classical music is the bomb
so... celine has decided to do another unofficial music review. this time, it is on the musical classics! it has been a while since i've been immersed in the musical world (i haven't touched the piano in a while; i haven't read piano theory in a while >: >:), so my vocabulary will likely be very off/inaccurate. but i still maintain my love for music, so i will try my best to describe how i feel!
|| frederic chopin
(sorry i can't get all of those fancy accents in)
when people ask me for my favorite composer, chopin is one of my top choices. i am cliche, and i follow the crowd, yes yes, blah blah. but you have to admit his works are absolutely amazing...! my favorites are his nocturnes *___*. he always creates such a beautiful aura that i just... i can't find in many other composers. gosh, if i just remembered all of the vocabulary i could rant on and on about the way he creates such amazing melodies...
anyways. here are my favorites.
> nocturne op 55 no 1.
i included my favorite version (that is available on youtube). i played this piece a year or so ago, and it was both challenging and pleasant to play.
while many people may shrug at the simple notes and rhythms of this piece, i would beg to differ that this, among most of his other pieces, is one of the more difficult pieces to play as a pianist. it is easy to get the techniques down (with a few run-downs of major/minor scales, arpeggios, and chromatic scales + lots of rigorous practicing, it wouldn't be too hard to be able to play the notes of any piece, really), but the feeling. the feeling!! the emotions and the way you play the piece is something that requires expertise, wisdom, and lots and lots of time/experience. i can't say that my version of this nocturne was very good, but i must say that the end of the piece (the arpeggios at the high notes near the end !!!!) had me so happy. every time i hear the ending i get these chills because oh my god chOPIN IS A MASTER. UGH.
man,,, i can never get sick of this song.
> fantasie impromptu, op. 66
again, this is my favorite version of the piece, by the well-known yundi li.
i'm sure most of you, even passerbys who do not frequent the classical music corner of the world, have heard this piece. it is quite famous, and justifably so. this isn't one of my FAVORITE favorites, but it is a beautiful piece that i would like to include here.
(kudos to li for his dramatic playing)
> grande valse brilliante op. 18
!!!! HOW CAN I NOT INCLUDE THIS ONE. this piece makes me so happy when i listen to it. it's also very well known (a lot of his pieces are well known, and logically, his "better" ones are more well known...........so naturally i guess most of what is here will be well known LOL). i love the beginning section of this piece. (i don't know quite the order of the piece--is it ABCBA???? or ..... i need to look at the music to figure it out...haha--but what i mean is that i like the A part. : )
|| ludwig van beethoven
!!! how could! i not! include this! wonderfully tragic man!!
beethoven's life story is compelling, dark, and awful... but his works are works of art/beauty/magnificence. nothing can evoke such power, anger, and emotion as beethoven... he is the true senpai (lmao). jk i can't even call him senpai. he's too good. T___T beethoven is THE man.
> pathetique sonata mvmt 2
OH MY GOSH. I LISTENED TO THIS AGAIN AND I'M OVERWHELMED WITH EMOTION. ;____;
The way he makes melodies... it is so amazing. I am... I have no words.
(If it's the first time seeing someone fangirl over dead people so be it. They're too good. T__T)
It's... it's just so sublime.... I really don't know what to say...lmao... This one is drenched with sad, soft emotions. I love it so much. Whenever I play Beethoven's pieces, I feel angry with myself because I'm not playing it right. It takes an immense amount of skill and experience and talent to be able to play Beethoven while doing it justice. Even if I've played for upwards of 10 years, I can't dare say that I've ever played Beethoven the right way. >: >:
> tempest sonata mvmt 3
can you hear me screeching. this is my favorite interpretation of his piece (by none other than mr. wilhelm kempff). (btw i love his facial expressions when he's playing LMAO it's like he's trying not to let on that he's playing the piano. omg.)
