Lovely post Molly 🌸 And I can relate to not really understanding today’s music 😂 How you feel about classical music is how I feel about music from the 1930’s, for example Ella Fitzgerald very early in her career. There is something about that music that makes it seem like it’s part of me, if that makes sense.
As a side note, I too watched Vampire Diaries back in the day 🙈
Thank you for your lovely writing on music. I always have music on and often enjoy the romance of Debussy sweeping over me. When I work, I like the late Beethoven string quartets (I love string quartets generally) or Bach.
Wonderfully written and it really seems like the older you get, the more you're going to appreciate classical music and it's diversity in emotions. From mild to wild, there is always a piece of classical music to suit your mood. Two of my favorite composers also happen to be opposites; Morton Feldman (started writing less and less notes and sends you in a Zen like meditation-state) to Iannis Xenakis (a unique voice in classical music, created his own musical world between beauty and raw emotions like anger and trauma). And there is so much more, like in ambient music, specifically Zoviet France, specialized in carrying you away to distant dream worlds sometimes mixed with exotic/ethnic atmospheres.
Music is like reading, both are able to transport you to new universes, except with music, you just have to listen :-)
A love for classical music will take you in all sorts of directions. In no time at all, you'll be making trips to small chamber concerts - or at least, that's what happened to me. When I moved to Warsaw in 2010, it was the Bi-centenary of Chopin's birth, so there were celebrations all year long. I went to the Philharmonic every week for a summer.
Lizzy mentioned Philip Glass, I second that, and I guess you'll get many, many recommendations but I have a few... Olafur Arnalds from Iceland has some beautiful music, as does Resina (Karolina Rec, a cellist from Warsaw). If you find yourself getting really carried away with the more modern stuff, Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead composes film music and it's stunning - often inspired by Polish composer, Penderecki. And Arvo Part's Spiegel im Spiegel may be the most beautiful piece of music in existance.
For the classics, you can't go wrong with the Deutsche Grammophon label and anything conducted by Karajan. Oh, there's a really great book by Stephen Fry that gives a bit of an (in)complete and utter history of classical music. :)
Ah! I've gone off on one. Sorry... I get excited! Enjoy.
Don't forget Für Alina by Pärt for organ, a piece he wrote for a friend who's daughter left home to live on her own. Pärt really made the void/space she left audible Especially the version of Luca Massaglia on YouTube is great. Pärt's work usually has a very emotional impact on me, especially when performed live. Tears usually fill my eyes.
Love this reflection and the importance of allowing ourselves to follow those little sparks of what feels familiar or what sparks joy for our inner child. I love music in all it’s forms but there’s something so beautifully calming about a good classical piece! Would love to know any favourites you’re enjoying at the moment! Highly recommend Phillip glass if you haven’t tried him yet - he’s more modern but still absolutely breathtaking.
I listen to classical music while Journaling early morning, or some ghibli while I crochet. I am not a great lover of music but do prefer instrumental. Thank you for sharing about The Dreamers, I have started playing them too now. ❤️
A lovely piece of writing, I love listening to soulful music, don’t get me wrong I love lots of different all kinds of music and seem to a genre for each mood 😊, but something about listening to beautiful voices over instruments just feels so calming.
Similar to you my appreciation of the classical guitar has been wakened the last couple of years. I’ve started to play it again after a few years of neglect. Check out 40 fingers who create amazing covers of all genres of music from Van Halen to Beethoven. I still like my heavier rock music, but sometimes you need something more chilled. A couple more pianist you may enjoy. Rick Wakeman, commonly known for his with Yes in the 70’s, but is a very talented piano player and the composer & pianist Ludovico Einaudi
I, too, can relate to your post. I listened to pop music in my teens (that would have been the Beatles in my era). I gradually moved away from that into Jazz, which I still like, but I also started listening to classical music. I listen to classical almost exclusively now. I was in my 50s when I took two semesters of music appreciation at our local college. I loved it and learned to appreciate all classical from early to modern. I'm retired now, but when I was working in my cubicle, I would stream BBC Radio 3 on my headphones. Now at home (I live in Northern California) I listen on the radio to the classical station from San Francisco. In fact, it's on as I'm typing this. I just can't connect with current pop music. It's played in the gym where I work out, and I find it annoying.
You have given me something new to explore on YouTube, Molly. I love absolutely all types of music, but don't choose to listen to classical music above other genres. I have listened now to a little of The Dreamers and find it very beautiful, so looking forward now to settling down to hear more.
Beautiful! Going back and playing the piano is something I long for but it’s not the season in my life yet to pursue it again. There is something about classical music that is inspiring and stirs us.
