Imagining books and music in quirky and creative ways
First of all, my apologies for the hiatus. Illness can really knock you out, am I right?
And with that question, I have oh so masterfully segued into the topic of today’s post. (Mwah ha ha!)
Rhetorical Questions In Books…and Music Continue reading “Rhetorical Questions: Classical Music Style”
Wow, has it really been over two years since I shared a Classical Music Story with The Great Gatsby?? We’re breaking the streak today with a short piano piece by Debussy, composer of the beloved “Clair de Lune.”
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!
Estampes No. 3: Jardins Sous La Pluie by Claude Debussy Continue reading “Classical Music Stories: The Great Gatsby and Debussy”
And one more thrown in for good measure!
If you’re like me, one of the coolest things to find is an amazing mash-up book, like with a fairy tale re-imagined in a different world or a horror retelling of a literary classic (I’m looking at you, Jane Slayre). But what I’ve been discovering more and more lately is that music can be a mash-up, too, and when it is…well, let’s just say it can be pretty cool.
So behold! My top 3 music mash-ups (at different levels of mash-upiness.) Continue reading “Music Mash-Ups: Rock + Chopin, Rock + Opera”
It may not be new music, but I’ve recently discovered Indiana’s album “No Romeo” from 2015 (so hey, it’s new to me, alright?). There’s just something about her hypnotizing voice and driving electronic beats… Admittedly it took me awhile to dig them but now I’m seriously hooked.
Anyways, the lyrics to the first song off the album sound just like the monster singing to Victor Frankenstein after he refuses to build him a wife. (Side note: I always wonder when I come across these similarities whether it was purposeful on the part of the artist. I mean, you never know…)
https://open.spotify.com/embed?uri=spotify:track:5AHJpHOeB1mv7s2dM0EAmq
Let’s look at a few of the lyrics, shall we? Continue reading “Songs for Every Book: Frankenstein and Indiana”
As Christmas approaches, I’ve found myself wondering: what holiday might certain beloved literary characters enjoy over all others?
1) Lydia & Kitty Bennett: Easter Continue reading “If Literary Characters Had Favorite Holidays”
This week I started rereading one of my all-time favorite books, Wuthering Heights. It seemed only natural then to share another classical music story inspired by this novel, paired with an equally mystical (and equally loved) piano piece!
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!
Liszt-Paganini Etude in G#-minor (La Campanella)
Composed by Franz Liszt Continue reading “Classical Music Stories: Wuthering Heights”
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 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 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”
“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!)”
If Mermaids Wore Suspenders 