The Creation of Art

It is said broken people make the best art. Perhaps because they understand it the best. After all, art is an expression of humanity that cannot be communicated any other way, and brokenness is only a concept to describe what we barely understand. It is also said we must be broken before we can be renewed.

In retrospect, "good" experiences that make you "happy," give you a natural high, exhilarate your feelings don't necessarily increase your productivity or creativity. When things are good, when you think you've found the best thing in life thus far, what more is there to consider? When the world's at your feet and you think you can see the future, things become so much more expressable - easy to relate. We've all been there, in love, or just on top of the world, like that 60's pop song, or 90's pop song, or that new one... the one with all the same chords.

But when things are hard, when you've hit the rocks and the last splinter has been ground away by the sand, when you're just a piece of glass on the beach being worn away by sun and sea, that is advancement. A piece of seaglass doesn't become smooth from being on a shelf somewhere in someone's bedroom, it's from months, years of turmoil and chaos, storms and tides. It's the hard times that make the beauty shine through. And though there may be the same beauty at the heart of it, it is hardly the same piece that came from the glass blower's. From the outside you wouldn't know.

In some respects, it's possible that is what art must go through before it really becomes worthwhile. Or even gets created. I'm no expert, but there seems an initiation process of sorts before things become great, or great ideas are born. Lately I've been thinking about Dickens and Beethoven. Alot about composing, just the process of creating something. Like the prelude, or the novel.

I'm only stewing ideas. Merely because I'd never written songs before, and now I have. Maybe that's really typical. I don't know. I'd like to think of playing it someday, maybe it being popular in underground circles, in a small way.. and somehow one person will know it was written for them.

Simple Harmonies

I really like this, it spoke out to me more than the original version. It's acoustic, raw, simple. Well done. It's real.

From Belle & Sebastian

You're my picture on the wall
You're my vision in the hall
You're the one I'm talking to
When I get in from my work
You are my girl, and you don't even know it
I am living out the life of a poet
I am the jester in the ancient court
You're the funny little frog in my throat

I had a conversation with you at night
It's a little one sided but that's all right
I tell you in the kitchen about my day
You sit on the bed in the dark, changing places
With the ghost that was there before you came
You've come to save my life again

Ninety-one

I'm not generally a dark person. I like being introspective, but I don't usually lose hope in life. However, I've always had an interest in music that gravitates towards that view. People say it affects you eventually and I wonder if that is true. In some ways, it is the most honest type of music in relation to humanity. It reflects our suffering, our anger, our imperfections... It outlines our need for something greater than ourselves.

As an ending aside, distorted cello is the bomb.

Music

Music is a language. It crosses the voids between cultures, it fills the gaps between words, it melts the ice of stark civility. It does not define or explain emotion - it becomes emotion, expressing the sentiments of the soul.

Time winds on...

Crank, crank, crank...

I am extremely grateful to Rimsky-Korsakov for orchestrating many works by other Russian composers that would otherwise fall beyond the edge of gnarly and well into the realm of insanity. That being said, there is still much chromaticism to conquer... onward my brave stragglers of the community orchestra, that notable band...

Sarcasm seems to be reigning supreme this weekend. As well as bad humor.

"I used to work at a fire hydrant factory. It was terrible. You couldn't park anywhere near the place."

 "My dog has no nose." 
       -"Oh really? How does he smell?"
"Awful!"

"I never could believe in Santa Claus, because no white dude would ever go near my neighborhood after dark."

"Cruisers' plans are carved in Jell-O."

"It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning."

A Piece of Blue Sky...

It's clouded back over today. Not really what I wanted, but I suppose I can deal with it. I'm going to start working on German again. I don't know exactly why, I'd just hate to lose it all. The last few days it started uncovering itself in my mind and I'd try to remember the words and phrases for things. I forgot the word for Table - can't believe that- Der Tisch...

New-to-me cd of Yiruma, First Love. I like his creativity, but I almost wish he'd follow through with the Inevitability and let the ideas develop a little more. No need for new material, but just let the Inevitability work itself out and escape near-repetition. Unfortunately, most of the jacket is in Korean... one of the few parts in English is a poem he wrote:

When the love falls in your dream,
the time flows like a river in you.
When you're in love,
that is the time when the night falls.
But I wish you wait until the morning comes.
I've finally found you.

