#req’s classical music brainrot

[serenade361k]

Ludwig van Beethoven going for a stroll with his love for nature in Heiligenstadt, Germany.

Rest in peace, our immortal beloved. 🖤

[requiem626k]

Anime/Game Soundtrack Appreciation (+ little BSD Dead Apple analysis)

Hello everyone! I’m once again back with another music post to make up for my absence, but this time, it’s slightly different.

It’s anime/game soundtrack appreciation time!

We always talk about how good the plot or the characters are, but I find that the beauty of the soundtracks are so little spoken of even though it holds a really great importance for our overall experience in said fictional world.

That’s why I wanted to dedicate this post to my all-time favourite pieces that I encountered in different animes and games.

If you haven’t heard of these animes/games, don’t you worry! There are two types of soundtracks for me: the ones that are beautiful and make sense only with context, and the ones that are mesmerising even without context. I’d like to believe that the ones I chose are all in the second category. Their musical value is just so high for me that I always find myself lost in the music itself instead of thinking of the context of that game or anime; and the fact that they all include classical instruments just reinforces the satisfaction I receive from them as a classical music passionate. My commentaries will have zero relation to their sources and will only be about the music itself (except for the little analysis at the end, which is about our main fandom BSD anyways). I truly hope listening to them will be as enjoyable for you as it is to me.

Let’s go!

🎻 Psycho-Pass - Makishima Shougo

Since the very first time I heard this soundtrack, it’s been nailed in my mind. The mischievous wickedness of that low human voice right in the beginning, the sinister aura of the church organ that starts taking part in the melody after 00.27 (I truly like the church organ touch here, because for some reason, my mind seems to assign very religious vibes to well-built villains such as Fyodor or Makishima that like to play God), the tranquillity of the middle section and the rearrival of the original melody with an even bigger force (01.36).

I’m especially in love with the part starting at 01.56, in the background, you start hearing tick-tocks as if there was a clock, the clock of an about-to-go-off bomb maybe, or a clock that’s merely symbolising the flow of the time- No matter how you interpret it, it keeps you on your toes and stings you with goosebumps.

But what always mainly has me is when the strings start overlapping with the same melody at 02.22. The beautiful build-up until the tension resolves into the last powerful chord… This soundtrack never fails to mesmerise me.

It has a slightly softer version too, which you can find here 👀. Instead of strings, this version concentrates on woodwinds (especially in the overlapping melody section at the end) and French horn, which gives the track a whole different but egally ominous aura, I love it.

🎻 Kuroshitsuji - Si Deus Me Relinquit

This soundtrack’s lyrics are all in Latin, and I honestly adore it. Even though the video already has the lyrics and the translation, I’ll still add it here because it’s just so beautiful to me.

Si deus me relinquit,

Ego deum relinquo.

Solus oppressus nigram clavem habere potest,

Omnias ianuas praecludo

Sic omnias precationes obsigno.

Sed

Qui me defendet?

Ab me terribilissimo ipse.

Translation:

If God has forsaken me,

Then I shall forsake God, too.

Only the oppressed may possess a black key,

I close all doors,

Thus I seal away all prayers.

However,

Who protects me

From myself who is the most terrible?

When the beautifully lonely aura of the beginning is merged with the bittersweetness of what’s said in the lyrics, I always have the desire to smile and tear up at the same time. Imagine the bittersweetness and irony that lies in the action of secluding yourself from everything around you with the thought that “God” has forsaken you, yet still not being able to find any peace because you can’t run away from the most terrible one: yourself. The last three lines hit me so hard when I first read the translation, and the subtle transition into a totally sinister section at 01.34 started making much more sense and sending shivers down my spine. What happens when we truly are alone with the beast that lies within us? More importantly, under what circumstances it reveals itself to us? I wonder.

Anyways, let’s go on with the soundtrack: I love the orchestral middle section. The strings, woodwinds, they all mix so harmoniously and continuously steal the melody from each other. This game goes on until when the soft voice is once again at 04.20. But the part that truly tugs at my heart strings is when the track comes to a soft conclusion at 06.36, and slowly fades away into a big bubble of bittersweetness with the last, very gentle chord, as if it’s tenderly whispering:

“Do not be afraid of what you call the ‘most terrible’. You are not a monster. You are not inhuman. You are merely a hurt soul, that never deserved any of this suffering.”

