Singing

> *Oh beeeeeee not weeeary, frieeeend of mine*
> *While saaaaailing o’er the tiiiiides of time*
> *The New Age greeeets us at the shore*
> *Just liiiike the Olden Age before*
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> —Morningtide Refrain [src]
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**Singing** is a popular pastime in Nevermoor. Magic sometimes involves singing. Loving families also like to sing.

## Magic

Wunder is both friendly and dangerous and so is singing. The magic seems to require the use of the vocal chords — Morrigan has been enchanted by wordless songs and has summoned Wunder by humming. But, she is yet to come across an example of magic from instrumental music.

### Art of Nocturne

"*The Wretched Art of Nocturne. The summoning of Wunder. Singing to make it so.*"
―Ezra Squall - Museum of Stolen Moments[src]
The Art of Nocturne involves summoning Wunder by singing or humming. Morrigan usually hears Ezra humming when she encounters him. When Ezra prepares to perform more difficult Wundrous Arts, such as the Crow Manor masterclass or healing the Hollowpox, he sings rather than just humming.

Both Morrigan (*Morningtide's Child)* and Ezra (*Little Crowling*) use nursery rhymes with dark themes as their songs. There is even some unrevealed power in the specific song which a Wundersmith uses — Ezra is uncharacteristically alarmed when Morrigan starts to sing *Little Crowling* instead of selecting a different song. The quality of the singing for summoning Wunder is not important.

### Singing that Enchants the Emotions

Several singers are able to control other's emotions using songs. In all these cases, the lyrics are not part of the magic.

* Dame Chanda Kali has a powerful soprano voice and this enchants the woodland creatures who are hopelessly drawn to it.
* Noelle's singing enchants the whole audience, including Morrigan and Hawthorne.
* Israfel's singing voice has magic power. It is also powerful and dangerous, the positive emotions that it brings can be perverted into a drug as seen at the Old Delphian.
	+ Morrigan later gets a single note of Israfel's song and is enticed by a dream of a perfect mother. Fortunately she has her real family at the Deucalion to help her recover from the withdrawal.

### Other

The following is a list of miscellaneous examples of singing and magic, they are included for completeness:

* Cadence Blackburn's mesmerising power comes as a "low humming voice".
* The Witches at the Fright Trial use chanting as part of their magic.
* Gracious Goldbury uses circular breathing for her Wundrous Art of Inferno which prompts Morrigan to learn about the technique from Dame Chandra.
* Ezra Squall make sounds and tones that Morrigan has never heard before when using Ruination on the Hollowpox damage.

## Family

Proper loving families are often heard singing.

### Found Family

Morrigan's *found family* at the Hotel Deucalion enjoy singing.

* Dame Chanda Kali uses her singing and the resultant woodland creatures to vex Professor Onstald and cheer up Morrigan during her first stay at the hospital.
* Martha's sweet voice leaves its mark on the kettle.
* Frank's singing entertains the crowd on Hallowmas night.
* Jupiter also sings - belting out 20 verses of a Yuletide song.

### Swift Family

The *Swift family* purportedly uses Cat's off-key singing to help keep them together at the West Gate entrance to the Nevermoor Market. Hawthorne enjoys singing at other times.

### Crow Family

On her first trip on the Gossamer Line, Morrigan watches the Crow family with Corvus dancing and laughing at his Christmas party. Corvus now has the family he always wanted — one that will not get in the way of his political ambitions. Corvus himself is not singing but the piano player is. On Morrigan's third trip on the Gossamer Line, she listens to Ivy humming to her babies. Ivy is now full of motherly bliss — so much so that Morrigan can't help but feeling strangely affected.

### "Family for Life"

The class of Unit 919 peer group is tight-knit and loyal, but Morrigan has not heard Unit 919 sing. However, they might have sung during Morrigan's second stay at the hospital — Nurse Tim described Archan playing the fiddle and then vaguely finished with "*spare me the shanties*".