#classical music analysis

[frank-olivier]

The Evolutionary “Gigue”: A Bridge Between Eras

Jon Lord's "Gigue" stands as a testament to the composer's innovative spirit, bridging the gap between the Baroque era and modern rock. "Gigue" is rooted in the Baroque tradition, echoing the works of J.S. Bach and George Frideric Handel. Lord's mastery of this era's compositional techniques is evident in the piece's intricate counterpoint and lively rhythms. The introduction of unexpected melodic progressions sustain listener interest, enriching the musical narrative with a touch of modernity. This blend of traditional foundation and innovative flair sets the stage for a captivating musical journey.

One of "Gigue"'s most striking aspects is its intrinsic integration of Baroque and rock elements. Lord expertly weaves rock's complex rhythms into the Baroque framework, creating a nuanced and original sound. This deep fusion not only enhances the piece's technical sophistication but also provides a rich, layered listening experience. The seamless blend of genres is a hallmark of Lord's compositional genius, appealing to a broad audience and solidifying "Gigue"'s place in the crossover music canon.

"Gigue" is more than a technically brilliant composition; it is a dynamic, emotionally engaging work. Lord skillfully incorporates contrasting themes and sections, exploring a broad emotional spectrum that resonates deeply with listeners. From the exuberance of the gigue's traditional roots to the introspective moments of modern contemplation, the piece navigates a wide range of emotions, creating a profound connection with the audience. This emotional depth transforms "Gigue" into a timeless, universal work that transcends genre boundaries.

Jon Lord - Gigue

Monday, November 11, 2024

[starborn-storyteller]

the witch and the saint by steven reineke

a stupid long analysis (below the cut) because I'm so normal. it's a good song

and the version I like (:

(andante- ~60 bpm iirc) sudden, strong, percussive entrance accompanied by bells and quiet low brass, the low brass takes the melody, slow and dramatic. [this is the witch. she is ominous and foreboding, a threat on the horizon.]

the percussion strikes again, and the upper brass come in for another round of the melody [she lurks in the woods, waiting for her moment to strike the town.]

it swells as the woodwinds come in, crescendo and then a decrescendo, allowing the flutes to come in with their slow, calm melody alongside the low woodwinds and some high mallet instrument accompanying [this is the saint, he is calm and pure]

swells as the clarinets and then trumpets take over in turn, more and more dramatic [but he is not weak, he is more than willing to stand up to the witch and protect his people. he goes into the forest with the men of the town to find her.]

they reach forte and a strong, powerful melody comes from the trumpets [she is there, watching, waiting in the trees.]

tempo change- allegro, ~120 bpm iirc. the percussion creates a sense of running. [a chase. the dogs have caught her scent.]

the brass join again with a strong, fast-paced melody [he chases her deeper into the woods]

then it switches to the woodwinds with the same melody they had earlier, just at the new tempo [she is fast. almost too fast for him.]

brass are back again, and then it's just the bass drum, then the rest of the ensemble comes back in one by one, the tension is building [but he will not give up. this is important to him. he must protect his people]

brass pays off on that tension build, playing the melody they've been cutting in with [he catches up to her- epic fight scene or wtv]

then it slows down and the power fades away, back to ~80 bpm. the high woods have the melody again, and they begin the same way but then morph it to be what the low brass were playing at the very start (yes the bell is back too) [but she escapes. she has wounded and killed many of his men.]

then a new melody comes in, and this one begins feeling somewhat tragic but slowly becomes almost hopeful [at first it seems the saint is lost, too. the men mourn the loss of those the witch killed]

then definitely hopeful, seeming to look forward to something. there is a moment almost like breaking through the surface, everyone is playing powerfully, and it all settles down for the first fakeout ending. [the saint rises. these men will not have sacrificed in vain. he rallies the rest of them to find her, once and for all.]

BAM. tempo SKYROCKETS as the band comes back suddenly. like ~160 bpm iirc? the melody from the chase-like part is back. everything builds, builds, builds [she strikes from the trees. she couldn't take them out before, but she has the element of surprise now.]

the brass comes in as powerfully as they did before, a high-energy melody, then everyone joins in a dischordant crescendo and- [epic fight scene number two!]

grand pause. [the witch leaps at the saint and-]

that was fakeout two. one bass drum note, and the high woods come back with their hopeful, yearning melody. [they both fall. it seems they're both gone, but then the saint rises again, triumphant…]

it builds, but the strong notes from way back near the beginning return and interrupt it, playing some of the witch melody. [the witch, in her final moments, laid a single grievous blow on him.]

and then it all slowly fades away, the low brass playing their melody again. [he falls, succumbing to his wound.]

and all that remains at the end is one lone bell note.

[tookishcombeferre]

Phantom of the Opera: How Much Did Opera Actually Influence Erik's Understanding of the World?

So, I love monster lit. A lot of folks know this if you've been following the blog.

I'm also a huge fan of opera. Like literal opera.

And, operas are really interesting because they're kind of, stylistically, marked by a couple of different things - style, forms, and whether they're tragic or comedic. However, you don't often get like ... blends? You can. Kinda. But, generally, like Shakespearean tragedies or comedies everyone's either gonna end up dead or married.

And, that made me think about Erik.