Beautifully written Molly. My father loved classical music which he tended to play very loud at the weekends. It was always stirring stuff. I went to a few concerts with my father which were interesting. However I never really appreciated classical music until later in life. Now I always listen to classic fm as it is so calming. I was especially delighted to hear them play one breezy afternoon Max Richter's 'On the nature of Daylight'. I was completely moved at how everything in my garden seemed to sway to the rhythm of his fine music. They do say if you want to focus on paperwork then play Mozart in the background as it really is of benefit to those little grey cells!
Lisa mentioned the electronic keyboard, my sister-in-law is a classically trained amateur pianist (as well as a mathematician and aerospace engineer!) and for decades she had her upright piano in every house they lived in, but quite recently gave it up for a portable keyboard, and is really pleased with it. As well as the sound being better than she ever imagined, and the convenience of lightness and taking up less space, she says it's a great relief to be free of the need to get the piano tuned regularly, which was getting more and more expensive and difficult.
I get newsletters from BIS records (Bis Boss Robert von Bahr's notes to new releases are often idiosyncratic and funny and charming, even when I'm not interested in the music!) and Hyperion. The latter do a free sampler every month, and are good on early music, which I particularly like, though of course Spotify and other streaming platforms have moved everything on from albums, downloads etc and made it all so much easier to discover wonderful new music.
Thank you for your recommendations! I have considered keyboards but was concerned that they wouldn't feel the same so really interesting to hear about your (very talented!) sister :)
This is so beautifully written, and the sensory delight of music lessons (and sometimes overwhelm) is one its most precious qualities. Selfishly you’ve also strengthened my resolve that I need to start writing more about music x x
have you considered playing a digital piano or electric keyboard until you can fit/buy a real piano? the key action and the sounds are extremely good on some models and you can play aloud or with a headphone so as not to disturb others. another idea is to learn classical guitar; very affordable and portable and learning/listening to music is calming.
Lovely post Molly 🌸 And I can relate to not really understanding today’s music 😂 How you feel about classical music is how I feel about music from the 1930’s, for example Ella Fitzgerald very early in her career. There is something about that music that makes it seem like it’s part of me, if that makes sense.
As a side note, I too watched Vampire Diaries back in the day 🙈
Its so wonderful to find music that feels just right :). And yes, I was rather obsessed with Vampire Diaries!
Thank you for your lovely writing on music. I always have music on and often enjoy the romance of Debussy sweeping over me. When I work, I like the late Beethoven string quartets (I love string quartets generally) or Bach.
Sounds wonderful :)
Wonderfully written and it really seems like the older you get, the more you're going to appreciate classical music and it's diversity in emotions. From mild to wild, there is always a piece of classical music to suit your mood. Two of my favorite composers also happen to be opposites; Morton Feldman (started writing less and less notes and sends you in a Zen like meditation-state) to Iannis Xenakis (a unique voice in classical music, created his own musical world between beauty and raw emotions like anger and trauma). And there is so much more, like in ambient music, specifically Zoviet France, specialized in carrying you away to distant dream worlds sometimes mixed with exotic/ethnic atmospheres.
Music is like reading, both are able to transport you to new universes, except with music, you just have to listen :-)
Thank you so much for these thoughtful recommendations! I look forward to listening to them :)
A love for classical music will take you in all sorts of directions. In no time at all, you'll be making trips to small chamber concerts - or at least, that's what happened to me. When I moved to Warsaw in 2010, it was the Bi-centenary of Chopin's birth, so there were celebrations all year long. I went to the Philharmonic every week for a summer.
Lizzy mentioned Philip Glass, I second that, and I guess you'll get many, many recommendations but I have a few... Olafur Arnalds from Iceland has some beautiful music, as does Resina (Karolina Rec, a cellist from Warsaw). If you find yourself getting really carried away with the more modern stuff, Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead composes film music and it's stunning - often inspired by Polish composer, Penderecki. And Arvo Part's Spiegel im Spiegel may be the most beautiful piece of music in existance.
For the classics, you can't go wrong with the Deutsche Grammophon label and anything conducted by Karajan. Oh, there's a really great book by Stephen Fry that gives a bit of an (in)complete and utter history of classical music. :)
Ah! I've gone off on one. Sorry... I get excited! Enjoy.
Yes, I'd love to start going to some concerts! Thank you your recommendations and that books sounds wonderful!
Don't forget Für Alina by Pärt for organ, a piece he wrote for a friend who's daughter left home to live on her own. Pärt really made the void/space she left audible Especially the version of Luca Massaglia on YouTube is great. Pärt's work usually has a very emotional impact on me, especially when performed live. Tears usually fill my eyes.
