Quote:
Originally Posted by JonPR
There's a nice term which covers the process: prosody: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosody_(music) Dylan was a master of it, which is why his songs feel so good to sing. IMO, his lyrics don't make great poetry on the page (not like Leonard Cohen's or Joni Mitchell's anyway) - they need the melodies to really come alive. Obviously he was tremendously imaginative as a lyricist - and a fabulous story-teller - but his poetry was somewhat hit and miss. Some wonderful phrases, some not so wonderful - although at least they did all "fit"! |
Good word. Always nice to expand the vocabulary with a word that articulates a concept you intuit but have never put a name to. I write a great deal in the course of my legal work. And, unfortunately, I am called upon to prepare and deliver eulogies as well. As I craft the written or spoken piece, I am always conscious of the sound of the words as they fit together, and their cadence. Long sentences and words, and then short ones, for good measure and contrast. Even single word sentences. I often break grammatical rules by omitting a verb or some other "indispensable" component of a sentence. The absence of an element the ear is attuned adds tension and emphasis. Now I know that is called prosody. Thanks for that.