Imagining books and music in quirky and creative ways
This past year I graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance. For my senior recital, I decided to do something a little different. To me, the Haydn sonata I was learning sounded like the kind Continue reading “Red Riding Hood Silent Film with Classical Music”
“After everyone had left the house, Cinderella went out to her mother’s grave under the hazel tree, and cried: ‘Shiver and shake, dear little tree, gold and silver shower on me.’ Then the bird threw down to her a gold and silver robe and a pair of slippers embroidered with silk and silver…
On the second day, when the festival was renewed and her parents and stepsisters had started forth again, Cinderella went to the hazel tree and said: ‘Shiver and shake, dear little tree, gold and silver shower on me.’ Then the bird threw down a still more gorgeous robe than on the previous day…
On the third day, when her parents and sisters had started, Cinderella went again to her mother’s grave and said: ‘Shiver and shake, dear little tree, gold and silver shower on me.’ Then the bird threw down a dress which was so magnificent that no one had ever seen the like before, and the slippers were entirely of gold.”
–Cinderella
Fairy tales often include these types of three-fold repetitions. Something will happen, it will have an effect, and then the Continue reading “The “Fairy Tale” Genre in Music”
Yet more proof that Quirk Books and I are soulmates: yesterday on Twitter they asked people to add ghosts to classic literary titles in honor of the new Ghostbusters movie.
Here’s what I came up with:
Alice in Specterland (Lewis Carroll) Continue reading “Classic Literature: Ghost Style”
What if your favorite Pride and Prejudice characters lived in the world of Harry Potter? What houses would they be sorted into and what can that tell us about the similarities between (and functions of) various characters?
Jane Bennett = Hufflepuff
She is incredibly kind. She can’t think ill of anyone! The reader also has a sense of her loyalty to Bingley.
Mr. Bingley = Hufflepuff Continue reading “Pride and Prejudice Characters Sorted Into Hogwarts Houses”
And thus, a new tag was born over at The Library Lizard. It’s one of the best I’ve seen!
Rules:
What is your favorite historical setting for a book?The Roaring ‘20s. The parties, the fashion, the glamour…it almost feels like an alternate dimension (which I guess is pretty appropriate, given this tag).
The Brontë sisters (Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre are phenomenal). Victor Hugo (Les Misérables blows my mind). But I’d also like to meet authors like Austin Kleon, J.K. Rowling, and Mallory Ortberg before they were published. I’d like to discover first-hand how they Continue reading “NEW Bookish Time Travel Tag”
In the spirit of the Fourth of July, here are four of the most upstanding and independent literary characters of all time:
Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird: Despite Continue reading “Top 4 Independent and Inspirational Book Characters”
It’s a tough call.
On the one hand, Gandalf has magic. On the other hand, Sherlock Holmes is a mastermind who understands situations and people better than anyone else. He might be able to outsmart Gandalf.
On yet another hand, Gandalf was able to see the big picture and notice the threat Saruman posed as well as Bilbo Baggins’s potential in the dwarves’ party, so perhaps he is Sherlock’s equal or better.
What do you think? Vote and share!
“Classical Music Stories” is a series where classical music is listened to as though it were a movie score to one of your favorite books.
Alfred Schnittke’s Piano Quartet
Jefferson Hope comes back to the camp after hunting only to Continue reading “Classical Music Stories: A Study In Scarlet (Sherlock Holmes)”
Dear Daisy, Hi. How are you? How has your day been so far? No, you don’t know me, and I would venture to say that I don’t know you quite as well as I’d like to think I do. I’ve read about your luxurious house and your arrogant, obnoxious husband and even your daughter. Despite […]
Classical music can be pretty boring. Why would you choose to listen to something that long and that abstract? Lots of people try to figure out how to “understand” the music, but understanding is definitely not always the same as enjoying.
Of all people, I was perfectly primed to love classical music. I grew up with a professional classical musician as a father, was taken to numerous concerts, took piano lessons constantly ever since I was seven years old, and participated in chorus and band in high school. I even became a classical music major in college and had extensive formal training. And while I didn’t hate it or anything, I certainly didn’t love it. Like so many people, I just didn’t “get” it.
So forget understanding.
How can you actually ENJOY classical music?
Believe it or not, it is possible. As a book lover, I found the secret…
Books take you on adventures that spice Continue reading “How to Actually Enjoy Classical Music (For Book Lovers)”
If Mermaids Wore Suspenders 