We have no darn clue how old he was per Leroux's timeline (because he was a prodigy and a genius) when he ended up under the opera house.

So, how many social experiences did Erik really have?

How much of his entire social world was filtered through the tragedy and comedy of opera?

Part of the reason I say this is because if you look at his relationship with The Persian it takes on flares of the sort of combative nature of operetic friendship. They fight. There's drama. They're rivals. Then, they're buddies. There's no stability. It's all drama, mostly put there by Erik.

But, again. That's what he knows! It's all he knows.

Even his relationship with Christine fascinates me.

If you look at his dialogue, he wants a friend.

He wants someone to hold his arm and take walks with him because he doesn't want to be alone. He wants someone to end his solitude. He wants to keep coaching her in music. He wants her to be the prima donna of the opera.

That's all he *really* says he wants.

Yet, he says he wants to marry her.

Why?

In comedic operas, everyone gets married in the end. That's how the happily ever after *works.* It doesn't matter if that's not what he actually wants, or if that's what she wants. It only matters that that's how the plot of the opera is supposed to work. In order to have stability, in order for the tragedy to stop, the marriage has to happen.

Erik fundamentally lacks the language of friendship.

He doesn't understand what it looks like, what it's supposed to feel like, what living is like, because he has no lived experiences of his own to draw from.

So, instead, he draws from the beautiful lyrical poetry of opera. He draws from what he knows and loves most to understand the world around him because it's all he HAS.

He uses the word "wife" because it's the only word he has to understand the complex intimate feelings he has for "best friend." He uses the word "wife" because marriage is the "fix-it" in almost all operatic comedies across all forms of comedy operas whether it's a Buffa (Think Barber of Seville) or Comique (This is probably what Webber was referencing with opera the chandelier crashes in although it could also have been an Operetta, as that incorporates dance, or perhaps it may have been a form of Grand Opera set in the current period, though that is less likely. It was likely a Comique because those were often about relatable characters in the current French culture of the 19th century. But, I'm getting in the weeds.)

Anyway, as soon as the world is brought to Erik, as soon as Christine recognizes his humanity, he is able to understand it.

One of my favorite, and perhaps the most important details in the Leroux text, is that Christine kisses Erik's *forehead.* She does not kiss his lips at any point in the story that I can remember?

In fact, Leroux seems to very intentionally make Erik and Christine's relationship quite asexual in nature. I never really noticed that as a young person, but I *did* very much notice it when I re-read the story as an adult. It's something I appreciate a lot about what Leroux seems to be doing and his commentary on human beings in general.

However, as soon as Christine recognizes Erik as a person, as soon as she kisses his forehead, he lets her go. He no longer wishes to marry her. It's like something is released in him, and he lets everyone he has been holding captive go. He no longer threatens to blow up the opera house and himself and everyone with it.

Christine and Raoul (who were childhood besties) run off together, and Erik dies of a broken heart.

But, if you look at his dialogue carefully, I don't think he dies because he wanted Christine romantically and didn't get to marry her. Instead, he compares her tears mingling with his to that of an angel's tears, and he goes on to talk about his *mother.* He talks about how his own mother never touched his face or kissed him. Yet, this girl looked at him, touched his face, and didn't die.

He fully expected anyone who kissed his face to die.

Yet, this perfect and pure angelic girl did not die when she kissed his forehead.

The way Erik talks in this is oddly paternal?

It's very different than the way he has spoken in past chapters of the novel.

In recognizing Erik's humanity, in bringing the world outside of operatic comedies or tragedies, Christine helped Erik make *sense* of the world, his feelings, and emotions. Marrying this girl is never what Erik really wanted.

He wanted a companion. He wanted a best friend. He wanted someone to walk with him when the world was too frightening after all the abandonment he had experienced.

And, his heart is broken knowing that he will never get to have that. He lost it in his own madness.

And, in that way, Leroux is right. We should pity Erik because if he had only been born a "normal" man he would have been a genius. But, things being what they were, he ended up lonely, confused, and broken hearted.

And, I would *love* to see an actor play Webber's Phantom in this way. Start him HUGE as though the only way he knows how to behave is in grandeur and, as the show progresses, make him more intimate. Take the energy from a 6 when we first meet him, up to a 10+ as Red Death, but then afterwards? Back down.

As he's losing it, he's softer. He's smaller. He's more intimate in his fury. He's scared.

So, at the very end, all is quiet. That final "Christine, I love you." And, he finally understands what that really means to him. So, it's just lightly sung. That exchange of rings is more pleasant. Nods are cordial. Maybe even a little hand clasp. There's understanding. It's soft. So, soft.

Even that last "It's over now, the music of the night?" So, stealthy. Don't belt. Just ... light. So light.

Like he's talking to himself and calling himself "Poor unhappy Erik."

As an autistic transmasc-nonbinary contralto. I would love to play this role. I can hit the notes enough to "pants" it in the original key too. I know. I've practiced.

So, anyway, thank you for coming to my TED-talk about why I think opera influenced Erik's understanding of relationship and how human kindness helped him to understand what he actually wanted for his real life.

