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.

Today’s was very cheering indeed.

I actually googled and tried to learn a bit more about what I was listening to, but got very bogged down in the difference between a fugue and a fugato (that just autocorrected to rigatoni haha) and even looking up the definitions just brought up more musical terms and language I’m not familiar with, so then I got a bit despondent that I’ll never really understand it properly, put google down and decided just to listen with my eyes closed and enjoy it, which I certainly did.

I can imagine this being played in a film, when the character(s) has lots to do or a huge task to accomplish in order to put the house back in order before the owners arrive or save the orphanage or some such, the montage showing speeded up clips of them doing all the different things and rushing around and then collapsing in a big satisfied heap with a smile as it all gets finished just in time.

alias that image is spot on. It’s not dissimilar to overtures to opera where depending on the production the orchestra plays the curtain rises during the orchestral overture (not always) to a scene on stage often of a household busying themselves for the arrival of someone etc overture finishes (sometimes curtain rises here) and the action and singing and drama starts. Lovely intro to the musical themes we’ll hear later. Useful in the time written as the audience would still be coming in / jostling / chatting etc.

Think you have v similar reaction to Mozart Marriage of Figaro Overture. Which you may of course know - you’ve described it uncannily.

@HeronLanyon

Think you have v similar reaction to Mozart Marriage of Figaro Overture. Which you may of course know - you’ve described it uncannily.

I don’t know it, though will look it up.

Now funny, I thought I was just being a bit daft, but obviously it’s something in the music that manages to convey that sense. It just made me think of being very busy, but in quite a cheerful , anticipatory way! I feel quite clever now

ok, here is where I reveal myself as a proper philistine. I get that Mozart is a genius. I admire the contrasts and the clarity of this movement. I thought the woodwind lines were very cleverly structured and very pretty, but (choral works aside) Mozart never really gets me in the guts. It's very much admiration rather than love.

I heard Jupiter played live in October on the same bill as Strauss' Vier Letze Lieder. The Mozart I appreciated with my head, but the Strauss got me in the heart.

I hear what you're saying TheTurn0fTheScrew. Those Strauss songs are on the playlist for this year. They are wonderful. I agree with you. Some music moves you. I feel the same about Mozart. I love his Requiem though.

I think you are a true ‘natural’ alias !

theturn I know exactly. When I was younger it was all Mozart Haydn and lush romantics. Now I love Mozart in his deeper melancholic moods more (arias dealing with betrayal or loss) much older stuff (that Byrd from earlier is right up my street) and 20th century more atonal dissonent stuff. Not sure what this says about my mental state but I love that music twists and turns to meet your changing tastes etc.

AliasGrape I think often the problem is that we feel we ought to ‘understand’ the musical architecture behind the pieces we hear, and then feel a bit inadequate if we don’t....but my feeling is that if we love listening to something, if it cheers us, excites us, moves us, or whatever - that’s enough. It has done its job as music. You don’t need to know about fugal structure or 12-tone rows or anything really, or only if you want to find out more.

And that description you gave of the feelings Mozart conveys is perfect. As Heron says, the overture to The Marriage of Figaro is about exactly that - Figaro and his fiancée Susanna (servants to a Count and Countess) bustling about planning their wedding arrangements. It’s a comedy with bittersweet sad bits and the overture sets the scene for all the high-jinks to come. Do give it a listen if you can, I think you’d enjoy it too.

So interesting reading everyone’s comments above. I love this, so cheerful and scurrying.

@Grawlix thanks for that lovely reply, yes you’re right of course - our response to a piece of music and how it moves us is what’s important.

I’m definitely reading the page after I’ve listened for exactly that reason. So my first response is my response pure and simple. Partic for stuff I haven’t known.

Hahn; 'L'Heure Exquise' from Chansons Grises.

I like this piece. It is simple, tender, exquisite! It's undemanding on the ear. The opening bars remind me of Brahm's lullaby. It is rather like a lullaby, actually.

Oh goodness, I love this so much. Tender, heart rending. I’ve listened to 5 or 6 versions, favourites being the cello version on the Spotify playlist and a baritone version I found. Lovely, lovely song.

It's even more beautiful sung, I think.

Today’s is lovely. I listened to a baritone version and a soprano, (so the YouTube titles tell me) both beautiful.

About to listen but wanti catch up with news at 6. I’ll no doubt need something beautiful and tender afterwards !

Today's was a little slice of gorgeousness.

yes, gorgeous indeed. I love the stillness and restraint. I went for the tenor Ben Bliss's version on Youtube, which was particularly lovely on the quiet high notes. And as ever with the songs it's great to have translation - my rusty A-level French was sadly not up to the job!

I've fallen behind a bit this week. I loved Unsent Love Letters, in fact it is one of my favourites so far. I have a definite preference for the more stripped back music, generally the fewer instruments the better for me.

That said I did enjoy Mozart's Symphony No 14 I especially liked the change of pace where it slows down and then builds back up again (there's probably a fancy musical word for that ). Not sure if it's a flute playing but it just sounds like spring to me.

7 Chansons Oh I have a new favourite! I love, love, loved this. I don't even know how to put into words how it made me feel. How can music stir so much emotion? I'm going to have to think and come back to it.

Well today’s was totally unexpected, unknown and beautiful ! This is an amazing ride !

It's definitely better when you look up alternatives to what's on the Spotify list. Not all the time, but certainly when the notes refer to songs.

I really need to branch out from the spotify playlist, although to be fair I like most of the versions there.

Strauss - Trio from Act 3, Der Rosenkavalier

For anyone not using the playlist, I think this is "Marie Theres" - "Hab mir's gelobt, Ihn lieb zu haben". I hope so!

This is beautiful. The voices layer and blend so well, and the orchestration builds and swirls. The little Strauss I know I have loved and this is no exception, so I must delve deeper into his catalogue.

I'm not sure how much the recordings will differ today, but I went for one with Diana Damrau, on whom my DH has a bit of a crush.

The version on the playlist doesn't have any singing. It was nice enough but nothing special. Thanks for mentioning the alternative versions. I think I'll check those out.