Music & Memory
Memory is the cognitive processes of receiving, storing, sorting, changing and recovering information from sensory input. Many studies have shown that music is especially powerful when it comes to storing and recalling memories. Watch the clip below to see how music affects memory:
In “The Dead,” hearing a song called “The Lass of Aughrim” triggers Gretta Conroy’s memory of Michael Furey, a boy she once loved, who used to sing that song to her. He died when he was seventeen. The scene where Gretta hears the music is told from her husband Gabriel Conroy’s point of view. He observes his wife as she listens to the song, but doesn’t realize that she is being plunged into the memory of a former lover. For the rest of the story, her demeanor is changed. She cannot escape thoughts about Michael Furey.
Click here to see how Director John Huston portrays that pivotal moment when Gretta hears “The Lass of Aughrim” and is plunged into memories of Michael Furey.