🎻 Death Note - Low of Solipsism

Ahh, this one is such a classic <3. As a classical music lover, I can’t express enough how much I appreciate the range of instruments used here. The strings, the aggressive woodwinds, the horn, the chorus, everything just blends so beautifully to create such a dark masterpiece. As the first two ones, this one has an unhealthily religious side too, let’s look at the lyrics (sinisterly used Latin strikes once again!) :

Kira, Deus vici canti.

Translation:

Kira, our God will win.

I probably have to talk about the anime to be able to explain what this means (even though I’m sure many of you know this already haha.) So, this anime talks about a young adult who, one day, finds a Death Note and decides to ‘punish’ all the criminals by writing down their names and killing them through it. And he calls himself “Kira, the God of the New World”. The movement that he started finds its voice all around the world, yet of course there’s an extremely intelligent detective who’s trying to find his identity etc., the rest is not too important now.

This soundtrack sweeps me off my feet every. single. time. Like oh my God. Can you look at how beautifully the introduction is written? The ongoing rhythm in the strings’ section keeps me on my toes, and oh the very beautiful entrance of the woodwinds- I could honestly mistake it for a classical piece, I’m not even kidding.

After that, I want to talk about 00.36 where the chorus comes in with “Kira”, if you listen carefully, you’ll hear in the background a French horn (I think, I hope I’m not mistaken) which plays a very halting, even off-putting rhythm, “syncopation” as we call it in music theory, and the impact it does on that section is just mind-blowing to me. I find myself vibing with the French horn and going along with its limping rhythm every time I listen to this and I sway in euphoria, it’s just so intriguing and appealing to me for some reason.

Then things get silent and you hear the church bell (01.32), then something like a prayer out of a religious mass, and my favourite part: the sharp, tense dissonance that starts at 01.50. I always hold my breath and get on the verge of losing my mind while waiting for that tense chord to resolve into 01.56, it’s just- it’s just so perfectly written, I feel the anxiety it gives off in every single fibre of my being and I honestly don’t know what to say further about this masterpiece, every word falls short.

Looking at the first three faves of mine, I’m noticing a pattern of sinisterly religious tracks😶 When this is combined with the literal meaning of my full name (Requiem: Religious Mass for the Dead), it’s just so funny to me because I’m not a spiritual person at all haha. Anyways, enough of that personal talk.

🎻 Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice - A Cornered Heart

Oh my God I love this game so much.

I’m in a very emotional state at the moment so I’m so sorry if the commentary of this piece feels more subjective than the others, but- it’s been at least two years since I last listened to AA’s sountracks and I cried for a few minutes straight when I listened to this just now. I needed 15 minutes to calm my emotion center down, and another 30 to get out of the memory lane and stop wandering among the other tracks of the game, oh my God.

I won’t be rambling about it or this post will become a long novel, but honestly, Ace Attorney is the love of my life. One of the two things that made me totally fall in love with this franchise is its beautiful soundtracks. It has many, many games and not even one of them disappoints in terms of musical quality, I’ve never seen such a constant quality in another franchise, if I’m being frank. And the 6th game… kills it. In a totally good way. There are just so, so many tracks that I want to put from this franchise but I won’t overwhelm this post with those haha. I doubt it but if you’re interested, you can come into my ask box and I can make a separate post for you including only-AA tracks.

Most of AA’s soundtracks are objectively so beautiful yet hit so different in a subjective way after hearing them in context, yet this one… it’s a real masterpiece. It’s one of the peak points in all AA’s OST history. I don’t know what they did to be able to put such refined but heavy emotions in this short track, yet they did and they did it very beautifully.