All movements of beethoven's tempest sonata are worthy of listening and relistening and relistening and relistening and relistening and relistening until you die. I mean, these melodies. The music. The... GAHHH. It's like... life. It's too beautiful. I...
Anyways. I played this one myself (last year?), and it was amazing because I couldn't believe I was playing the piece that I had looked up to for so long(??). I just... I love every corner and crevice of this piece. It's amazing. Okay. Yeah.
> moonlight sonata mvmt 3
this old man is so strong, man. :'| call him old and weak but his fingers ain't done with life. lol.
I love the power in this piece. My brother plays it sometimes--just as a passing thing you know, not seriously... and even just listening to someone playing it crudely makes me all "!!!" because the beginning! It's so powerful! In a piece of writing that would be one helluva impactful intro.
I would add more but I'm getting a little tired (haha). But I want to say this--I love Beethoven's pieces for their amazing way of portraying the twisted human emotions within us all. I don't know, sometimes, when I listen to his music, I feel like I'm getting a slice of life, you know? Like this is all supposed to be a metaphor. He is speaking his own language, creating images and metaphors to describe the dark paths of life. And I admire that... a lot. haha.
|| claude debussy
if i had to draw a metaphor and relate composing styles to writing styles, i'd say that debussy is definitely the flowery, beautiful-imagery writer. you know, the kind of writer who uses the right words in the right situations in such a beautiful way. the writer who creates shimmering, pretty images through their writing. and when i listen to debussy's music, i just... i feel like there is a trickling stream of sparkles washing over me. and at the same time it's v thick with emotion, you know?
> clair de lune (how could i not include this one)
this one is a classic. everyone knows this one. even newborn babies know this one. (okay, maybe not.)
it's pretty... and yeah. i'm getting tired of writing a lot. i thought it'd be easier than it actually is....lmao. ANYWAYS. a pretty piece. calming, soothing, like the ocean at night, like watching the moon (clair de lune...go figure). his imagery is impeccable!!! how do you create an image through music so well?!?!???
it's hard to find good versions of this piece, though. i have to look through youtube for a while until i find an interpretation that i myself like. i just slapped this one onto the post (above) because i'm getting lazy, lmao.
> arabesque i
it's a little jaded for me... becuase i played this like 29384729485729387498210985083257 times lmao. but i still love the tune (BUT DON'T MAKE ME PLAY IT ;___;).
it's very pretty. one of my favorites! and very easy to play, so if you're looking for a pretty-sounding piece that doesn't require too much effort to play to okay-satisfaction, then this is the one for you. could spend more time looking up more pieces, but this is taking too long and i'm ready to click the "post" button, haha. these are just a few of my favorites. and listening to classical music (in the car, while you're studying, etc.) is a great choice. 10/10 recommend. (unless you're sleepy. gosh, classical music is terrible when i'm trying to stay awake)
when i listen to classical music, sometimes people around me give me this look like "why is this potato listening to this kind of music, like she's some sophisticated french fry or something?" and that's alright. i guess some people think that listening to pop music is "cool" and classical is like....... wine and cheese at a fancy restaurant. but seriously!! classical music is amazing. it's timeless... it's cool no matter what year it is. (winces.)
anyways, i'm sorry i didn't include any ensemble/orchestra/concerto music. i'm a pianist, so i have more listening-experience in that field, rather than any other.
there is one thing i must say about classical music. art, really. when you are talking about taking an age-old piece, listening to it, interpreting it, and then playing it, it is not a simple, one-way process in which you read the music off the sheet of paper. it is a multi-step process that takes practice and skill to master.
let me say this. in writing, it is a two step process. the author writes their thoughts down. it becomes frozen in time, as an expression of emotions on paper/screen/some-form-of-writing. the second step is when the reader picks up where the writer left off. they open the book, the webpage, the whatever it is. and they read it. it is in the second part that the intent of the author comes true and all of the "magic" happens. we carefully consume, piece by piece, the thoughts and images that the author put forth. we learn. we grow. we mature. it all happens in those two steps.