[hermajestythesun]

i feel conflicted abt the “paul wanted to be a father to john” and vise versa. i don’t think either one of them expected the other to be paternal. rather, what they provided to each other is what they lacked in their lives, which is the emotional needs that a lost/estranged/distant family member never provided. this doesn’t mean they wanted to be parent, instead john needed someone who could be his friend (similar to how julia was) but also love and cherish him and stay present throughout it all. on the other hand i think paul needed somebody to be attentive, intuitive, protective, and validating. both of them have deep rooted emotional trauma and i think they equally fostered each other’s good qualities while simultaneously redirecting the not-so-good ones. it was a symmetrical and beautiful balance and each time i come on this app i get sad thinking about how it all ends…

[vintra-lavellan]

An amateur analysis of Rook's theme: Not The Chosen One

NOT a music expert and super open to corrections but I think Rook's theme Not The Chosen One is pretty neat—it weaves together three groups of motifs to represent three central figures in DATV: Rook, Solas, and the Evanuris.

Rook: breathing, beats, and strings in staccato.

0:00, but most especially after 0:30. We hear rapid breathing, some beats, and flourishes. These seem to convey the frenetic pace, the controlled panic, with which Rook must act and often does. It feels like Rook is running out of breath.

We also hear at around here the start of quick, detached bowings. Maybe violins? Maybe the cello?

Violins are often the central instrument, and in my head it is the instrument of choice for representing the player character. Our favorite Lost Elf Theme is akin to a duet between the violin and the cello, a final debate between a pleading Inquisitor and Solas. If it is a cello, it works well too—Rook, Solas' mirror.

In Not the Chosen One, the strings in staccato are no different—it carries the tune, the time-ticking feeling, through markedly short bows.

The use of strings in staccato here is a sharp contrast to the cello's smooth, sustained strokes (legato) that we associate with Solas. I like to think it's evocative of Rook's relative youth and position as a "narrative foil" to the Dread Wolf.

Solas: Cello, of course. In legato bowing.

At around 0:50, a familiar, mournful cello creeps in to contrast the strings. Solas.

The cello here doesn't take center stage like it gloriously does in the Dread Wolf Theme or as brutally and honestly regretful as it does in the Lost Elf Theme.

Instead, it's in the background. Underpinning the piece. You would barely notice it if you were not listening carefully, but it makes the piece feel fuller.

It is Solas, still mournful, speaking, guiding from the background, as he does in DATV.

The Evanuris. The otherwordly, digital flairs and horns.

Someone on Tumblr (can't find the original post) made an astute observation about how the Evanuris themes are heavily drawn on digital sounds to convey their otherworldliness, their warpedness. Super agree.

The Evanuris linger from the very beginning in flairs. High pitched, digitally altered horns pierce the start of the piece and throughout the interplay of Rook's breathing, their strings, and Solas' cello like a threat. In fact, a horn at 0:29 initiates Rook's running at 0:30.

The digital horns are apt—I like to think it's a callback to the darkspawn horns of the Origins theme, but warped, twisted, and advanced, as the Evanuris and the Sixth Blight are to previous blights. The horns persist heavily also in Elgarnan's theme, Eldest of the Sun (the beginning in his theme feature grand, deliberate, and slow horns, reminiscent of the Origins theme.)

At 1:20, Ghilan'nain enters. A warped wind instrument, maybe a flute, more like a harmonica. We know this is her because this is the same instrument used in her theme (see 0:32 of Mother of the Halla). She features heavily here as she does in the main story as the genius controlling the Blight.

Ghilan'nain persists for a while, rising and rising alongside the cello until around 2:00...

At 2:00, Solas' cello returns center stage in a mournful but determined passage (2:00-2:30). It is remarkable here that the cello, Solas, is carrying the main melody alone, against the digital sound, the horns, the flairs, and the strings. This is arguably the most memorable section and the most honest we see of Solas here, reminscent of his honesty in the Lost Elf Theme—no wonder this passage features heavily in the endings and meshes well with the Lost Elf reprise in the Atonement ending.

After 2:30, Rook's short-bowing strings regain control, but our other motifs—our lone cello and our Evanuris punctuating the soundscape—remain until the end.

ALSO the title is perfect. This song is about Rook, thrown into a chaos. They are not the chosen one (they are not the Hero of Ferelden nor the Inquisitor, whom Thedas views as sacrosanct "chosen ones"), they are tasked with the impossible, but they managebto weave through three major powers anyway—Solas and the last two Evanuris. This is what they do in this piece—they begin harried, uncertain... then they are guided, then they are almost bested by the Evanuris and Solas, but they survive and regain their voice in the end.

[wildeatparties]

Emptiness in Opulence: What OIIA (Spinning Cat) says in conversation with The Great Gatsby. 

BRAT summer was also, in many ways, Gatsby summer. We saw not only a revival of excessive party culture, but also parallels between the modern situationship and Gatsby’s issues with romance, as well as discussions of female objectification and connection through songs like “party 4 u” and “girl,so confusing.” As BRAT summer fades away and society takes on a more opulent conservatism, as evidenced by the “Cruel Kids Table” article by Brock Colyar, we see that excess in our culture has taken a sour turn. 2025 has ushered in the era of OIIA and spinning cat, and through this we begin to see how endless cycles of excess and performativity in a society riddled with social media addiction and a lack of class consciousness parallels many of the concerns F.Scott Fitzgerald had when writing The Great Gatsby. 