Even from the very beginning, that low piano A that strongly comes several times tugs at my heartstrings every time. The little piano theme in the background that comes at 00.23 and 00.28 always makes my heart melt. The build-up that starts at 00.43 and resolves into the literally most bittersweet conclusion at 00.48 (in more technical terms, the classic but powerful “dominant-submediant (the one that usually has the listener so soft is this 6th degree)-subdominant-dominant-tonic” progression) makes me sob. Not figuratively, I literally started uncontrollably sobbing at that part just now. I can honestly envision this playing behind a very painful and bittersweet scene in BSD. Instant goosebumps, I can’t anymore.

Just listen to it. I have no other words to hopelessly mutter in attempt to explain how bittersweet this track is making me feel.

🎻 Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apple - Dead Apple (or as I like calling it… Fyodor’s theme🤭)

Of course, it wouldn’t be a complete post without including anything from our beloved BSD!

I’m truly in love with this track, it’s been my favourite since the day I watched Dead Apple. I adore how it manages to blend classical music with modern, using strings/piano and electro guitars at the same time and making it sound so majestic and grandiose, and I won’t even mention how good the actual melody is.

It starts off with such a lonely and bittersweet aura with only the strings and piano. Then oh! It picks up pace at 01.12, it’s literally the musical reflection of the emoji “👀” as it increases the curiosity levels of the listener with its quick, steady rhythms. I especially adore the first note we hear from the electro guitar at 01.32, it foreshadows many things about the climax of the piece.

The heartbeat motif that starts at 01.48 always has me so good. It constantly keeps me on my toes and I love it.

At 02.24, the electro guitar has the spotlight, it’s almost like a transition happened. Each of the three parts are still there, classical (strings & piano) and modern (electro guitar), yet it feels like they’re constantly fighting for dominance, just like how the Dead Apple trio did. Strings would symbolise Fyodor, the piano Dazai and electro guitar Shibusawa, in my opinion. I assigned the modernity to Shibusawa because he is a relatively modern author, who passed away only 34 years ago. Harukawa-sensei even visited his wife to receive her approval about Shibusawa’s design.

Parting from this theory, let’s see: Starting from 02.24, the electro guitar talks, it’s Shibusawa who’s bringing them all together around the table and talking about his ‘boredom’. Then, the piano comes in, the guitar is silent for a bit, and when the violin starts with the melody the piano goes silent, it’s a constant fight between them that creates a beautiful build-up until the striking climax at 03.19. That’s the moment where Fyodor and Shibusawa have their talk and Dazai’s lying heavily wounded on the ground.

Now, which of the three instruments is absent during the climax? Exactly. The piano. The guitar and the violin are having a talk, yet the piano comes in much later, at 03.35, as an echo, then fades away once again.

Until the end, the wonderful power dance of these instruments go on, and the strong ending gives me goosebumps every time.

This came out much longer than I had expected and planned… I always get so carried out and type so much when it comes to these things haha. Nonetheless, I sincerely hope you enjoyed my selection and analysis!

Please don’t hesitate to do any type of additional commentary or to add your favourite soundtracks from any anime/game/series/franchise. <3

Tagging the usual music posts people: @pompompurin1028 @jadegreenimmortality @alittlesimp @bsdparadise @greenshirtimagines @rouge476

[requiem626k]

PLEASE I FEEL THIS ON A DAILY BASIS 😳✨.

honestly you know why people centuries ago were so extra in the way they spoke and so dramatic it’s because they were listening to classical music. go turn on some johann sebastian bach and tell me you don’t suddenly feel like composing a hand written love letter to your dearest annabelle and using the word melancholy

[serenade361k]

I’m quite literally obsessed with Mendelssohn’s violin concerto at the moment. Like oh my God I literally can’t listen to anything else.

The emotional intensity, the contrasting parts between passion and tenderness, cruelty and beauty, the enchanting usage of woodwinds in the background, I just can’t. I want to ramble about it for pages but my brain is literally too full and the words just aren’t coming at the tip of my tongue.

A very good interpretation imo, Queen Hilary never disappoints <3

[serenade361k]

Johann Sebastian Bach playing organ in various occasions, sources unknown (at least to me)

Happy Birthday, Maestro 🤍

[requiem626k]

It’s exactly 4 AM and I’m currently losing my mind over Beethoven’s 9th Symphony’s 1st movement.

