‘This anthology addresses the diversity of music: the impact of its presence, or absence, in our lives. From its harmony of subject matter, solo voices rise in turn to capture our attention. We wonder with the shakuhachi player whether the music he knows he played is what the audience heard, and we muse on the individual nature of listening.
'Several poets remind us of ambient sounds that impinge on the totality of our engagement with what we hear; the clatter of tea cups, the wail of a siren, the concert cough. As is fitting, the music of the natural world finds its place in this collection: diverse bird calls and windsong, the rhythm of tides and the underscore of cicadas. In one imaginative tanka it is not the sound of birds but their “drift and dive”, that reminds the poet of Chopin.
'From Beethoven to boogie-woogie, Handel to honky-tonk, The Melody Lingers On is a celebration of music in its varied elements and tones.’ - Beverley George. (From the publisher's website.)