Love this reflection and the importance of allowing ourselves to follow those little sparks of what feels familiar or what sparks joy for our inner child. I love music in all it’s forms but there’s something so beautifully calming about a good classical piece! Would love to know any favourites you’re enjoying at the moment! Highly recommend Phillip glass if you haven’t tried him yet - he’s more modern but still absolutely breathtaking.
Thank you for the recommendation! I've really been enjoying Johanas Bornlof lately :)
Hello Molly,
I listen to classical music while Journaling early morning, or some ghibli while I crochet. I am not a great lover of music but do prefer instrumental. Thank you for sharing about The Dreamers, I have started playing them too now. ❤️
That sounds like a lovely way to start the day :)
A lovely piece of writing, I love listening to soulful music, don’t get me wrong I love lots of different all kinds of music and seem to a genre for each mood 😊, but something about listening to beautiful voices over instruments just feels so calming.
Thank you, it really does :)
Similar to you my appreciation of the classical guitar has been wakened the last couple of years. I’ve started to play it again after a few years of neglect. Check out 40 fingers who create amazing covers of all genres of music from Van Halen to Beethoven. I still like my heavier rock music, but sometimes you need something more chilled. A couple more pianist you may enjoy. Rick Wakeman, commonly known for his with Yes in the 70’s, but is a very talented piano player and the composer & pianist Ludovico Einaudi
Thank you for the recommendations! I also love Ludovico :)
thank you for "the dreamers", molly. i'm loving the channel already.
Its beautiful isn't it?! :)
I, too, can relate to your post. I listened to pop music in my teens (that would have been the Beatles in my era). I gradually moved away from that into Jazz, which I still like, but I also started listening to classical music. I listen to classical almost exclusively now. I was in my 50s when I took two semesters of music appreciation at our local college. I loved it and learned to appreciate all classical from early to modern. I'm retired now, but when I was working in my cubicle, I would stream BBC Radio 3 on my headphones. Now at home (I live in Northern California) I listen on the radio to the classical station from San Francisco. In fact, it's on as I'm typing this. I just can't connect with current pop music. It's played in the gym where I work out, and I find it annoying.
Thank you for sharing Terry. That music course sounds wonderful!
You have given me something new to explore on YouTube, Molly. I love absolutely all types of music, but don't choose to listen to classical music above other genres. I have listened now to a little of The Dreamers and find it very beautiful, so looking forward now to settling down to hear more.
I'm so glad you enjoyed Sue :)
Beautiful! Going back and playing the piano is something I long for but it’s not the season in my life yet to pursue it again. There is something about classical music that is inspiring and stirs us.
Hopefully you get back to it one day :)
Beautifully written Molly. My father loved classical music which he tended to play very loud at the weekends. It was always stirring stuff. I went to a few concerts with my father which were interesting. However I never really appreciated classical music until later in life. Now I always listen to classic fm as it is so calming. I was especially delighted to hear them play one breezy afternoon Max Richter's 'On the nature of Daylight'. I was completely moved at how everything in my garden seemed to sway to the rhythm of his fine music. They do say if you want to focus on paperwork then play Mozart in the background as it really is of benefit to those little grey cells!
It sounds like you had a wonderful shared connection with your father :). And I can relate to that Mozart tip!
Thank you Molly.
Lisa mentioned the electronic keyboard, my sister-in-law is a classically trained amateur pianist (as well as a mathematician and aerospace engineer!) and for decades she had her upright piano in every house they lived in, but quite recently gave it up for a portable keyboard, and is really pleased with it. As well as the sound being better than she ever imagined, and the convenience of lightness and taking up less space, she says it's a great relief to be free of the need to get the piano tuned regularly, which was getting more and more expensive and difficult.
I get newsletters from BIS records (Bis Boss Robert von Bahr's notes to new releases are often idiosyncratic and funny and charming, even when I'm not interested in the music!) and Hyperion. The latter do a free sampler every month, and are good on early music, which I particularly like, though of course Spotify and other streaming platforms have moved everything on from albums, downloads etc and made it all so much easier to discover wonderful new music.
Thank you for your recommendations! I have considered keyboards but was concerned that they wouldn't feel the same so really interesting to hear about your (very talented!) sister :)
This is so beautifully written, and the sensory delight of music lessons (and sometimes overwhelm) is one its most precious qualities. Selfishly you’ve also strengthened my resolve that I need to start writing more about music x x
Thank you lovely! I'd love to read that :)
have you considered playing a digital piano or electric keyboard until you can fit/buy a real piano? the key action and the sounds are extremely good on some models and you can play aloud or with a headphone so as not to disturb others. another idea is to learn classical guitar; very affordable and portable and learning/listening to music is calming.
Yes, I think this is something I do need to look into :)