I just- I just can’t. As the majority of you would probably know, this symphony is majorly known for its 4th movement, with that famous melody in Ode to Joy that’s immediately recognised world-wide, but the first movement… it’s exquisite. Breath-taking. So bittersweet, passionate and meaningful, making me long for things I didn’t even know I would long for.

I had joined an online summer class about this symhpony’s technical analysis last summer, and it was incredible. I thought I knew many things, yet no, there was just so, SO much depth into it that my mind still can’t even comprehend. Beethoven was such a great mind, and it shows.

Late nights always make me emotional over classical music, no matter which era I’m listening to :’)

[serenade361k]

OMG. Thank you so much for tagging me in this, it’s incredibly good 😳 also @pompompurin1028 I remember you being interested in harp music so here’s something 🤭

[requiem626k]

I’m currently preparing a project on Martha Argerich, and oh my goodness.

What a woman.

[requiem626k]

https://youtu.be/GUtLXacCT5M

I’m currently sobbing over this recording so I’ll make this everyone’s problem by violating you all’s dash with Mozart. That’s what Tumblr’s for, right? /hj

The fact that this is created by a human being, a being in flesh and bones just like literally all of us, is incomprehensible to me.

This is literally a 8-minute simulation of how it feels to wander in heaven’s lovely gardens.

I can’t help but envision a little Mozart, sitting on the lap of a mighty God who caresses his favourite mortal’s hair and whispers the lovely soprano solo into his ear for him to note down on his sheets.

I have never heard something more ethereal and heavenly than this.

Is this what the deep feeling of love causes to a genius mind? Given that he composed this, the first movement of his Great Mass in c minor, with the joy of marrying his lovely wife that he found so beloved to him…

My ears feel blessed and I don’t want to hear anything else, only this, only and only this, over and over.

[serenade361k]

Rest in peace, beautiful man. 🖤

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791

[serenade361k]

@kaus-quietis

“Эта трель могла бы быть лучше.” (”This trill could be better.”)

“Блок — молодец, а Эдисон ещё лучше!” (”Block is a good fellow, but Edison is even better!”)

“Кто сейчас говорил? Кажется, голос Сафонова.” (”Who just spoke? It seems to have been Safonov.”)

(Full recording)

[requiem626k]

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMRMtAANo/

YOU ARE THE FIRST PERSON TO POP INTO MY BRAIN WHEN THIS COMES ONTO MY FYP

OH MY GOD PLEASE

HAHAHAHAHH

I was wondering how long it would take for my mutuals to discover Mozart’s… that side, or if they would at all.. It seems like you did 💀✨

Please ajxks. I don’t know what that audio says but Mozart was definitely a horny cheerful jokester who laughed at and entertained himself with pretty childish things 🤭 You could get as filthy as you’d like with him, and he wouldn’t be weirded out, you would pfft. Don’t ever read his letters to his female cousin, just don’t. We never talk about those 💀.

And that canon haha please, I’m ashamed to admit that I listen to it on a daily basis because the melody is just so well-written 😩 I prefer to ignore the lyrics. I wish I never read the full ‘poem’, I’m still traumatised. But the music is so good.

In fact even though the title literally means “Lick Me In The Ass”, it’s an idiom in German which has the same meaning as “Kiss My Ass!”, so it’s kind of passive-aggressive pfft, we don’t really know to whom he pointed that sentence though. 100% recommend listening to it 🥰🥰🥰

ANYWAYS this turned into a music history class I couldn’t stop myself so in conclusion I’M SO SORRY YOU HAD TO SEE THAT 💀💕

[requiem626k]

Hello my dear Req, I'm here again to ask for some classical music you could recommend me🤭 Usually I would ask for piano music, but I've been in the mood for one with a harp in it lately! And I know you're busy with school and all that so please take your time hehe. And take care🥰

Hello there, my dearest Kat ❤️! I’d be so delighted to recommend you more pieces, it makes my little heart so happy that you’re interested in them 🥺💕