in music, however, it is much more difficult. it is a three step process. in essence, it is like translation. when a composer creates a piece of music and plays it for their audience, it is a two step process. however, with classical pieces, this is virtually impossible at this point in time. thus, playing classical pieces becomes a three part process, which makes this very difficult. the composer creates an image and conveys it through their music, which is transcribed onto paper. the second part is when the performer, centuries later, looks at the piece, reads the notes, understands the rhythms and the intent of the composer, and then conveys it to a listening audience. the third step is the audience and their ears. they drink in the notes that the performer, or the translator, is putting into the public air.
like in translation, things can go very wrong if the translator, or the performer, misunderstands the intent or meaning of a piece. he/she may convey it in the wrong mood, create the wrong atmosphere, or evoke the wrong emotion. of course, you can say the interpretation is part of the art itself, and that is very true. but could you say that to a translator who has misinterpreted the korean sentence "그렇게 하는게 나쁘지 않을것 같아요" (which simply means "i don't think it would be bad to do it that way") to "it's bad to do it that way" or "i totally agree with you" or "i'll do whatever you say"? when looking at the bigger picture of a translated piece, perhaps little things like that do not mean much. but when we are talking about conveying overall emotions and intent of a piece, whether it is real translation or musical performance that is happening, it is important to try to understand and exhibit the intent of the original creator. the author. the composer.
in that way, music is a beautiful process. it is a process in which the performer must immerse themself entirely into the world of the composer. they must understand the root of the equation--what made the composer create this piece? what do they want from their audiences? what can i do to get the audiences to feel the emotions that the composer was feeling while they were creating this piece?
i have translated before. i have attended translating competitions and won awards. although i am not professional, i understand the difficulties and the philosophies of a translator. in a similar way, as an amateur pianist, i understand the thought processes of a pianist. a classical performer. i admire each and every professional performer because they are not simply "playing pieces with talent." they are immersing themselves into a new world with each note they play, each piece they put forth.
this has become a very lengthy rant sort of thing. well. thanks for reading all of this (if you have). o___o
|| frederic chopin
(sorry i can't get all of those fancy accents in)
when people ask me for my favorite composer, chopin is one of my top choices. i am cliche, and i follow the crowd, yes yes, blah blah. but you have to admit his works are absolutely amazing...! my favorites are his nocturnes *___*. he always creates such a beautiful aura that i just... i can't find in many other composers. gosh, if i just remembered all of the vocabulary i could rant on and on about the way he creates such amazing melodies...
anyways. here are my favorites.
> nocturne op 55 no 1.
Click to viewi included my favorite version (that is available on youtube). i played this piece a year or so ago, and it was both challenging and pleasant to play.
while many people may shrug at the simple notes and rhythms of this piece, i would beg to differ that this, among most of his other pieces, is one of the more difficult pieces to play as a pianist. it is easy to get the techniques down (with a few run-downs of major/minor scales, arpeggios, and chromatic scales + lots of rigorous practicing, it wouldn't be too hard to be able to play the notes of any piece, really), but the feeling. the feeling!! the emotions and the way you play the piece is something that requires expertise, wisdom, and lots and lots of time/experience. i can't say that my version of this nocturne was very good, but i must say that the end of the piece (the arpeggios at the high notes near the end !!!!) had me so happy. every time i hear the ending i get these chills because oh my god chOPIN IS A MASTER. UGH.
man,,, i can never get sick of this song.
> fantasie impromptu, op. 66
again, this is my favorite version of the piece, by the well-known yundi li.
i'm sure most of you, even passerbys who do not frequent the classical music corner of the world, have heard this piece. it is quite famous, and justifably so. this isn't one of my FAVORITE favorites, but it is a beautiful piece that i would like to include here.
