General Discussion

Mew: ask me anything about Pokemon or kin stuff and I will go off

Most things classical music. I wouldn't say I'm an expert at all, as I'm still in the process of getting my degrees. Still working on the first one. But I could talk about music all day. I've played the violin for almost ten years and it's always been super fascinating to learn the history behind composers and pieces. I have a thing for the history behind specific people. It's really fun to learn. I'd probably find it fun to read biographies. Never thought I'd be saying that before lol.

For instance, right now I'm writing the program notes to a recital I have to do next semester. This particular entry is about Bach and how it might be explained to a layperson. I first go into how this certain Bible was found in a church in Michigan and that it belonged to a collection (the Calov Bible) that used to belong to JS Bach. It was in his library but was somehow brought and sold off in the US. Anyways, there were some entries he wrote. Some annotations and grammatical corrections, but some were commentary. One was next to I Chronicles 25, "This chapter is the true foundation of all God-pleasing church music." And another was next to II Chronicles 5:12-13, "In devotional music, God is always present with His Grace." Both are listed next to quotes from the King James Version on Wikipedia, however the Calov Bible was not written in that version. It would've been too old. But my point in bringing that up is that the movement from his second Sonata that I'm playing, Andante, sounds like Christ with the children, saying to his disciples, "Let them come to me." And it really does sound like that. The violin keeps its own beat by playing the melody on one or two strings, while playing the beat (which has a double function as a drone, sort of?) on the string below it. It feels very patient and gentle to me. The actual piece is very difficult to pull off naturally, but the goal is to make it sound as calm and steady (and beautiful) as possible. All I can say is wow. It's so nice..

I also love listening to pieces and explaining how they feel or what they make me imagine. Famously, Beethoven's 6th Symphony reminds everyone of the Austrian countryside and a thunderstorm interrupting the jubilee of perhaps a festival. But then everything's bright and green after the storm and the world is alright. That struggle-over-triumph kind of structure is trademark Beethoven, especially after his Heiligenstadt Testament. Moving stuff.. He beat his own hurdles and it paid off big time. Just look at the 9th Symphony.

Also, the structure and actual way violins are made is really cool, too. I wouldn't ever be a luthier (someone who makes and repairs violins and bows, may or may not include double basses), but the way they make violins and repair them (cracks, water damage, etc) is really interesting. They use hide glue to construct them. It's reversible and non permanent, though highly binding when dry. I believe it's made from rabbits, specifically their hide, hence the name. And the actual carving of an instrument (all reputable ones are made by hand and take years of experience to make) is so complex and detailed. You have the measure the thicknesses of different parts of the wood and shave off tiny amounts, making sure everything is mirrored and fitted correctly and not too thick or sloppy. It's so intricate. I love it. Couldn't ever do that though.

And performing! It's so fun. It's SO fun. When you're in a symphony orchestra playing the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony it's the best feeling in the world. Best seat in the house isn't in the house. It's the front row of the orchestra nearest to the maestro. You can hear everything he hears. And in a good hall, it sounds like a recording. I cannot tell you how much I miss my youth orchestra. Best years of my life so far. I miss my university orchestra too, but it's not the same. And quartet is very fun as well. Communicating with everyone without words is something you've got to practice at. And you need a good group to do it. If everyone's waiting on the other person nothing's gonna happen. That's one of the problems my quartet at school has now. We're working on it though haha.

Anyways, I could go on forever so I'll stop now. This is pretty much what I live for. Ask me anything and I'll gladly respond.