I hope you’ll like my selection! I tried to include variety in terms of vibes, nationalities and eras this time (Austrian-Classical, Russian-Romantic and French-19th century), instead of sticking to a single man 🤭 I’ll try to keep it short and simple (no that’s a lie, I won’t be able to 😶)

And thank you so much for your consideration, things have been pretty busy for me indeed so I’m sorry for the extremely late post 😖 And I know that uni is soon starting for you, so likewise, please take your time to listen to the pieces <3

That being said, let’s start~

Mozart - Als Luise die Briefe ihres ungetreuen Liebhabers verbrannte

Of course, it wouldn’t be Req’s post if it didn’t start off with Mozart. This is a short lied like Das Veilchen (the one that I previously shared), the title is long haha and it means “As Luise Was Burning the Letters of Her Unfaithful Lover”. As you can guess from its name, this is really, REALLY dramatic. It’s in c minor, a tonality that Mozart doesn’t use so often (but when he does, oh boy, see his Great Mass in c minor 🤤) but which is perfect for its fierce mood. Also it’s fairly special for me because we used to sing this in our music theory classes haha, I would play the piano accompaniment while practicing with the classmates before every oral exam.

I truly adore this lied. The lyrics are once again taken from a poem, a poem of Gabriele von Baumberg, she apparently wrote it at a very young age (18 or so).

My heart melts at 00.34 omg, that soft “melancholie” and the silence that comes after 🥺… It’s truly one of those silences that make you agree with Mozart’s quote:

The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.

Then, it takes a cheerful turn (he just can’t refrain from putting happy sprinkles 🤭) until the strong chord at 00.49.

I think the section that starts at 01.00 is so worthy of being noted, I love love LOVE the suspense and tension that the piano accompaniment creates and that finishes with a strong build-up.

And the chord at 01.32… I leave my heart there. It just has me so soft. It’s so bittersweet, Mozart for some reason repeats the phrase “May smoulder long yet in my heart.” twice at the end and it’s just- 🥺

As always, he knows so well what word must be cited with what emotion, and chooses carefully his chords and functions. I just love it, and wanted to share since you had liked the previous lied 🤭

Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2

*inhale* This one’s gonna be long, I can feel it.

I have literally SO MANY things to say about this one.

Rachmaninoff is a famous Russian composer that you might have heard of. He’s part of the Romantic Era which is, to simplify, about pouring your emotions and the turmoils in your life into your art and depicting feelings instead of trying to stick to certain rules and ‘holy’ virtues, of which we had already talked about a bit hehe.

And this piece… Oh my. You’ll see how different this concerto is compared to the Mozart ones we listened to previously. His second piano concerto corresponds to a depressive episode of his, due to his works not having a big success and being criticised so harshly. This beautiful piece is his comeback work, and you can just feel the inner conflicts, the emotional tornado he had at that period. With Mozart’s concertos, your soul is purified, they softly caress your insides and comfort you. But here, Rachmaninoff takes your emotions, and he proceeds to crush it. He plays with it, throws it, abuses it, you sob and sob and sob. At least I do 😭.

First movement

One can perfectly sense the dark pessimism in the first, silent, dangerous chord. As the 8 chords come one after another, every single one stronger than the previous, you’re on your toes and the tension increases until finally hearing the main theme through violins at 00.43. Listen to that theme very well. It’s so beautiful, so so moving, the piano section creates a fierce, dangerous background and I always get goosebumps when the violins come in.

Then, at 02.30, the second main theme is heard through the piano, pay attention to that! You will encounter it under various forms through the movement 🤭 It’s much softer compared to the first, ominous theme, it creates a beautiful contrast.

I want to note down the beautiful oboe-piano duet in 04.14 🥺. I adore oboes, it has a really beautiful and soft vibe, and here its melody is just so bittersweet when combined with the piano’s accompaniment. Then at 04.35, the piano starts playing a really soft phrase, the soft touch at that high note at 04.46, oh my God my heart. I have a feeling that you’ll adore that part 🥺 I want to note down literally every second omg

At 05.22, it turns once again really quiet and ominous, foreshadowing a big outburst through a build-up. The flutes play a big role in that aura through their short but dangerous phrases.

