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.

I really liked todays piece. It is so beautiful.

Best - would you recommend your book?

I would Cherryana. It’s partly about Aberfan which is difficult to read but handled sensitively. There’s a lot going on in it but on the whole yes.

Landi: Homo Fugit Velut Umbra

I thoroughly enjoyed this and it's on my favourites list for this month. I love the energy in this piece. I've been listening to other movements of this work on Spotify and am also enjoying them.

Today’s was a BANGER So catchy, I loved it.
It felt weirdly modern somehow.
A favourite.

I've been cheerfully caroling "morire bisogna" since listening to today's piece. Die we must. Who knew it could be such an upbeat thought?

@AliasGrape I thought the same- something modern about it.

I've had it in my head all day too :) Die we must, but eat, drink, dance, be merry!

I thought it felt very modern too.

did everyone listen to the L'Arpeggiata version? I have some of their other work (Music for a While - the versions Curtain Tune and When I am Laid in Earth are stand outs for me ) and it is characterised by some adding some improv and jazz inflections into the early music. I wonder how much of the modern feel is written into the music and how much is L'Arppegiata's interpretation.

It sounds authentic to me. I've been listening to the other movements and it all sounds right to my ear.

I'm discovering L'Arppegiata. They are very good, aren't they.

I am so very behind. Work is crazy at the moment but planning on catching up tomorrow then sticking to my listen per day.

Fantasie nègre - I quite liked this, at first I found it a little meandering but enjoyed the exuberance.

Trumpet Concerto in D major - Not keen, but I think that may be to do with the fact I'm not keen on the trumpet.

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - I quite liked this, very epic feel. It was interesting to read about the separation of art and the artist.

Miserere - Oh I liked this one. I can just imagine it being sung in a medieval church. I love anything that can transport me in this way and I find it really soothing and relaxing.

Homo fugit velut umbra - Although this definitely had a medieval feel it also sounded very modern as well. I didn't mind it but not one of my favourites.

Piano Sonata, op. 1* by Alban Berg (1885–1935)*

I didn't like this one, I found the fact it was all over the place off-putting, although it definitely kept my attention. Music that doesn't do what you expect can't really fade into the background I guess. It was interesting reading the notes after about it not being in the normal harmonic tradition. I remember watching something with George Martin (the 5th Beatle) and he was explaining our preference for mostly sequential notes, otherwise we find it unsettling, but he felt that the exception to this was God Only Knows by the Beach Boys.

I thought the concept was interesting, I didn't enjoy listening to it. It reminded me of someone sitting down at the piano and pretending to play it

I liked it but reading the notes made me realise that I have no musical knowledge at all and I didn’t really understand them. I don’t even know what ‘in the key of’ means. I think I’d really benefit from an overview of technical terms.

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.

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 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.

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 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.

Bookmarking 📚

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.

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

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 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.