Analysis of The Furtifs by Alain Damasio

Extract

[...] Indeed, from the first page, the author evokes a melody that is described as charming and sweet. The term 'lullaby' is consistently used throughout these pages. The author finds himself calmed at page 806, and goes so far as to qualify it as 'acoustic perfection of resonance' on the following page, which causes shivers and imbues the skin with extreme sweetness (page 808). We perceive through the entirety of this excerpt both the fleeting and the narrator's sensitivity to this music, to which neither can resist. [...]

[...] This music also has repercussions on the characters themselves, who from pages 810 to 811 find themselves in states of trance. Through page 811, we are indeed described the finality of this experience, which is reflected on the singer who then finds herself between life and death. The melody holds resonances on the invisible but also on matter. The lemon tree no longer has fruits, the vomit or the sound previously present next to the singer is no longer there. The last lines even compare this woman to a cadaverous state that barely breathes. [...]

[...] Thus, we can see that each of the characters strives to close their eyes in order not to cause the petrification of their body, which would not allow a real study of the phenomenon. Between visibility and transparency, the couple must thus put into action the fatal weapon: music. 2 - Towards the resonance of bodies From the first lines, the final project is then stated, which is to record a melody with the aim of setting up resonances of the body allowing the stimulation of these beings. Thus, several characters enter the scene, both specialists in sound resonance and musicians. [...]

[...] The Furtifs, Excerpt to 811) - Alain Damasio (2019) - A Salvific Music Commentary: The Furtifs by Alain Damasio, La Volte editions (2019); pages .804 to 811. We possess an excerpt revealing the first attempt of the couple to try to establish contact with these creatures. Indeed, we browse through the pages the description of a sort of mystical experience, where memory passes through music. Through the formation of the quartet and more precisely thanks to the melody, the resonances succeed in materializing to come and convey emotions, and pierce through matter and intelligence in the hope of piercing the mystery of the furtifs. [...]

[...] From page 805, the narrator mentions the formation of the quartet that begins a melody with a very lively and rhythmic sound. Here, we are talking about a set of instruments that form a 'monster calé' body, with a rhythm that is both jerky and supple, a low then high sound; a music qualified as 'dark then light' that refers to the idea of a true opera with different frequencies. The use of various terms also allows us to grasp the momentum of this melody: always on page 805, the terms 'elephant trumpet of the oboe and flutes', 'of the piano by rain', or 'of the tambourin that taps' shows this sustained and jerky rhythm. [...]