I especially adore the part at 06.17 in this pre-outburst section, it’s reminds me of a wave of emotions that keep hitting you and stepping back, only to strike even harder afterwards. The flutes in the background reinforce this vibe. The tension gets higher and higher at 06.36 (omg I’ll faint I love this part, I’m trembling while listening to it and trying to write this at the same time, I can’t keep up with my thoughts aaa) through the constant mutual escalation of both the piano and the orchestra. THE BEAUTY OF THE BUILD-UP PLEASE I WILL LOSE MY MIND.

And all this preparation was for the beautifully passionate part at 07.02. Rachmaninoff notes down “Alla Marcia”, meaning it should be played like a march, and its rhythmic features most certainly have that vibe. It’s just so majestic, so pompous, so raw, I love love LOVE it. It’s almost like you’re swooning in euphoria after having an emotional build-up and breakdown, it’s just- it’s something else that I can’t even describe. I just don’t have the right words for it.

I know that the piano’s melody is so alluring and enchanting there, but maybe in a second listen, I’ll want you to pay attention to the violin part during the march section 👀 Can you hear the very first theme that was introduced at the very beginning of the movement? Rachmaninoff was a total genius to put it in the background and make it fit so well. I always hesitate between paying attention to violins or piano, I end up rewinding it every single time 😖 It’s soo good.

After the euphoric section, the second theme comes again. A thing that’s worth noting down is the flute’s beautiful addition at 07.53, it’s in the background but it just makes my heart melt. I also always get goosebumps at the few ominous, sinister seconds that starts at 09.17 😳

Then it goes pretty quietly until the ending hehe, like a calmness after storm 😌 This piece is a total emotional rollercoaster, I swear. At 11.01, I love the playfulness of the piano section, it’s just so mischievous like a little naughty kitten. Then it picks up the pace, and ends with three strong beats.

Ugh. 🦋🦋🦋

Second movement

(meme credit goes to @/pianoomemes on Instagram)

This meme says it all. I don’t even need to add anything else. As you know by now, the second movements are meant to create a sharp contrast with the first one’s mood, and 🥺😭.

The main melody… It has my heart. The movement starts with a soft piano-flute introduction, and the ethereal main theme is heard at 12.56 through an oboe.

I don’t really any other commentary to do on this heavenly movement. Just let yourself in its embrace without any technical/guiding worries <3

(Though I feel obliged to add that the part that truly has me in this movement is 22.17 🥺. It’s just so moving and sweet ahh, it just takes you away, it almost has a sentiment of longing I feel, I always have a drop of tear forming in my eyes at that part.)

Third movement

The third movement is a usual, playful, jokester movement hehe. It’s a general pattern for final movements as you might have noticed, even though this one’s not written under a Rondo form. It’s rare that I say this, but I feel like this final movement is as charming as the second one for me 🤭 (No movement surpasses the first movement though, personally of course~)

The theme that starts at 25.51 through violins is so so charismatic, it almost always flusters me 😳✨.

Then he naughtily plays around with themes, modulations and instruments haha, I’ll leave the commentary at that and leave you once again alone with the movement itself 😌

(The majestic comeback of the charismatic theme at 34.09 though 😳! I’m *this* close to thirsting over a theme omg it’s MESMERISING I want to cry.)

Fauré - Cantique de Jean Racine, Op. 11

And finally, to fulfil your wish 💕, here’s a piece from Fauré where you can hear one of the most beautiful usages of harp in a work, in my opinion.

Even though it’s a religious work, its lyrics are in French. Fauré is a French composer from late 19th century, and even though he’s not that well-known among the media he’s a really unique composer that we can’t even classify in a certain movement. He’s from the same era as the French Impressionists such as Debussy or Ravel, but his style is much more different than theirs. He even has his own unique chord chain etc. that we use the term “fauréen” in harmony classes. But anyways, onto the piece 🤭

I really have no proper words to describe how heavenly, ethereal, poetic, incredible, awe-inspiring and soft this piece is. Like oh my God. I feel my heart melting into a puddle and tear up every time I listen to it. I just can’t bring myself to believe that he was only 19 when he composed this for a competition, if my memory doesn’t deceive me.

