“If I Ever Hear It, It Takes Me Straight Back There”: Music, Autobiographical Memory, Space and Place

Abstract

An understanding of our personal selves often comes through reflection on aspects of our identity, experience and our ‘life story.’ It is through autobiographical memory that we are able to recall and retell of events, moments, people or places that have affected our journey. These recollections are often multi-modal, in that they may consist of one or more sensory elements, any of which may subsequently prompt memories from long ago without warning. These can include visual, olfactory and tactile aspects, or even more abstract discourses of emotion or states of being. Memories can also be aural , incorporating a range of sounds and noises, but most strikingly, memories can be filled with, and triggered by, music. This chapter explores the ways in which music can infiltrate autobiographical memories of space and place, and how this can potentially affect the way events are remembered and retold.