In The Great Gatsby, we see a pattern develop at Gatsby’s parties. They have a cyclical, impersonal nature, as we see through the quote: "In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.” There is a sense of magnificence, perfection and opulence at these parties, and Gatsby throws them continuously with the hope that eventually Daisy will return his affection. The cyclical nature of the work continues, with repetition becoming a key theme. As Meehan says in his analysis of Gatsby, "The novel's tragedy...is encapsulated in Gatsby's 'incredulous' response to Nick's suggestion that one cannot repeat the past: 'Can't repeat the past [...] Why of course you can!'" (84). This desire to repeat shows Gatsby’s inherent denial and selfishness, an automatic extension of his station in the world. Gatsby’s repetition becomes his escape from emptiness – an escape only he can afford, and which shows our desire to avoid our problems through monetary means. 

“OIIA OIIA (Spinning Cat)” began with a photo of a cat named Ethel who appeared in "I Wake Up, There's Another X" memes, which demonstrate the cyclical nature of our decisions. When artist W&W paired a video of the cat spinning over a popular meme audio on Tik Tok, the internet’s newest monster was born in late 2024. The video features Ethel spinning around on a colorful green screen to the sound of repeated vowels. The song has no discernable meaning, but the rave-style music builds in intensity, and many videos online show how much this cat has infiltrated the modern rave scene, with Ethel spinning over and over again to the delight of the crowd. Just as Gatsby's guests circulate through his blue gardens "like moths," drawn to the spectacle but never truly connecting, modern audiences are drawn to Ethel's endless spinning. Her mesmerizing loop offers the illusion of meaning through sheer repetition, similar to the scrolling of a phone and other modern escapes. The cat's circular motion mirrors the cyclical nature of Gatsby's parties, where the same rituals of excess play out night after night, yet never deliver the authentic connection or fulfillment they promise.

OIIA is a warning. Literature has long explored themes of the consequences of excess and how it spoils our desire for human connection. In a society that suffers in the face of end-stage capitalism and social media addictions, putting The Great Gatsby into a dialogue with OIIA shows us the world we risk falling into and the signs that we ignore. Parties and spin cat will never replace what we truly seek: human connection and stability. 

Works Referenced:

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Oxford University Press, 2008.

Meehan, Adam. “Repetition, Race, and Desire in The Great Gatsby.” Journal of Modern Literature, vol. 37, no. 2, 2014, pp. 76–91. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2979/jmodelite.37.2.76. Accessed 12 July 2025.

W&W. W&W – OIIA OIIA (Spinning Cat). YouTube, uploaded by W&W

Images from Pinterest

[heartwrrm]

it's immediately clear that both the creature and victor find some of their greatest comforts in nature and that's one of the key features that connects them and proves they're not so different from each other, but i've also noticed that they tend to admire different TYPES of nature

victor tends to amaze at "the high and snowy mountains [...] immense glaciers [...] the rumbling thunder of the falling avalanche [...] the supreme and magnificent mont blonc" (65), typically finding the most comfort in the "savage and enduring scenes" (64) which tend to be colder and rougher yet unchanging; while the creature found that his "chief delights were the sight of the flowers, the birds, and all the gay apparel of summer" (94). there is probably something to be said about the creature's affinity for spring and summer, the seasons of rebirth, of NATURAL and beautiful life, a direct contrast to his unnatural, coldly scientific, "wretched" rebirth that he abhors so much

i was discussing this idea with a friend, who added that victor finding solace in the frozen and dead beauty of wintery environments, a typically less-favoured season, could reflect how victor often refuses himself the typical joys of life. throughout the novel, he struggles with his self-worth because of the guilt induced by his creation of the creature and the deaths that then followed, and the only reason he even desires peace and comfort is because he knows he needs to present himself that way to his family in order for them to be happy ("i [...] wished that peace would revisit my mind only that i might afford them consolation and happiness" [62]). i built on her idea by noting how the creature acknowledged that he "required kindness and sympathy; but [he] did not believe [him]self unworthy of it" (94), a completely contrasting stance from victor, who finds himself undeserving of the many comforts offered to him by his family

furthermore, it seems that victor finds beauty in glory & majesty ("[the scenery] spoke of a power mighty as Omnipotence--and i ceased to fear, or to bend before any being less almighty than that which had created and ruled the elements" [64]), while the creature finds beauty in warmth & growth. both characters seem to find what they desire(d) in the versions of the natural world that they admire most

to reference what i said in the beginning about the connections between victor and the creature, this observation only contributes to my understanding that victor and the creature are incredibly similar, and many of their identical traits involve a rejection or a reversal of the other; they both ardently wish for each other's destruction, they both ruined each other, they're the reason that the other is simultaneously a victim and a villain in their own sense, they both hate themselves but for reversed reasons (victor hates himself for what he's done rather than what he is, while the creature hates himself for what he is more than what he's done), and now this--they both find solace in nature, just opposing kinds. like father, like son

[another-little-hippie]

Burning Down One Side by Robert Plant (1982): scientifically accurate music video analysis/explanation



because ya’ll are so encouraging, here you go 😌 (please ignore my shit editing skills and the random subtitles that showed up and i had no clue how to get rid of) love ya’ll ✨💕

