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.

If you have Apple Music, search for clemency in playlists and @drrjv seems to have created a playlist for the book.

@BestIsWest

A very moving story. Is this just one part of the requiem mass? I’m guessing it is a part of a longer piece of music. I actually wasn’t that keen on todays, towards the end it felt a bit dissonant. Perhaps that was the intent?

Yes. There are seven movements, but some of those movements have subsections, so it's long.

I don't know this requiem. I know Mozart's and Fauré's ones. They are beautiful works. I'll listen to this in full some time.

There isn't any dissonance in this, but the piece ends abruptly because it leads into the next movement without a break. Perhaps you are picking up on that? It's cut off very suddenly.

I cheated on today's and listened to the beginning of the Dies Irae too because I really love it. Can't remember ever listening to the Offertorio before, but although it is less showy, I think it is beautiful and has some lovely transcendent moments.

I'm definitely looking this up!

Oh wow, I absolutely loved today’s. I found it sad and moving and uplifting in parts too. I agree with @MamaNewtNewt in that it is hard to separate it from the story in the notes and I wonder if I would have had the same reaction had I not read the story.

Thank you for the tooth sympathy @whippetwoman - it’s rotten! I hope your hip is a bit better today.

I looked up Dies Irae and recognised it instantly. What a cracker of an opening! It must be fun to sing and play that.

Not to get ahead of ourselves but I have just seen that CBH has another book Another Year of Wonder! I'm enjoying this daily listen, and am reading a chapter of War and Peace a day for the read along that I definitely want to do more daily reads going forward.

I think I might have used the wrong word with dissonance. I have no idea of musical terminology!

I was very engaged by today's piece, and I agree the story was hugely moving.

So far it's been the pieces with human voices that I've connected with, although I'd like to hear a cello piece.

I've always liked Verdi's Requiem, as I really enjoy the more operatic take on sacred music. However it moved me far more today after reading about the performances in Theresienstadt.

I found the story very moving and without this book I would never have known that. And I am glad I know that.

But I wasn’t very keen on the piece today.

I enjoyed today’s piece - I can imagine going back to it and having it as lovely background music whilst making dinner for example. I wasn’t profoundly moved by it or anything,
I don’t think it’s that kind of piece (but as we know I’m totally ignorant so may be wrong).

In a way the notes just highlight how totally unmusical and clueless I am. When she says about it being a nod down the centuries and how he’s using the same chords as the Beatles or Adele - I just don’t really get that.
It sounds nothing like the Beatles or Adele and I don’t know what I’m supposed to be hearing to make the comparison. A bit like the first piece where she said without Bach there would be no drum and bass or whatever it was - I’m totally willing to believe that’s true but I also don’t understand what that actually means.

It’s good that the notes are short and quite ‘light’ but I almost wish there was a bit more explanation of the nuts and bolts - I don’t really know what the difference between a concerto and whatever the other ones are, I’m not sure how different ‘movements’ of the same piece are meant to work together, I don’t know what the notations/ numbers mean in the titles of the various pieces. That’s before anything to do with the actual music! I’m sure I’ll pick a bit more up through the year and maybe by hanging around this thread

Kapsberger: Toccata arpeggiata. I can't tell a lute from a guitar when I listen to a piece like this, but I like it a lot. It is orderly, calm and soothing.

Good post, AliasGrape. I know what you mean.
For what it's worth, I don't hear The Beatles or Adele either when I listen to this. I hear echoes of Bach.

I think what she (Clemency?) means is that the chord progressions in this piece are ones that have become established over time. This piece is basically a bunch of chords where the notes are played separately rather than together. Apparently, you can recognize classical chord progressions in Beatles songs if you analyse them. (I'm not good at that).

I think it was Bach who established what a strong bass line should be, how one note moves to the next and how to arrange the accompanying notes over the bass line in chords. There is a very systematic way of writing harmony and counterpoint in classical music. It has a formula.

I studied music theory and history before, a long time ago now. I'll try and shed some light on things as we go along, if you like!

I thought the piece today was lovely. I don't know very much about classical music but I agree that it must be the chord progressions she means so although I can't pick them out in modern music they must be very similar and are therefore classic and established. I think I need to read a general introduction to classical music to be honest!

I was a bit at sea with the Verdi yesterday though and should probably listen to more of it to see how it all fits together.

It's a no from me for today's piece. Reminded me of the prelude to the first Bach Cello Suite, but not as good.

I have never heard any Kapsberger before but I really enjoyed listening to today's piece (I listened to two different versions, one played very straight and the other with much more tempo variation). I played the harp as a teenager and it reminded me of some of the pieces I used to play from Bach's Well Tempered Clavier. I feel noticeably more relaxed after listening!

I think the point CBH is making in today's note is that the building blocks of Kapsberger's piece are essentially the same as those in modern pop songs, just fiddled about with a bit. I have some music/music theory knowledge but I confess that I didn't really think about this until the first lockdown, when I was messing around on my piano for a "karaoke" channel we set up on our work Teams. I wanted to accompany myself on some of the things I was (very badly!) singing, but didn't have the music, so I worked out the chords myself. I've never been good at playing things by ear, but it was fun to do and it really makes you realise that most songs are built on a very small number of chords and chord progressions.

@IsFuzzyBeagMise

Kapsberger: Toccata arpeggiata. I can't tell a lute from a guitar when I listen to a piece like this, but I like it a lot. It is orderly, calm and soothing.

Good post, AliasGrape. I know what you mean.
For what it's worth, I don't hear The Beatles or Adele either when I listen to this. I hear echoes of Bach.

I think what she (Clemency?) means is that the chord progressions in this piece are ones that have become established over time. This piece is basically a bunch of chords where the notes are played separately rather than together. Apparently, you can recognize classical chord progressions in Beatles songs if you analyse them. (I'm not good at that).

I think it was Bach who established what a strong bass line should be, how one note moves to the next and how to arrange the accompanying notes over the bass line in chords. There is a very systematic way of writing harmony and counterpoint in classical music. It has a formula.

I studied music theory and history before, a long time ago now. I'll try and shed some light on things as we go along, if you like!

That’s really helpful thank you! I can’t quite hear what you mean yet but hoping the more I listen as we go through the year it might start to become a bit clearer. If not, at least I’m being exposed to lots of music I might not otherwise have encountered!

Nice enough as a piece of background music but I wouldn’t seek it out again.
I have no idea about chord progressions either so it is really helpful to have an explanation even if I don’t fully understand.

I've had the book for a while and have been meaning to read it more - a friend pointed me towards the Spotify playlist which she listens to daily and I am going to try and do the same as I want to expand my musical knowledge.

I thought today's was ok but definitely sounded more modern to me than it was. I also didn't pick up that this was a lute.

I really liked today's, I found it really soothing and relaxing, which is just what I needed. I hadn't picked up the link to the Gregorian chants but listening again I see / hear it.

Duruflé: Quatre Motets op 10. I also enjoyed this piece. It's very soothing. It is another piece that could grow on you if you listen to it more than once. I don't listen to a lot of choral music (I'm more into strings) and I'm enjoying these selections so far.

I did like todays but it seems to be instantly forgettable as I’ve now listened 3 times and each time forgotten to post. Or that could simply be my memory. Probability that.

I also enjoyed today’s and agree it’s very soothing. The notes talk about there being a real clarity to the music and I could see (hear?!) that. Felt quite peaceful afterwards.

Ooh! I was just wondering where to start on learning a bit about classical music. This sounds perfect (also placemarking )