Tag: Books

Music

Stock Characters You Can Hear in Classical Music

Aubrey Leaman

butler stock character

“In the old times, when it was still of some use to wish for the thing one wanted, there lived a king whose daughters were all handsome, but the youngest was so beautiful that the sun himself, who has seen so much, wondered at her beauty each time he shone over her.”

-The Frog Prince

In many stories, there are stock characters: the evil stepmother, the beautiful queen, the creepy vampire, the clever detective (and of course, the butler did it!) … There may always be variations, and characters may not always be explicitly transparent as stock characters, but they’re Continue reading “Stock Characters You Can Hear in Classical Music” →

Classical Music Stories

A Choose Your Own Adventure Story with Classical Music

Aubrey Leaman

Jane Eyre book music

A large part of this blog is imagining books and characters in different pieces of classical music. But for any one Classical Music Story there are so many others that could be imagined within the music, even using the same book or characters!

And so Classical Music Stories: Choose Your Own Adventure Remix was born.

How it works: each segment of this approximately 4-minute piece of music is imagined to relate to a different part of the story (in this case, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre). Start reading at the very beginning (0:00) and on until the first juncture where you can choose what Rochester does next. Then it’s as simple as continuing to make choices and following the story and music until the end! You can either listen to the music while reading, pause the music in between sections when you have to make a decision, or listen to the music first all the way through and follow the story in a second listen-through. The choice (once again) is yours!

Enjoy! Continue reading “A Choose Your Own Adventure Story with Classical Music” →

Classical Music Stories

Classical Music Stories: The Twelve Dancing Princesses and Debussy

Aubrey Leaman

Castle 1.jpg

Classical Music Stories is a series that connects music to your favorite books and characters. Since listening to classical music can be like hearing a story (albeit an abstract one), imagining specific stories that match the music can make it that much more fun and accessible!

As Halloween approaches it’s only appropriate that we look at some music and stories with otherworldly intrigue… Continue reading “Classical Music Stories: The Twelve Dancing Princesses and Debussy” →

Classical Music Stories

Classical Music Stories: The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and a Piano Piece

Aubrey Leaman

vintage-1794705_1280

Classical Music Stories is a series that connects music to your favorite books and characters. Since listening to classical music can be like hearing a story (albeit an abstract one), imagining specific stories that match the music can make it that much more fun and accessible!

In this short, 20th century piano piece by Ligeti (Etude No. 8 “Fem” from the second book of etudes) I imagined the Mad Hatter’s and the March Hare’s perpetual tea party, i.e. their punishment by Time: Continue reading “Classical Music Stories: The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and a Piano Piece” →

Music

Suspense in Classical Music (and Books!)

Aubrey Leaman

suspense books and music

“But Mr. Tate said, “This court will come to order,” in a voice that rang with authority, and the heads below us jerked up. Mr. Tate left the room and returned with Tom Robinson. He steered Tom to his place beside Atticus, and stood there. Judge Taylor had roused himself to sudden alertness and was sitting up straight, looking at the empty jury box.”

-To Kill a Mockingbird

Suspense is obviously in horror stories (“No! Don’t open that door!!!”) but it’s also all over the other books we read whenever we find ourselves holding our breath to Continue reading “Suspense in Classical Music (and Books!)” →

Books, Songs For Every Book

Songs for Every Book: Arcade Fire and The Phantom of the Opera

Aubrey Leaman

“Chemistry” off of Arcade Fire’s latest album “Everything Now” is a) super catchy and b) intriguingly similar to both the phantom from Phantom of the Opera and Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. Continue reading “Songs for Every Book: Arcade Fire and The Phantom of the Opera” →

Books

Who Would Win a Game of Telephone: Mrs. Bennett or Emma Woodhouse?

Aubrey Leaman

telephone-158190_1280.png

They’re both super nosy, after all.

Mrs. Bennett has the benefit of experience. Since she’s older she’s been gossiping for a lot longer than Emma has…with disastrous consequences of course, but it could be a plus for her in this game. Emma, however, strikes Continue reading “Who Would Win a Game of Telephone: Mrs. Bennett or Emma Woodhouse?” →

Books, Classical Music Stories

Classical Music Stories: A Tale of Two Cities and a Mozart Symphony

Aubrey Leaman

034935.jpg

Classical Music Stories is a series that connects music to your favorite books and characters. Since listening to classical music can be like hearing a story (albeit an abstract one), imagining specific stories that match the music can make it that much more fun and accessible!

Like the last Classical Music Stories post on Anna Karenina and a Bach Cello Suite, you’ll probably recognize the opening of this one. I liked Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor K. 550 before (sometimes I really wish classical music had better titles), but once I started considering the similarities between it and A Tale of Two Cities the music Continue reading “Classical Music Stories: A Tale of Two Cities and a Mozart Symphony” →

Books, Music

The Who’s Tommy: A Rock Opera (As Experienced by an Assistant Director)

Aubrey Leaman

Tommyalbumcover.jpg

Last week Northwestern University saw its last performance of a concert production of The Who’s Tommy and I was fortunate enough to be able to serve as the assistant director for the incredible Geoff Button. For those of you unfamiliar with the show, the rock band The Who released a concept album in 1969 called “Tommy” which was later made into a musical (or rock opera if you will). It’s a story about a young boy (Tommy) who witnesses the murder of his mother’s lover by his parents after his father returns unexpectedly from war. Although his mother turns him away from the fight he sees everything through a mirror, and when Continue reading “The Who’s Tommy: A Rock Opera (As Experienced by an Assistant Director)” →

Books, Music

The Irony of Portraying “Stillness” in Books (and Classical Music)

Aubrey Leaman
Monet Esquisse d'ensemble.jpg
“Woman with a Parasol” by Monet, courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Washington

Portraying stillness or inactivity is a pretty bizarre paradox in books and music when you stop to think about it because the only way to show stillness is to have movement! After all, what options do authors have of showing that a character is still? They Continue reading “The Irony of Portraying “Stillness” in Books (and Classical Music)” →