[smilerri]

many thoughts about epic: the musical...

i am once again in the middle of essay writing but plautus is boring and my friend introduced me to this album so u already know I binged the entire thing

(quick warning for spoilers of homer's odyssey? if that's necessary?? man idk whatever)

first thoughts naturally concerned odysseus. i have hated this man with a burning passion ever since I started studying classics - i think he is irredeemably selfish, a liar masquerading as a 'resourceful hero,' and basically just a twat all around. that being said, i respect that epic is not an exact replica. in fact, i like that about it!

readings of odysseus as a loving husband and father, and a man who cares deeply for his crew and fellow warriors is one i would love to see reflected in the source text (though i admit i have only read two different translations so far, so this is subject to change depending on translators choice!), if only because it would be so so refreshing. and epic does that extremely well! i find epic's odysseus to be far more likeable, insofar as he is fueled not by greed for glory (kleos for the nerds out there) but rather the desire to return to his wife and son. (I personally would argue that, while homer's odysseus is indeed fueled by a desire for homecoming (nostos), it is not for the sake of penelope and telemachus, but rather concern over the security of his status and position within the household (oikos))

i also very much enjoy that the love he holds for his family is not an inherently positive trait. in the aeneid, and often in myth, it is achilles' son, neoptolemus/pyrrhus who kills the son of hector and andromache, astyanax by throwing him from the walls of troy - less common, it is odysseus (which i did not know until i googled it just now oops). homer's odysseus does not reject the gods. he is beloved by some, hated by others - he receives their boons and curses as they come. he revels in the attention of the divine, no matter positive or negative, for it is proof of his kleos. epic's odysseus is so much more... human. he doesn't vie for glory that reaches the skies. if anything, he rues it. in the horse and the infant he supplicates himself to (who i assume is) zeus - which is such a loaded act i am genuinely struggling to think of how to articulate it, but boy am I gonna try my darndest.

the act of supplication and guest-friendship (xenia) is a very key theme within the odyssey, and to a point in the iliad also - essentially, if a traveller were to arrive at your doorstep, you were obliged to let them in and provide food, drink, and lodgings to that traveller, no questions asked. in return (because reciprocity is VERY important in homer especially), the guest would provide entertainment, tales of their travels, etc, and would be respectful of their host. the patron of these travellers was zeus. any violation of these terms, on part of the guest or host, would be met with divine scorn. for odysseus to supplicate himself to zeus is therefore meta as hell, but I would instead bring attention to the echoing lyric "hes bringing you down to your knees." 'he,' assumedly, is astyanax. his father, hector, is dead; as is his grandfather, priam, and all of priam's other sons. at this point, one could assume that it is astyanax who is ruling troy, who is now the host of the city that odysseus, a traveller from another land, has entered and ransacked. zeus' 'prophecy' of astyanax growing old and seeking revenge (reciprocity! homeric greece had a 'revenge culture' - essentially 'an eye for an eye' as well as 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours,' though not always so clear-cut), therefore, would be odysseus' punishment for violating the terms of xenia.

supplication, however, is not limited to guest-friendship alone. for example, in odyssey 22, when odysseus slaughters the suitors occupying his home (is that spoilers?), their priest leodes supplicates himself at odysseus' feet, begging to be spared. odysseus takes his head from his neck in an instant. odysseus' kneeling before astyanax, therefore, is no simple act between a guest and his host - perhaps he is begging the infant for mercy, for forgiveness, or perhaps he is positioning himself for punishment; in killing astyanax, odysseus accepts his own death. perhaps this means his fate (which, in case of homeric epic, refers to the time and manner of one's death), or perhaps it is a part of him that has died. in just a man, odysseus asks "when does a man become a monster?" his killing astyanax prevents the boy from ever becoming a man, and spares him from a life fueled only by revenge and the need to regain his glorious birthright, and it turns him into a monster. just as he says he would, he trades in the world where he is 'just a man' for a world where he is a cruel beast, all for sake of his family.

(quick detour but i really like how odysseus' focus is primarily on penelope rather than telemachus. [insert deadbeat dad joke here], but in reality, he doesn't even know the boy. penelope he chose to marry and fall in love with - it's no question that he loves telemachus, but after ten years, it is only natural that he would miss his beautiful, tricky wife with more fervour than the child he never had the chance to love. it shows he is imperfect, even illogical - the son is the father's entire legacy. just as odysseus is 'son of laertes', so will telemachus be 'son of odysseus', the protector of his immortal heroic legacy. yet it is penelope whom odysseus yearns for.)

