Music has a special ability to trigger memories. DTPOT was introduced more or less as a joke in music psychology, but is now a technical term. It is also an inexhaustible dramaturgical tool in film, opera, etc.

00:00 Intro
00:35 Play it, Sam
04:36 DTPOT
06:33 Behaviourism
10:39 The factor time
13:17 The enemy’s tune
14:54 The pearl fishers

Text fragments:

U. Eco, Casablanca, or, the Clichés Are Having a Ball. In S. Maasik and J. Solomon (eds). Signs of Life in the U.S.A.: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. Bedford, 1994.
J.B. Davies. The Psychology of Music. Hutchinson, 1978.

Music and sound fragments

Casablanca (film). Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart. Warner Brothers 1943
H. Hupfeld, As Time Goes By. Piano* (00:51)
S. Fain, You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me. Frank Sinatra. Songs for Swinging Lovers, Capitol 1956 (10:06)
G. Bizet, Les pêcheurs de perles, duet Au fond du temple saint. Jussi Björling, Robert Merrill. HMV 1954 (16:09)
G. Bizet, Les pêcheurs de perles, Ah! Adieu! Janine Micheau, Nicolai Gedda, Ernest Blanc, Théâtre National De L'Opéra-Comique, Pierre Dervaux. EMI 1961 (19:48)

*Piano: Lodewijk Muns

Darling they're playing our tune DTPOT

Lodewijk Muns, musicologist, composer and pianist, discusses topics such as music and memory, music and language, and the limits of music, with the piano at his fingertips.

Beyond the Bony Labyrinth: because the sound that enters our ears only becomes music when we recognize it. Music appeals to our memory, emotions, imagination, and capacity for language.

Philosophy: because it deals with the connections between music and other aspects of life, with clarification, and dispelling smoke screens.

This is the English version of the Dutch podcast Voorbij de oren.

Making this podcast takes some inspiration, a lot of enthusiastic labour, a lifetime of experience and a bit of money. If you’re interested, please consider making a donation. It will help to continue the podcast and means a great incentive for the author.