The beginning with the orchestra and harp is making a truly beautiful beginning, and the first moment that I want to talk about is 01.09, it always gives me goosebumps when the sopranos come in on the background that the basses and tenors had created.

At 02.00, there’s a soft oboe that comes in for a few seconds and only plays four notes, do you hear it? Those four notes can have my heart 🥺. It’s so beautiful omg. It’s crazy how the littlest touch could make such big of a difference. He could’ve easily not put it there, but he did and that’s what makes a good composer.

The “que tout l’enfer” at 02.24 is so fierce, so mad, “enfer” means “hell” and Fauré really accentuated its meaning, I love it.

And when the piece comes to the ending, at 04.14, a soft flute plays the beginning of the main theme for the first time I believe, which is a really enchanting change for the ear.

And the ending is just so, so soft like the whole piece, I truly can’t. The main melody is just so beautiful, and he truly did an impeccable job with mixing all the voices, the orchestra and the beautiful harp together. I just turn into a soft, soft bubble made out of cotton every time I listen to this.

~

Ahh this was a long ride, I truly hope you enjoyed the pieces, my beloved! I wasn’t sure which style or composers you would like the most, I guess we’ll try and see 😳❤️

Just for the sake of archiving them, I’ll also add the links of the beautiful pieces we discussed on Discord.

Fauré - Barcarolle no. 1 (Fauré brainrot is strong with me nowadays haha)

Mendelssohn - Etude no. 1 op. 104b (I feel like you’d love his A Midsummer Night’s Dream overture ngl, because Shakespeare 😳 I didn’t add it here though since it doesn’t contain piano or harp)

[requiem626k]

IT IS I! 🎹 anon! I have returned from the land of paper writing for the end of the semester and I live (sort of) HAHA

I just realized I aaid PRELUDES and not ETUDES. But I love both of the either way.

I think Scriabin's etudes are more popular, like Op 8 No 12 and Op 42 No 5. I really enjoy them and the former is really intense, but I think it's easy to get tired of them eventually.

For his Preludes Op 11, my personal favorites are No 1, 15, and 19. I actually don't really understand that much about music theory (though I do plan on learning when I have free time... maybe you could recommend where to start? :D HAHA no pressure of course) so I can only recommend them based on what my ears think sound nice.

Anyway hope you have a good day! May all that you eat be tasty :3

AHH! LOVELY 🎹 ANON HELLO! <3 I was wondering where you were haha! I mean, of course you’re not obligated to write me but ah I think you get the point- I’m just happy to see you again😖❤️

I hope all went well for you with those papers!! I’m sure you did good💕 And thank you so much for the recs ahh, I can’t wait to discover them!!

And thank you for the lovely wishes about my day, I wish the same for you too <3

My commentary for the pieces + recs for learning music theory are under the cut🤭

Etude Op 8 No 12

Oh my God, I loved this. It’s the first time I listen to it, and I chose to listen to it from Horowitz and the chills it sent down my spine are still there. It’s so intense as you said, the build-up is wonderfully written and the passionate emotions just put you in a vortex and whirl you around, I love it. And the bass notes- oh the bass notes, every beginning of a new measure struck my heart.

On the second listen, I can say that I especially adored the heartwarming modulations in the beginning and the use of dominant 7ths during the buildups, omg the amount of chills this piece is giving me- 🤤

Etude Op 42 No 5

My fingers started hurting just by listening to it-😶 Oh my. This one was much more chaotic than the other etude, in the middle part I almost lost my sense of rhythm, it’s just… insane.