(another detour but "i'm just a man" is such a juicy lyric, because the entire message of homer's odyssey is that odysseus is not any man - he is a man that the muses deem worthy to inspire great poets to compose epic poems that persist through thousands of years and a million different voices - a hero. but epic's odysseus is not that hero. he is a man, trying to go home, craving comfort and the warmth of the hearth. these 'flaws' humanise him more than homer's odysseus could ever imagine.)

skipping over to polyphemus, odysseus violates xenia once again by killing polyphemus' sheep, albeit unwittingly. homer makes this violation very obvious - odysseus and crew eat polyphemus' cheese and wine while polyphemus tends to his sheep, knowing that the cave is obviously inhabited, and they even wait for polyphemus to return to ask for more. it is worth noting as well that, at this point, odysseus and crew are still jubilant about their victory, and unlike in epic, these 'detours' are purposeful, specifically so that odysseus can scope out the islands for anything of interest he can snatch and add to his spoils of war, adding to his kleos by means of physical wealth (timē) - which makes odysseus' offer of treasure to appease polyphemus all the more baffling in epic. this odysseus is a leader who prioritises the lives of his men over his own kleos, which makes the final lines - "you shall be the final man to die" // "what?" // "watch out!" - all the more heartbreaking. he wants to protect his men, so that they too may return to their families back on ithaca; the prospect of watching them die before his eyes after he already witnessed so many lose their lives in battle must be so utterly terrifying.

polyphemus is so excellently creepy as well! i loved him in the odyssey - this was where I really started to dislike odysseus, actually. he's a cyclops, obviously inhuman, yet he rears sheep and makes cheese and wine and weaves wicker baskets to keep them in, trying to play at humanity. i really did sympathise with him from the first time I read it. epic's polyphemus is similar, so very calm in his anger yet ruthless all the same, and demonstrates great restraint in comparison to his counterpart in the odyssey, who gets filthy drunk after mashing six men dead and allows odysseus+co. to fashion a stake with which to blind him. much of the violence against polyphemus, as well as the violation of xenia in homer's odyssey is 'excused' by the fact that polyphemus is a 'barbarian', to whom concepts of civilised people do not belong.

(very quick detour but polyphemus' first admonishment of odysseus - "you killed my sheep" up to "take from you like you took from me" - makes such heartbreaking parallels to astyanax's murder and the sack of troy. it almost provides a visualisation of the guilt that odysseus must still be battling. i would have loved to have been in his brain when he heard polyphemus say that.)

the mercy odysseus shows polyphemus is particularly interesting - homer's odysseus leaves him alive and tells him his name purely so that his name will spread and his kleos will grow. but epic's odysseus, despite his conviction to kill in survive and to avenge is fallen comrades in remember them, spares him. in part, this is to assure them an escape, so that the cyclops' giant body does not block their exit - but athena's interruption makes clear that this is not all. she criticises him, remarks "he is still a threat until he's dead." no doubt this calls back to zeus' warnings about astyanax, hence his refusal (or inability?) to commit to slaughter. for a homeric greek hero to allow a foe to live on after his allies had been slaughtered is a grave failure of reciprocity, casting shame on both the hero and their enemy. homer's odysseus escapes this with his reputation intact, since as a result polyphemus curses him to face poseidon's wrath - as I mentioned, for a hero, even negative attention from the gods is a good thing as it proves that their reputation/glory is known all over, even in olympus. but, as we have established, epic's odysseus cares not for kleos. the decision to tell polyphemus his name is entirely impulsive and irrational, grieving his comrades, hence athena's outrage.

the relationship between athena and odysseus is founded entirely on the principles they share, described in warrior of the mind (if anyone can lmk whereabouts this song fits in the timeline I will be so grateful, I'm stupid unfortunately :/). they value wisdom, reason, and rationality over brute strength and bloodlust. epic's athena becomes odysseus' patron goddess with the goal to "make a greater tomorrow" and "change the world" - aspirations that are entirely foreign to any homeric god. gods in homer do not care about the wellbeing of humans unless they are directly related to them, and they certainly don't care about the wellness of humanity as a whole. humans are toys and tools of the gods. the amount that athena cares for odysseus, even in the odyssey, is unusual, demonstrative of how much she cares for him, yet epic makes their comradery more obvious, even going as far as to (tentatively) call them friends. my goodbye frames athena's anger as disappointment at an experiment failed - calling back to warrior of the mind, where she claims to have "designed" him - but odysseus' replies to her makes clear that it is far more personal. perhaps, to her, odysseus acting so irrationally is even a betrayal; odysseus is abandoning the principles of reason they both once held and thus is forsaking all that they once shared and that she, as the goddess of wisdom, stands for.

ive always considered athena to be a very interesting goddess. she is a patron of both war, which in homer is only carried out by men, and weaving, the traditional work of women within the household - her very nature is a contradiction of masculine and feminine. although it is ares who is considered the 'black sheep' of the olympians for his brutality in war, epic's portrayal of athena through odysseus' lens paints her as lonely and ostracised - "since you claim you're so much wiser // why's your life spent all alone? // you're alone." It is clear that odysseus here does not view her as his patron at all, rather as a friend - and to that she takes offence, because she is a goddess, eternal and all-powerful. she does not need friendship or comradery; those are mortal concerns alone. personally, I see epic's athena as incredibly insecure. she cuts odysseus off because she cannot bare that a mortal has been able to read her so clearly, to see all the ugly parts of herself that she keeps hidden to retain the facade of the perfect goddess. she knows the paradox within herself - warrior and woman, immortal and alone - and rues that odysseus was able to see it as well. the cruellest part, the most ironic, is that his being able to figure out the true, imperfect nature of a god shows that he has not abandoned the path of the warrior of the mind. in fact, his wisdom extends beyond mortality into the realm of the divine. but athena is blinded by her anger and insecurity, and she says her goodbyes. she disappears from there, only to appear again to try to warn odysseus of his crew opening the bag of winds given to him by aeolus in keep your friends close, once again demonstrating her care for him, despite her anger.

