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

[MamaNewtNewt]

This thread is for the 50 bookers (or in fact anyone else who wants to join in!) who are reading Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Everyday by Clemency Burton-Hill.

The author has selected one piece of music for each day in the year, and includes a brief overview of the piece and the composer to provide some context. There's a playlist on Spotify and we can share links to each piece of music for those without access to Spotify.

I think most of us are planning on (roughly) sticking to the daily setup but feel free to read / listen ahead although the discussions are likely to stay around the music for the current date.

Thanks to @TheTurn0fTheScrew for bringing this book to our attention on the thread. Really looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts.

@Cherryana I feel the same, I'm absolutely loving it. I don't know much but I'm so enjoying broadening my horizons.

@HeronLanyon That's so lovely.

@HeronLanyon I mean your reaction was lovely and not the tough time. I hope things are getting easier for you.

mama 😂

Its so good 😊!

My love is like a red, red rose
Traditional

I loved this one, but I have a soft spot for folk / traditional songs, especially of the Scottish / Irish variety. Really beautiful and simple. Just like I like 'em.

Morning. Happy Burns Night to any Scots!

This is a bit of an emotional one for me. My Dad always sang this and we had it at his funeral 18 months ago - and we have a few lines from it engraved on his headstone. So it’s a deeply personal one and of course I will always think of him when I hear it.

It is a beautiful song and I love the Eddi Reader version on the Spotify playlist. Will listen to a few others later on.

Happy Burn's Night to any Scots on this thread!

This is lovely. I'm also fond of traditional music and I listen to it and play it often, mostly Irish traditional music.

That's lovely, BestIsWest. Thank you for sharing that with us. It's wonderful to have a song to remember your Dad by.

I must go and check out other versions of this song too.

Rogue apostrophe. Burns Night. Have a good one :)

Happy Burns Night!

@BestIsWest it must have been an emotional listen for you.

@BestIsWest I’m sorry to read about your dad. What a beautiful song and memory to hold onto, though I’m sure very emotional to hear today too.

It’s wonderful how powerful a reminder and connection music is to those we love - I sing my mum’s favourite song to my baby girl often, and in a way it’s like my mum is still there in the room with us. (It’s Yesterday by the Beatles so won’t appear on this thread, the only classical music we really listened to at home we’re the Three Tenors, who my parents actually went to watch live in Bruges once, and Andrea Bocelli whose version of ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ we played at mum’s funeral. I’d asked for the version in English with Sarah Brightman but the crem played the version in Italian instead, ‘it’s all in Italian!’ I whispered to my brother, worried, and he whispered back ‘she’d be pleased, it makes us sound cultured’ )

I have listened to a few versions of today’s song. I loved the Eva Cassidy one as I’m a huge fan of her voice, though it didn’t feel very authentic. The Eddi Reader version was wonderful, I’d like to listen to more of her music.

Happy Burns night to any Scots Year of wonder-ers 🌹

@AliasGrape, that made me giggle.

Well how beautiful. Listened to Eva Cassidy.
Will raise a glass to best and alias and everyone for whom this is emotional and all Scots everywhere and Burns.
Whew.

Happy Burns Night and thank you @HeronLanyon, @BestIsWest and @AliasGrape for sharing what you have.

I love Eddi Reader and this was the first time I remember hearing this song. It’s beautiful.

how lovely, if bittersweet, to read about all these emotional connections to today's selection, and other pieces.

I loved the Tallis yesterday. The countertenor on the youtube version shared here was amazing.

not Tallis, Byrd! I always muddle them in my head. But I promise I listened to the right piece .

Elena Kats-Chernin; Unsent Love Letters

I like this piece a lot. It's very calm, very soothing. It reminds me of ripples on a pond. There is a gentle swell in the middle of the piece and the close of the piece mirrors the opening. It's music that would be suitable for meditation or to listen to while reading.

I've started to listen to other pieces in this suite and they are very interesting. I don't know much about Satie. I must look him up. I'm trying to imagine two grand pianos placed one on top of the other :)

I too like today’s a lot. Reminiscent of Bach preludes esp Prelude no 1 in c major. Deceptively simple until you play or hear it a lot.

Yes. It reminds me of that Prelude too.

I really liked today’s, it felt like it was sort of pulling at me - like water lapping at your feet maybe? It was so peaceful but also kind of insistent.

Definitely get the ripples and lapping water. Lovely gentle meditative piece. Satie sounds an interesting character.

I love today's and have listened to the rest of the album twice already! I remember 'discovering' Satie in the 80s when I was a student and felt very grown up listening to it. It appealed to a feeling of melancholy, if not unrecognised depression... I like this because it's similar, but to me, more positive and gentle. I do still love Satie too.

Clearly I'm a Philistine, but this piano piece does nothing for me. It taxes my patience.

I wasn't bothered either, bibliophile. A bit too lift-musicky.

Mozart Jupiter Symphony. 4. Molto Allegro

‘Cheering joy’ indeed. The world is a better place for this being in it.

I really enjoyed listening to this. It does raise the spirits. I love the swift changes from major to minor.
I remember playing this before. It's a devil to play, because you have to be very precise playing the semi-quavers at speed or it's a mess.