I adore the soft melody that chimes in in the middle section🥺 (starting from 01.58 in this recording, it just has my heart ahh I could hum it all day… I never wanted to hug a melody before- ;^;)

Prelude Op 11 No 1

Listening to this right after those passionate etudes was a really interesting and comforting experience. not going to lie. 🤭 Ahh, this one was extremely comforting and soft, it felt like walking on the water and letting myself go with the flow~

Prelude Op 11 No 15

I… I’m mesmerized by this one. How can one create such a beautiful thing with such simplicity? I adore the ambience that the left hand creates, and the pearl-like (as we call it in my native language, which means it’s just so well articulated) melody is the cherry on top- I can easily weep to this, especially to the last two soft chords…🥺

Prelude Op 11 No 19

I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH😭 How does he do that? How does he make the listener feel passionate, bittersweet and emotional at the same time? I also love how he hides such precious melodies inside an orderly chaos, they just shine.

In conclusion: Russians surely know how to make music & Scriabin is so damn underrated. Thank you so so much for these recs, I loved every single one of them ❤️

~

Now onto the music theory talk! Parting from your words, I’ll assume that you have no experience/knowledge about it.

My first advice: be patient. Think of it as learning a new language, and this is a language that’s using a completely different alphabet too, called “notes”. Would you expect to be able to talk in a totally new language fluently after a few weeks? A few months? One year? I don’t think so. Treat music theory as such too. It will take time, practice and effort. But don’t let this demotivate you, because once you get the hang of it, it becomes so enjoyable and if you’re really interested in going on (which I see that you pretty much are, given your passion about music <3) you find yourself totally lost in it😌

As a starting point, (again, I don’t know how much you know so I’ll just assume you don’t know anything) obviously, you must learn the alphabet: You should know how to read notes as well as you know your name.

After the notes, there comes the rhythms, modes (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian) scales & key signatures, interval types (major, minor, perfect, augmented, diminished etc.) and chord types (triad chords, major chords, minor chords, diminished chords, augmented chords, seventh chords etc.) I’m aware that these are all tedious stuff that you need to memorise quite a bit but please, please lay these foundations very strongly and well. Keep in mind that you’ll be constructing every layer on these knowledges, may it be harmony, counterpoint or piece analysis.

After you’ve learned them individually, you’ll learn the relationships between them. Just as an example: what chord is called how in what scale? Or the chord progressions, which is essential if you want to analyse a piece in terms of theory. And I think this pretty much covers the basics! I definitely recommend learning with a teacher, if you can. But if you can’t, there are lots of stuff on the Internet that would help you learn it yourself, I suppose! It’s been a really long time since I first learned it, for me it’s like my native language so I fear I couldn’t give a detailed and educational advice, but I hope it’s helpful somehow😖

[requiem626k]

Today’s this lovely man’s birthday, and I wasn’t even aware of it until now. Thank you for providing your light to the classical music world, both with your immaculate conducting and wonderful works.

His interpretations have always been my usual go-to whenever I discovered a new orchestral piece, and they will always be.

Happy birthday, Maestro. 🤍

Leonard Bernstein, 25 August 1918 – 14 October 1990

[serenade361k]

Can we talk about how beautiful Mozart’s flute sections are?

I’m not even talking about his works for the instrument itself, but the little sweet gems I keep noticing in his works for other instruments where the flute isn’t even supposed to have a ‘major’ role.

His PC 23, for instance. I swear, I sometimes listen to flutes more than I do to the piano. During the development section of the first movement, when the flute enters over the clarinet (5.30) I always get goosebumps. And at the ending of its 2nd movement, where the flute cites the bittersweet theme for one last time (17.59). When it’s combined with the deceptive cadence… Simply phenomenal.

Or his Symphony 39. There’s this one flute addition that literally takes up a few seconds (at 4.56) but that has me melting every time I listen to it. When I said small gems, I wasn’t lying haha. Absolutely beautiful.

I won’t even get into his works on flute itself such as the Flute and Harp Concerto or his Gran Partita (my url- need I say more about how much I adore it), otherwise this post would become a long novel.

My mind still cannot comprehend how Mozart manages to compose such ethereal and elegant sections for an instrument about which he wrote these words to his father in a letter:

“You know that I become quite powerless whenever I am obliged to write for an instrument which I cannot bear.” -September 14th 1778, to Leopold Mozart

If all this is the product of him being powerless… I have no other commentary to make.

Herr Mozart, I love you.