the amount that odysseus cares for his crew is demonstrated time and again throughout the album, yet in the end, he still slowly loses their trust. aeolus' winds are the first sign. his crew betrays his orders upon the first whisper on the wind that he might be keeping treasure from them. the next sign, in puppeteer, is eurylochus' confession upon arrival to aeaea (circe's island), which odysseus brushes off, much as he brushed off eurylochus' concerns in luck runs out. then, in a matter of moments, 600 men are reduced to forty by the wrath of poseidon - which in itself is a significant change. while odysseus in epic is explicitly blamed for failing to kill polyphemus, homer's odysseus takes no responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of his men. it happens when they arrive at telepylos, which, unbeknownst to them, is home to the laestrygonians, a race of cannibalistic giants. odysseus, apparently sensing something off (who tf does he think he is, spiderman?), allows his entire fleet to enter the bay of telepylos while his ship alone remains outside - and when those ships are attacked and trapped, he alone takes his single ship and escapes, allowing twelve ships of men to be ripped apart and eaten by cannibals. an act which he shows no remorse for.

in my interpretation of homer's odyssey, it is this slowly slipping trust that eventually leads to his men ignoring his warnings and feasting on the cows of helios which leads to the deaths of all his remaining crew, including eurylochus and polites (spoilers? idk). so, once epic: the musical catches up to book 12 of the odyssey you WILL be seeing me again I hope ur excited.

there is definitely more i could say here, especially about the circe saga bcs ohhh my god I love circe and I love this circe especially (a female character with actual motive other than being a victim? homer could never) but unfortunately I'm running out of steam and I do in fact have 3 essays due this month (help) so I will probably return to this later !! hopefully its readable bcs I'm not going back to edit any of this ;)

[counting-stars-gayly]

something something hallucination silco telling jinx "we build our own prisons—bars forged of oaths, codes, commitments—walls of self-doubt and accepted limitation. we inhabit these cells, these identities, and call them 'us'" something "lock me up. I've gone and jinxed it" from vi's pit fighter music video something cait opening the door to the cell vi's locked up in something "i’m at the bottom it’s a long way down" from vi's pit fighter music video something something "I'm up here, higher than god" from the caitvi sex scene...I'm cooking I swear

[hermajestythesun]

i’m so new to posting on tumblr and i so badly want to post song/album analyses on here but i don’t know where to start…

[murdermost-foul]

not to overdo the music discussion but mutuals please share with me your favourite instrumental songs!!!!!!!

[kenora-pizza]

Musical musings - TTTE edition

One of the things that got me back into TTTE was the banger soundtrack and character themes. Music has always been a huge part of my life, I have classical training for the piano and an in-depth knowledge of musical theory and harmonic practices for classical music. So here are some of the things I noticed about various character themes and some of the engines' whistles.

Gordon is considered to be the biggest engine out of the main 12, and this could be reflected in his whistle, as it has the greatest interval between the two notes which make it up, that being a minor seventh between C and Bb.

James' whistle (G - C#/Db) is a tritone/Augmented 4th/Diminished 5th. In medieval times, this interval was considered to be a representation of conflict, discord (no, not THAT Discord) instability and danger. You can hear it in pieces like the iconic opening to Camille Saint-Seans' Danse Macabre, and in Hector Berlioz's La damnation de Faust to represent the titular character's arrival in Hell. James, I've noticed, is pretty damn insecure. He clings to his red paint like a lifeline and hides behind a veneer of arrogance and vanity. He can be quite boastful, to the detriment of his relationships with other engines, with him usually being the aggressor in conflicts with them. So I suppose the use of a tritone for his whistle is appropriate.

Percy appears to (mentally) be the youngest of the main 12, and this could be represented by having the highest whistle out of all of them.

Thomas' character theme and Edward's Series 2 theme both feature modulations to the parallel major of the initial key's relative minor, with Thomas' theme starting in F major and ending in D major, and Edward's theme starting in C major and ending in A major. The "relative minor" of a major key is the minor key which shares its key signature (ex. the relative minor of F major is D minor since they share the same key signature of one flat, likewise with C major, A minor and a key signature of no accidentals). The "parallel major" of a minor key is the major key which shares its 1st note (AKA, the tonic). So....like mentor, like mentee. Or like Father, like Son, in terms of musical themes.

Henry's theme is in a quadruple meter (following an 8-measure phrasing pattern, likely 12/8 time), meaning that there are 4 beats to a measure. However, each one of these "beats" consists of a triplet(If you were to count out a measure, it'd be 1-2-3 4-5-6 7-8-9 10-11-12, and you'd conduct it like 4 beats instead of each of the 12 individual notes) And Henry is the number 3 engine. Hmm.......

If I think of any more, I'll post 'em. If anyone even reads this lol

P.S: One of my favourite OSTs is Kingdom Dance from Tangled, and every time I listen it, I think of the twins. Probably because it uses the E Dorian mode (with a dash of E Mixolydian) which is common in Scottish music. Just in case anyone's confused, the "Dorian" mode is an 8-note scale which starts on the second note of a given major scale. (e.g, E is the 2nd note of a D major scale, so its Dorian mode uses the same signature of 2 sharps). The Mixolydian mode is an 8-note scale which starts on the 5th note of a given major scale. (e.g, E is the 5th note of an A major scale and thus, its Mixolydian mode uses the same key signature of 3 sharps).

