is lost with dementia. It has been established that whereas some other cognitive functions may be impaired, ‘procedural memory’—'implicit musical memory’—associated with singing, can remain intact even in the advanced stages of dementia. This joint piece focuses on how we can activate what remains through song, to strike a chord, both musically and as a way of keeping in touch with our intimate, core, primary relationships in life. We underline song as a modality of connection, even as we live with the changing constellations of cognitive impairment. Song is not only seen as narrative but also a carrier and a repository of memories; when lyrics of a song are remembered, autobiographical events are recalled for a while. Words or wordlessness are located within a wider bodily assemblage of performativity. Gestures, movements, objects, sounds and settings define the repertoire of song. We contribute to the field of critical dementia studies and music, both from a transnational diasporic perspective, as well as from the intimate zones of being carer-researcher daughters, searching for ways to connect with our parents as they live with dementia. This article considers the relation between song and dementia as inter-generational encounters of exchange and contact within the context of diasporic and transnational familial relations of care.

Notes

1 This article is dedicated to the chords Prabhjot Parmar has struck with her father, Major Harbhajan Singh (25 Dec 1925 – 16 April 2018) and Nirmal Puwar has had the pleasure of sharing with her mother, Kartar Kaur.

2 These social organizations facilitate gatherings where music and singing take centre stage as a life-enhancing activity for people and their carers living with dementia.

3 Punjabi folk dance rooted in folk song and orature.

4 A boli is a couplet in Punjabi that is sung to a specific tune by women when performing giddha, a folk dance. Singing of bolis is accompanied by clapping as per the tempo of a boli. Passed down generations, these couplets cover a range of subjects: love and longing, greetings, entreaties, complaints, seasons, etc. Boliyan is a series of bolis – couplets – sung in succession.

5 See footage at http://bit.ly/2IaO5NG

6 See footage at https://vimeo.com/318394308

7 A folk form using couplets full of wit and sarcasm sung to rhythmic tunes by women taunting or throwing insults, chiefly at menfolk. The teasing nature of the lyrics can be crude, with usage of some swear words and, at times, overt references to sex to taunt the other side – bride's or groom's, maternal or paternal families, for example.

8 The maternal grandparents of the bride or groom, who are expected to come laden with gifts.

9 A popular form of lyric poetry often sung to classical and semi-classical raga-based music. The list of Hindustani popular and film ghazal singers of yesteryears include Kundan Lal Sehgal, Noor Jehan, Mohammed Rafi, Talat Mehmood and Suraiya.

10 Kundan Lal Sehgal, an eminent singer-actor of pre-Partition Hindustani cinema, continues to enjoy popularity.

11 Considering it ‘active and dynamic’ Aldridge uses a performance metaphor in his study of health (2005a: 27).