(kudos to li for his dramatic playing)
> grande valse brilliante op. 18
!!!! HOW CAN I NOT INCLUDE THIS ONE. this piece makes me so happy when i listen to it. it's also very well known (a lot of his pieces are well known, and logically, his "better" ones are more well known...........so naturally i guess most of what is here will be well known LOL). i love the beginning section of this piece. (i don't know quite the order of the piece--is it ABCBA???? or ..... i need to look at the music to figure it out...haha--but what i mean is that i like the A part. : )
|| ludwig van beethoven
!!! how could! i not! include this! wonderfully tragic man!!
beethoven's life story is compelling, dark, and awful... but his works are works of art/beauty/magnificence. nothing can evoke such power, anger, and emotion as beethoven... he is the true senpai (lmao). jk i can't even call him senpai. he's too good. T___T beethoven is THE man.
> pathetique sonata mvmt 2
OH MY GOSH. I LISTENED TO THIS AGAIN AND I'M OVERWHELMED WITH EMOTION. ;____;
The way he makes melodies... it is so amazing. I am... I have no words.
(If it's the first time seeing someone fangirl over dead people so be it. They're too good. T__T)
It's... it's just so sublime.... I really don't know what to say...lmao... This one is drenched with sad, soft emotions. I love it so much. Whenever I play Beethoven's pieces, I feel angry with myself because I'm not playing it right. It takes an immense amount of skill and experience and talent to be able to play Beethoven while doing it justice. Even if I've played for upwards of 10 years, I can't dare say that I've ever played Beethoven the right way. >: >:
> tempest sonata mvmt 3
can you hear me screeching. this is my favorite interpretation of his piece (by none other than mr. wilhelm kempff). (btw i love his facial expressions when he's playing LMAO it's like he's trying not to let on that he's playing the piano. omg.)
All movements of beethoven's tempest sonata are worthy of listening and relistening and relistening and relistening and relistening and relistening until you die. I mean, these melodies. The music. The... GAHHH. It's like... life. It's too beautiful. I...
Anyways. I played this one myself (last year?), and it was amazing because I couldn't believe I was playing the piece that I had looked up to for so long(??). I just... I love every corner and crevice of this piece. It's amazing. Okay. Yeah.
> moonlight sonata mvmt 3
this old man is so strong, man. :'| call him old and weak but his fingers ain't done with life. lol.
I love the power in this piece. My brother plays it sometimes--just as a passing thing you know, not seriously... and even just listening to someone playing it crudely makes me all "!!!" because the beginning! It's so powerful! In a piece of writing that would be one helluva impactful intro.
I would add more but I'm getting a little tired (haha). But I want to say this--I love Beethoven's pieces for their amazing way of portraying the twisted human emotions within us all. I don't know, sometimes, when I listen to his music, I feel like I'm getting a slice of life, you know? Like this is all supposed to be a metaphor. He is speaking his own language, creating images and metaphors to describe the dark paths of life. And I admire that... a lot. haha.
|| claude debussy
if i had to draw a metaphor and relate composing styles to writing styles, i'd say that debussy is definitely the flowery, beautiful-imagery writer. you know, the kind of writer who uses the right words in the right situations in such a beautiful way. the writer who creates shimmering, pretty images through their writing. and when i listen to debussy's music, i just... i feel like there is a trickling stream of sparkles washing over me. and at the same time it's v thick with emotion, you know?
> clair de lune (how could i not include this one)
this one is a classic. everyone knows this one. even newborn babies know this one. (okay, maybe not.)
it's pretty... and yeah. i'm getting tired of writing a lot. i thought it'd be easier than it actually is....lmao. ANYWAYS. a pretty piece. calming, soothing, like the ocean at night, like watching the moon (clair de lune...go figure). his imagery is impeccable!!! how do you create an image through music so well?!?!???
it's hard to find good versions of this piece, though. i have to look through youtube for a while until i find an interpretation that i myself like. i just slapped this one onto the post (above) because i'm getting lazy, lmao.
