"Marching In" is a

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

by American writer

Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...

. The story was written at the request of the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

publication '' High Fidelity'', with the stipulation that it be 2,500 words long, set about twenty-five years in the future and deal with some aspect of sound recording.Asimov, Isaac: '' The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories'', pages 172-173. Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1976.

Plot summary

In the year 2001, Jerome Bishop, a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

composer and trombonist, is asked by Dr. Cray to assist in a project at a mental hospital, lending his musical knowledge to an experimental treatment of depression. Although initially doubtful that he has anything to offer, he agrees to work on it and returns a few days later. He suggests to Dr. Cray that the irresistible rhythm of a revival

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

can snap anyone out of depression and demonstrates this by humming the opening beat of " When the Saints Go Marching In", which makes the patient feel much better and even gets Dr. Cray's toes tapping.

References

External links

* {{Bicentennial Man 1970 short stories Fiction set in 2001 Short stories by Isaac Asimov Works originally published in American magazines Works originally published in music magazines