Personal tunes

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the process through which a melody becomes someone’s “personal” tune. The following questions are addressed: How are these associations created and transmitted? How does a tune come to be generally agreed to belong to this or that person? Who are those who tend to become associated with a tune? Which tunes are the most likely to become identified with someone? It is argued that if the Roma of Ceuaş perceive a tune as emotionally charged, this is not so much because of its formal properties as its association with a specific human being.