The Song

My Ever Changing Body – Music and lyrics by Matthew Ferraro

The lyrics of My Every Changing Body were produced from Mr. Ferraro’s interest in the age divide. He interviewed hundreds of people over 50 and under 21. These recorded sounds and testimonies of people’s real life are the content of the song. It utilizes a concept he created that the California Arts Council has officially named, “Orchestral Journalism.” It is an art form where recorded testimonies and sounds regarding a specific subject are gathered together and then used to inform and literally create a fabric of music. The entire libretto or lyric is created from the testimonials.

As he was contemplating what kind of music to add to these testimonials, Mr. Ferraro was invited by friends to a club that promoted tango dancing. They told him tango dancing kept them young. Once he arrived, he noticed that people of all ages were on the dance floor. Old and young danced with each other. There were no boundaries between the generations. Suddenly he knew the music that would best match the lyrics he had just written.

He composed a tango melody to support the testimonials. This piece was presented in a concert featuring chamber musicians from Los Angeles and film composers premiering new works. Mr. Ferraro’s, “My Ever Changing Body,” now a tango song, brought old and young people out of their seats to dance in the aisles. Smiles, laughter and a sense of joy filled the room. It was quite a spectacle. “My Ever Changing Body” was the crowd favorite!

Mr. Ferraro realized this new composition could diminish the barriers between old and young. By using this song as the source for creating a short film, we have testimonies turned into music, and music turned into moving art by animation.