When the narrator of Johnson's novel falls in love, it is to music that he turns to express that emotion to the person for whom it is intended (149). She in turn responded in kind, letting the notes and tempo combine with her words in an expression of her reciprocated love. The importance of music in Johnson's novel should not be diminished by the other issues within the confines of his text. Exploring the meaning of this inclusion will mean exploring the theme of music itself. It will include examining the musical style, the generation in which the story takes place along with racial issues. Johnson's use of music to develop a plot and illuminate the various issues and themes of his novel is a demonstration of his love for this art form along with his belief in the power of music to provide a more communal way of see a solution to the confusion. the color line. At an early age, music was a part of the young narrator's life. He states: “Always on Sunday evenings he would open the little square piano and choose the hymns” (4). His mother, although not a formally trained musician, taught the narrator that music was a form of emotional expression and through it she was able to extend to him the surreal existence that happens when notes and words come together to bring mind in another time and place. His pieces were mostly in “large” tempo on the Sunday evenings mentioned above. “Largo” is a musical term meaning “very slow and wide, with dignity” (Musical Definitions). The description of this time in the narrator's life is so apt, filled with loving images of his mother using music to soothe the worries of the day, slowly and with dignity. His mother allows him to participate by “intervening with strange harmonies” (5). The definition of harmony... in the center of the paper... Robert Cochran. "THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A FORMER COLORED MAN" by Johnson. Explicator 60.3 (2002): 147. Academic research completed. EBSCO. Network. June 4, 2011.Ruotolo, Cristina L. "James Weldon Johnson and the Autobiography of a Black Former Musician." American Literature 72.2 (2000): 249. Academic research completed. EBSCO. Network. June 4, 2011."A formal analysis of Beethoven's Pathétics « Open Source Music." Open source music. Np, nd Web. 5 June 2011. "Frédéric François Chopin - Classical Archives." Listen to classical music on Classical Archives: Home. Np, nd Web. June 5, 2011. "What is Ragtime - Description of Jazz Style Ragtime." About.com Jazz - Jazz music news, reviews and more from guide Jacob Teichroew. Np, nd Web. June 5 2011.