A holiday surprise
No, not new fic yet, though we're hard at work at that. In the last few weeks sache8 and I have been working on a little project for the series - a soundtrack, if you will, for the first season, and we've gotten it done just in time for the last holiday of the season. ;)
I've rarely had so much fun or gotten so much satisfaction from a fandom project. I know that sounds odd, perhaps, but those of you who have followed the amazing Stargate Renaissance AU will probably understand that it tends to inspire above and beyond typical fan fiction. One day I was listening to a track on the Last of the Mohicans soundtrack and I longed so terribly to make a Renaissance John/Elizabeth vid to it.
Unfortunately, as much as we would love there to be, there is just no footage for the AU. I think, ultimately, the idea of doing this soundtrack was indirectly born of that lack. It was the closest I could come.
Ironically, the track I'm speaking of was one of the first of many suggestions that Mel shot down as being included on the mix. The experience has proven to be, at times, a comically painstaking test of our patience with each other. But looking back I have to say that it was worth it. For one thing I can honestly say that the myriad of vetoed tracks were just as enjoyable as the ones that made the cut, because we shared a whole lot of music, each of us making exciting new discoveries into one another's collections and having some really memorable discussions about music in general.
And in a world where conversation and culture seem to be slowly fading away, that's worth quite a lot, wouldn't you say? I know the end result is something we're both going to treasure forever, and I sincerely hope that all the rest of you are equally as inspired.
~ Saché
I'm Type A. I mean, classically, perfectly, case-study Type A. I have to admit that this is probably why I more or less invited myself into this project. I also have one of the strangest music collections you're likely ever to encounter, and the presence of pre-Baroque music among my stacks of CDs was another reason.
As Saché mentioned, the experience of putting this collection together has been remarkable for several reasons. As the internet goes we're old friends, but even now we still can't entirely guess each other's taste in music, something Saché has found monumentally frustrating over the years, I think. When she sent me the Fauré "Pavane" that appears in this, she had no intention of it being in this collection and wasn't even sure I'd like it, but it got under my skin like nothing else she'd sent me before. There was also the classic divide between author and reader - what did I as one of the authors intend, and what did she as one of the readers take away?
There were more late nights than I'd like to admit, several moments where I happened upon CDs I hadn't listened to in years, and many a case of "I like it but it's just not quite right" - from both of us, I'd like to point out. We cut things we liked and a lot of things were shelved till next time. Here's hoping we remember what they were when next time rolls around.
Despite my overwhelming Type A-ness, the following is not a collection entirely of period music. Instead, we have blended music from a variety of sources, including movie soundtracks, nineteenth- and twentieth-century compositions, and Renaissance music. Our goal here is to provide a collection that complements the stories told in the series, as well as something enjoyable to those who weren't in a madrigal troupe (her) and those who were (me). ;)
Thank you to all those reading the series - you've been more than we ever hoped for. Happy holidays, and enjoy the music.
~Mel
Liner notes
The Soundtrack (Season 1)
I've rarely had so much fun or gotten so much satisfaction from a fandom project. I know that sounds odd, perhaps, but those of you who have followed the amazing Stargate Renaissance AU will probably understand that it tends to inspire above and beyond typical fan fiction. One day I was listening to a track on the Last of the Mohicans soundtrack and I longed so terribly to make a Renaissance John/Elizabeth vid to it.
Unfortunately, as much as we would love there to be, there is just no footage for the AU. I think, ultimately, the idea of doing this soundtrack was indirectly born of that lack. It was the closest I could come.
Ironically, the track I'm speaking of was one of the first of many suggestions that Mel shot down as being included on the mix. The experience has proven to be, at times, a comically painstaking test of our patience with each other. But looking back I have to say that it was worth it. For one thing I can honestly say that the myriad of vetoed tracks were just as enjoyable as the ones that made the cut, because we shared a whole lot of music, each of us making exciting new discoveries into one another's collections and having some really memorable discussions about music in general.
And in a world where conversation and culture seem to be slowly fading away, that's worth quite a lot, wouldn't you say? I know the end result is something we're both going to treasure forever, and I sincerely hope that all the rest of you are equally as inspired.
~ Saché
I'm Type A. I mean, classically, perfectly, case-study Type A. I have to admit that this is probably why I more or less invited myself into this project. I also have one of the strangest music collections you're likely ever to encounter, and the presence of pre-Baroque music among my stacks of CDs was another reason.
As Saché mentioned, the experience of putting this collection together has been remarkable for several reasons. As the internet goes we're old friends, but even now we still can't entirely guess each other's taste in music, something Saché has found monumentally frustrating over the years, I think. When she sent me the Fauré "Pavane" that appears in this, she had no intention of it being in this collection and wasn't even sure I'd like it, but it got under my skin like nothing else she'd sent me before. There was also the classic divide between author and reader - what did I as one of the authors intend, and what did she as one of the readers take away?
There were more late nights than I'd like to admit, several moments where I happened upon CDs I hadn't listened to in years, and many a case of "I like it but it's just not quite right" - from both of us, I'd like to point out. We cut things we liked and a lot of things were shelved till next time. Here's hoping we remember what they were when next time rolls around.
Despite my overwhelming Type A-ness, the following is not a collection entirely of period music. Instead, we have blended music from a variety of sources, including movie soundtracks, nineteenth- and twentieth-century compositions, and Renaissance music. Our goal here is to provide a collection that complements the stories told in the series, as well as something enjoyable to those who weren't in a madrigal troupe (her) and those who were (me). ;)
Thank you to all those reading the series - you've been more than we ever hoped for. Happy holidays, and enjoy the music.
~Mel
Liner notes
The Soundtrack (Season 1)