Shame

Three questions I would like to discuss with you:

What is shame exactly? 

Why does shame exist? 

How could you symbolize / realize shame in music? Do you have any examples in music? 

Interesting.

Shame is "vergüenza" in Spanish, after the latin word "verecundia".

"vereri" is a verb which means: to have respectful fear about something.

"cundus" means "trend to".

That is: trend to have respectful fear

In music... OMG, I don¡t know. In pop music it is easy to find songs with "shame" in the title. But in academic music... ¿?

5 hours ago, Luis Hernández said:

Interesting.

Shame is "vergüenza" in Spanish, after the latin word "verecundia".

"vereri" is a verb which means: to have respectful fear about something.

"cundus" means "trend to".

That is: trend to have respectful fear

 

In music... OMG, I don¡t know. In pop music it is easy to find songs with "shame" in the title. But in academic music... ¿?

 

Interesting etymology! 

I think shame is a fear to not be accepted for things you do and things you are. This fear exists due to cultural norms. 

I am also struggling with realizing shame in music. Perhaps something like a melody first stated very present and forte, but then shame appears and the melody gets uneasy, piano and shy. 

I would think shame in "academic music" would be any slow peice but one that is depressing kind of like if you slowed down Bolero by Ravel and put it in minor

I think Chopin's Prelude in e minor (Op.28 No.4) evokes feelings of shame.

But maybe that's because I'm such a sloppy piano player.

On 8/19/2018 at 2:25 PM, Glenn Simonelli said:

I think Chopin's Prelude in e minor (Op.28 No.4) evokes feelings of shame.

But maybe that's because I'm such a sloppy piano player.

I can imagine that you connect shame with Chopin's prelude! 

Actually, it is not such a bad interpretation at all! 

I know this is an 4 year old topic by I couldn't resist putting my 2¢ into the discussion.  I've heard it said in psychology, when comparing shame to guilt, that guilt is the sense that one has made a mistake, while shame is the sense that one IS a mistake and that there is something irredeemable about one's self.  I think cringing about the past often brings up feelings of shame which could be symbolized in music by starkly set high dissonant chords.