> arabesque i
it's a little jaded for me... becuase i played this like 29384729485729387498210985083257 times lmao. but i still love the tune (BUT DON'T MAKE ME PLAY IT ;___;).
it's very pretty. one of my favorites! and very easy to play, so if you're looking for a pretty-sounding piece that doesn't require too much effort to play to okay-satisfaction, then this is the one for you. could spend more time looking up more pieces, but this is taking too long and i'm ready to click the "post" button, haha. these are just a few of my favorites. and listening to classical music (in the car, while you're studying, etc.) is a great choice. 10/10 recommend. (unless you're sleepy. gosh, classical music is terrible when i'm trying to stay awake)
when i listen to classical music, sometimes people around me give me this look like "why is this potato listening to this kind of music, like she's some sophisticated french fry or something?" and that's alright. i guess some people think that listening to pop music is "cool" and classical is like....... wine and cheese at a fancy restaurant. but seriously!! classical music is amazing. it's timeless... it's cool no matter what year it is. (winces.)
anyways, i'm sorry i didn't include any ensemble/orchestra/concerto music. i'm a pianist, so i have more listening-experience in that field, rather than any other.
there is one thing i must say about classical music. art, really. when you are talking about taking an age-old piece, listening to it, interpreting it, and then playing it, it is not a simple, one-way process in which you read the music off the sheet of paper. it is a multi-step process that takes practice and skill to master.
let me say this. in writing, it is a two step process. the author writes their thoughts down. it becomes frozen in time, as an expression of emotions on paper/screen/some-form-of-writing. the second step is when the reader picks up where the writer left off. they open the book, the webpage, the whatever it is. and they read it. it is in the second part that the intent of the author comes true and all of the "magic" happens. we carefully consume, piece by piece, the thoughts and images that the author put forth. we learn. we grow. we mature. it all happens in those two steps.
in music, however, it is much more difficult. it is a three step process. in essence, it is like translation. when a composer creates a piece of music and plays it for their audience, it is a two step process. however, with classical pieces, this is virtually impossible at this point in time. thus, playing classical pieces becomes a three part process, which makes this very difficult. the composer creates an image and conveys it through their music, which is transcribed onto paper. the second part is when the performer, centuries later, looks at the piece, reads the notes, understands the rhythms and the intent of the composer, and then conveys it to a listening audience. the third step is the audience and their ears. they drink in the notes that the performer, or the translator, is putting into the public air.
like in translation, things can go very wrong if the translator, or the performer, misunderstands the intent or meaning of a piece. he/she may convey it in the wrong mood, create the wrong atmosphere, or evoke the wrong emotion. of course, you can say the interpretation is part of the art itself, and that is very true. but could you say that to a translator who has misinterpreted the korean sentence "그렇게 하는게 나쁘지 않을것 같아요" (which simply means "i don't think it would be bad to do it that way") to "it's bad to do it that way" or "i totally agree with you" or "i'll do whatever you say"? when looking at the bigger picture of a translated piece, perhaps little things like that do not mean much. but when we are talking about conveying overall emotions and intent of a piece, whether it is real translation or musical performance that is happening, it is important to try to understand and exhibit the intent of the original creator. the author. the composer.
in that way, music is a beautiful process. it is a process in which the performer must immerse themself entirely into the world of the composer. they must understand the root of the equation--what made the composer create this piece? what do they want from their audiences? what can i do to get the audiences to feel the emotions that the composer was feeling while they were creating this piece?
i have translated before. i have attended translating competitions and won awards. although i am not professional, i understand the difficulties and the philosophies of a translator. in a similar way, as an amateur pianist, i understand the thought processes of a pianist. a classical performer. i admire each and every professional performer because they are not simply "playing pieces with talent." they are immersing themselves into a new world with each note they play, each piece they put forth.
this has become a very lengthy rant sort of thing. well. thanks for reading all of this (if you have). o___o