Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Everyday (Part 1)

Really beautiful piece.

Have you listened Clemency Burton Hill’s episode on the How to Fail Podcast with Elizabeth Day?

I listened to it right at the end of 202, choosing it by random, as I had never heard the podcast or of Clemency Burton Hill. I got the book the next day.

I loved the beginning with the repeated quiet piano notes. Very sad, very lovely. And interesting to read about the two sisters.

Today's nocturne was lovely, it got 3 back to back listens from me. Made me think of a beautiful cool body of water (the piano ) with with bird swooping and soaring overhead (violin). Don't know if that makes sense but it's the picture that came into my head!

Lovely and so sad to hear her story. Imagine what she could have achieved.

I thought it was beautiful. It had a yearning quality and the resolution was so peaceful. It's a piece that I would like to try and learn to play.

I hadn't heard of either of the Boulanger sisters. Lilli's story is so sad.

Today's piece is Nocturne for violin and piano, by Lili Boulanger

This is one I know, and which I have on my current classical playlist - early 20th century is one of my favourite periods. I love it. The violin is alternately restrained and then soaring. The melody is beautifully wistful. I had no idea that Lili died so young, but she certainly left her mark.

I also agree whole heartedly with enjoying everyone’s responses and the diversity expressed.

This thread epitomises unity not uniformity x

I am loving this thread. I love learning about something I know nothing about and enjoying trying to decipher the technical stuff and like TheTurnOfTheScrew I love reading everyone’s responses whether emotional or musical.

I admit to envy of those of you who can play an instrument or sing. London’s Burning on the recorder is about my limit!

I do want to understand more - my logical brain taking over there. Have downloaded a sample of Gareth Malone’s book on Classical music to see how I get on.

@MamaNewtNewt you should! It’s a wonderful feeling to sing in a group. If you find one that’s part of the natural voice network, they run on very inclusive principles and don’t expect musical knowledge or perfection. No auditions or solo singing. And yet the resulting sounds are wonderful!

I love hearing every response to these pieces. The most lovely of all the responses have been when people have shared personal connections to a piece, whether the piece has create a mood or mindscape, or reminds them of a time, place or person.

I enjoyed today's piece, and thought it did feel more modern than the Byrd. I think tone clusters means using adjacent notes on a scale, which gives rise to what I think of as the beautifully unsettling, almost dissonant harmonies here, as opposed to the more traditionally beautiful note intervals employed by Byrd. Hopefully one of the thread's actual musicians will come along to tell me how wrong I've got it!

I’m listening to todays for the third time, and think it is starting to appeal more to me. I like medieval church music too, but am finding this harder to enjoy.
Funny about all the musical kids. Seeing how much fun mine got from playing music inspired me to join a community choir a few years ago which has been great fun even for a very average and underconfident singer!

Today’s was lovely I thought, however like Best I find it quite hard to distinguish what makes it different/ more modern sounding? I listened to the Byrd again, which I preferred, though once again I seem to lack the terminology to explain why.

I can see how it layered the voices and built to a climax in a similar way to the Byrd, but ‘tone clusters built from a germ of the harmonic language of the Byrd’ is a bit beyond my musical comprehension still!

I think I need to listen to this one a few times as it just seemed a bit bland to me. I can’t distinguish what makes different in any way from other chiral pieces we’ve had so far in terms of it being modern or similar to others.

Charlotte Bray: Agnus Dei

This is a haunting piece of music; it's very atmospheric. It is interesting how Bray modelled it on Byrd, using three voices, layering them gradually until all five voices join together in unison. However, the piece feels very contemporary too. I like it a lot. I'll explore more of Bray's music.

I felt the piece wasn't grounded. There was no 'doh'. I missed 'doh' and all of 'doh's' solfa (solfic?!) friends!

I was braced to dislike today's, but there were moments that appealed to me. I liked the fact that it didn't chase after prettiness.

Bookmarking 📚

I though todays was interesting. Not always pleasant to listen too but I could imagine it as the background music for a film where the heroine is caught up in a spy plot and a heart wrenching love affair.

I’m like you Best is West in really needing an overview of many of the terms. I wonder if there’s a classical music for dummies type book out there.

I didn’t like today’s. Probably because of whatever it was the notes said about all the notes not being the usual ones or in a key or whatever

I'm another non-musician with musical kids. It's been hearing their repertoire that's got me into classical music. I have swotted up a bit on technical terms with DC1's music theory crammer.

On the Berg, I read the notes first, and was ready to hear something similar to the noise that the cats make when they jump on the piano. It sounded more structured and Lizst-like than I was expecting, but I can't say I'd listen again.

Mine are musical too though both only took music at GCSE. DS plays and records his own music. Safe to say they don’t get it from me. I think I need a book!

I’m the same @BestIsWest, I would like to understand musical ideas and theories and forms better. Despite my children (now grown up) all being musical and studying to A level and beyond, I am not, although I’ve always lived music. It’s one of my dreams to do an adult Ed music course once I retire…

I wasn’t keen on todays piece. I’ve been listening to more of L’Arpeggiata, and enjoying it.