[i-dreamed-i-had-a-son]

Another thing I love about the Les Mis musical (which I'm curious if they have in the French) is the hanging rhymes.

At certain points in the musical, the rhyme scheme and music make you feel like there should be a word that will rhyme with another, particular line. Instead of resolving it, though, it just...hangs. It never gets the satisfying resolution you want. And they use this so well, especially in Valjean's Soliloquy (which makes sense, as he is a character that does feel perpetually "unresolved"--always on the run, unable to rest).

First, there's a line early in the song:

My life he claims for God above--

Can such things be?

Now, technically, this line does have a rhyme, in the stanza before, but the music makes you forget about it:

Yet why did I allow that man

To touch my soul and teach me love?

He treated me like any other;

He gave me his trust! He called me brother!

By reverting to a couplet here, instead of keeping an alternating rhyme scheme, it makes the stanza feel complete. By the time you start the next phrase ("My life he claims for God above"), which is furthermore on a rising part of the melody, you kind of assume that it will get another resolution in its own stanza. But it doesn't! Instead we hear:

For I had come to hate the world;

This world that always hated me!

Our ears are primed to hear the word love again, or at the very least the word above reminds us of it--but instead we get two instances of the word hate! Valjean had hoped for love, but instead, hatred was all he was met with; the same thing shows up in the literal construction of the song!

There's another instance of a hanging rhyme at the end of his Soliloquy, which is probably the perfect example of how to use these well. His penultimate stanza is:

I am reaching, but I fall

And the night is closing in,

As I stare into the void

To the whirlpool of my sin;

This establishes an ABCB rhyme scheme: lines 2 and 4 rhyme. We expect the last stanza to follow this:

I'll escape now from that world,

From the world of Jean Valjean!

Jean Valjean is nothing now--

Another story must begin!

Yet here, line 2 does not rhyme with line 4! The word "Valjean" doesn't get a rhyme--it's left hanging, because "Jean Valjean is nothing now"! That name no longer defines the course of Valjean's story!

But what does define it? What does the final line rhyme with?

"My sin."

Even with his new life, Valjean won't be able to leave that behind.

What excellent wordsmithing!

[chicken-scatch-drawing]

Was bored, character design is fun. Also finally listened to the audiobook of "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" after being fixated on the musical (demo specifically) for over 5 years lmaooo

Honestly between the musical and the novella, I find myself half-tempted to write my own spin / retelling of the story. (Rant unrelated to the art itself below the cut)

I could make it gay. I genuinely think it would fit.

Jekyll is a highly repressed individual, who shoves down and refuses to indulge in any pleasure he deems "repulsive" or "incorrect" by society and himself, instead using his transformations into Hyde as an outlet or a dual self so he can do what he wants without it actually affecting him. All I'm saying is that 1880s homophobia would not apply to Hyde since he doesn't give a fuck about what society deems incorrect. They're both gay as hell, Hyde just actually acts on it. Maybe Jekyll can figure himself at some point lmao

Honestly, the difference between the musical (again, I only listen to the demo soundtrack, I like it more than the official / released version lol) and the novella is very interesting. Of course, in the novella, there are no love interests-- Lucy and Lisa (Cannot recall her official name. She will always be Lisa to me lol) don't exist, Jekyll is a bachelor and isn't getting married.

The even bigger thing, though, was the fact that Jekyll was in control of his transformations in the original. These were him indulging in his desires by using his transformations into Hyde as an escape, putting responsibility onto him. It was only after he effectively got addicted to the freedom and lack of accountability that Hyde provided did he start to lose control of his transformations. Meanwhile, in the musical, he took the formula one time, and after that he had no control over when Hyde took control, nor did he recognize himself as Hyde. Novella Jekyll recognizes himself and Hyde as the same person, but grows to detest and fear the side of himself that is only indulgences. Musical Jekyll views Hyde as a monster right off the bat, and never acknowledges that Hyde is a part of him, denying it right until the end. This raises the question of whether Jekyll in the musical is actually accountable for Hyde's actions, where novella Jekyll is accountable without a doubt.

In a way, the novella seems to focus on themes of repression and distrust of self, while the musical sort of just... "ooo evil alter" or "evil split personality", simultaneously making you pity and fear Jekyll, while in the novella, you pity and fear Hyde but realize him and Jekyll are the same. Novella Jekyll explicitly states he is neither good nor evil, while musical Jekyll's writing makes it seem like he's the good side to Hyde, and just a poor lil guy lol.

Of course, I love the musical despite this, but I do find myself enjoying the writing of the novella much more. I think it could be really interesting to combine aspects of the two and write my own spin on it, perhaps...

[oldies-but-mouldies]

Stop hurting people and After the Fire are basically talking about the same things

A love born once must soon be born again versus After the fire the fire still burns

The heart grows older but never ever learns versus Know your first love is your last, and you will never, you never, never, you'll never love again

And they were written respectively in 82 and 85, after the band broke up. So towntrey-coded…you can’t convince me otherwise