Classical Music

You know how when people want to be really dumb or want to ask a very thought provoking question are want to spark an interesting conversation or want to fill the empty silence they’ll ask odd questions? Well, that happened to me one time. I was faced with this question:

“Would you rather be blind or deaf?”

to me, the answer is clear. Blind. why you may ask? Well, again, it’s rather clear. Music. Honestly, think about a shopoholic(yeah, I just watched that deucedly annoying, yet fabulously cute movie). They walk down the street and in the window of a shop they see the most beautiful prada boots EVER! and of course, it’s love at first sight.

I don’t believe in love at first sight, I believe in love at first hear… or even better, love at first play. if I were blind, I could still hear music.

As of right now, I’m in love with a few different songs. “Marcel” Benjamin Godard. “Fruhling” Franz Liszt. “The Entertainer”(I know) Scott Joplin. “Claire De Lune” Claude Debussey. “Moonlight” Ludwig Van Beethoven. “Leibestraum” Franz Liszt. “Three Intermezzi” Johannes Brahms… and a ton more that I can’t mention now because I can’t pull them all off the top of my head.

Right. Well, first. Marcel is a beautiful song. It’s very dark and brooding throughout most of the song, but it has lots of different patterns, and throughout the song there are traces of calm with the underlying theme from “A mighty fortress is our God” by Martin Luther. I think this is a really awesome way to use music theory and technique to show how God really is our fortress…. because frankly, it’s easier to play the parts where “A mighty fortress” Is playing beneath it. Just an odd realization that I made while playing this amazing piece. this was one of the “love at first play” songs. My sissy, Anna, played this song when she was my age, so i couldn’t exactly fall in love with it when I was 5! I had absolutely NO musical taste back then… honestly, I LIKED BARNEY! talk about bad taste.

Second song “Fruhling”. I fell in love with this song in the dead of winter. Mainly because this song is named after the spring season. I feel like this song is very aptly named. The essence and feel of spring is captured in fruhling. And yes, “Spring” from Vivaldi’s the four seasons is another of my faves(Although autumn is better). Fruhling has that slightly icy feeling at the beginning and then you feel like the music itself is blooming and growing in your very ears, and before you know it there’s this complex theme winding it’s way around you… into you. It’s very beautiful!

Third, the entertainer. it’s a classic! How can you not fall in love with the entertainer?!? It makes you want to hop out of your chair and dance a jig! This one was a love at first play. When I heard it, I wasn’t that impressed, but when I started playing it I realized just how… well written and well played it has to be to be… loved.  It’s a truly magnificent piece and it’s a great challenge to learn… which always makes things sound all the sweeter.

Claire de Lune…. Before I start I’m going to tell you that I loved this song BEFORE twilight made it famous among teenaged girls. This song is soothing! there’s a reason as to why it’s named after the moon. It sets the mood for a night star-gazing. It’s beautiful! The most amazing thing about it though(In my opinion) is that it’s a very intricate sight-read, but it sounds so simple. Part of that is the skill of the pianist, but most of it is really good writing. BRAVO Monsieur Debussey! and yes, he is french. another good thing from France!!!!

The Moonlight Sonata. Despite my hatred of Beethoven as a man, there is absolutely no way my heart can resist his music. He may be a cocky bastard, but his music is strong enough to move souls. I love the moonlight because it breaks every single steriotype I had about Sonatas/Sonatinas. I used to think that the first movement was all for springy jokey fun-ness… the second movement was merely a transition movement where there is very little melody and very little dynamic variation, and then the third movement is a giant BANG!!! The first movement of the moonlight is not light and springy and jokey. The first movement is intense. The first movement grabs your soul and tantalizes your senses just enough to hook you in. It mesmerizes you and almost puts you to sleep(In a good way). Then the second movement comes along and you feel like you’re being led down a path covered in brightly covered flowers. the brightness of the flowers represents a very distinct melody that sucks you in and ties you down. And then the third movement. oh, Gosh, the third movement. Fire, explosion, action! It’s where everything bursts into flame and it’s all fiery. It’s passion, it’s anger, it’s! it’s! all those ‘unpleasant’ feelings that crochety old ministers warn you about. This is how I know that God loves me. He gives me these amazing songs that I can freely listen to without hearing about sex and drugs and alcohol and true love, and yet still get the feeling of absolute bliss. The moonlight sonata grabs you, sucks you in, mesmerizes you, removes all the stress and pain, and then spits you out with the feeling that you’ve just been emotionally taken apart and put back together again. It’s like going to a shrink without having to pay through the teeth.

Ah, Leibestraum. Love. sighs. Leibestraum is the Romeo and Juliet of Liszt. Except without the melodrama. Do I really need to say why I love it?

“Three Intermezzi” is my favorite Brahms piece. (that’s opus 117 no. 1, if anyone wants to check it out). This song has a little lulaby in the caption right under the title. It’s like “Sleep tight my little child blah blah blah blah yada yada” the point is that it’s meant to be a lullaby. it’s so soft and cuddly… if It were an animal, it would have fluffy fur and a cute button nose, I can sense it! love at first hear. Brahms is amazing! All of his pieces are wonderful. He has a gorgeous Violin sonata… and a long line of hungarian rhapsodies(ever heard of hungarian rhapsody #5? Brahms!). His piano concertos are outstanding. I love Brahms.

I’m running out of steam, so I’m going to close with this.

When faced with the question of “deaf or blind” You should probably choose blind. Classical music will fill the eternal darkness.