I was having this discussion of sorts with a friend about the importance of romance in a love story. It would be an interesting love story that had no romance in it, but wouldn't it be rather dry? It would just be so much work. Which was his point. I can see how that would be useful, but how is it realistic? True, our imaginations conjure up more romance than there actually is, but how could a love story exist without it? Every beautiful action taken in love is how it makes itself known. Those are the things you notice, and then you realize it's presence and it is an exquisite moment. It's true I am a romantic, so I suppose I should stop arguing and realize that the Romantic era is technically past with impressionism and and huge emotional paintings. Somehow the ideas still live on, though. With certain individuals who can't reconcile themselves to this age of technological advancement...   

Not Too Shabby

Andrew Del Monte is one of my newest favourite composers, and it's nearly impossible to find any of his works online because he composes mostly for his high school choir. Happily, however, a friend from chorale uploaded our performances of two of his fabulous compositions. Surprisingly, we did a pretty clean job of it, if I may say so. Please listen and discover:

Il Mio Cuore and Homeward Bound by Andrew Del Monte

Dreams

I don't get the impact of women's choirs. Men's choirs are powerful and deep in tone, children's choirs are sweet and innocent, boy's choirs are sonorous and emotionally moving. But women's choirs? The deep tone that is meant to reside in the bassline is lost in the difficult range of the alto voice; the notes below middle C do not have the resonance they might if they were sung by a tenor.

Besides my initial dislike of the blend of voices in a women's choir, the text of this particular piece, The Beauty of Your Dreams, is decidedly lacking. It's extracted from a single quote, which perhaps isn't the exact problem. The song builds in tonal depth as phrases are repeated, in what I think is generally called a more pointillistic approach. But the actual text does not build in depth, and it fails to inspire me. It talks about believing in your dreams, casting out fear, and facing the unknown. Unfortunately it doesn't explain how to cast out fear or where that strength eminates from. What if your dreams are not philanthropic? What if your dreams are ugly? Of course the philosophical perspective of extreme humanism it comes from is rather radical (that would be dictionary-definition of 'radical,' not slang for 'cool'). I mean, for this text to be inspiring you'd have to believe we all have wonderful dreams to create a better society for all humanity, that we have minimal evil intentions and are not swayed by greed or lust, and apparently we have super powers for facing fear and conquering the unknown. It's just not realistic enough to pull your heart strings or strike a chord with the soul.

Maybe she's talking not about visionary dreams, but literal dreams! Except there are very few literal dreams I would ever want to believe in, or hope to come true. I rarely remember my dreams, but this week I haven't slept without them, or actually remembering them that is. They're all very frustrating, though. Some of my worst were being able to understand English, but only thinking and talking in German, and more recently searching for something or someone and I didn't know what it was and I couldn't stop till I found it or them, and it just went on forever. Never did figure out what or who I was looking for. That's a tangent, it really has nothing to do with the song...

I keep coming back to Robert Burns, and the way his writing touches everyone. If you get past the Scottish slang, he is the everyday man's man. He writes about falling, about picking ourselves up to struggle on with the human life, loving with the depths of our being, death and taxes. In essence he explains following your dreams, and the human battle for existence. For indeed, isn't existence the simplest of dreams? He is a different pot of ink altogether, but that is the kind of dream, the facing of fears and the unknown, the beautiful dreams that relate to every man. Those are dreams that I do believe are beautiful, and are actually worth believing in.

Stats

Beethoven was genius. Nothing is randomly thrown together; it's all thought out beforehand. He doesn't include something because it was popular, there's so much more to his process than that. He is "an unrestrained personality" according to Guerter. That doesn't denote alot of mystery to his process or his message.

If you're going to play some Irish songs, don't bring your fancy schmancy classical bowing and nonrhythmical accompaniment ideas - forget all that and fiddle like a peasant! Please, it would sound SO much better and stylistic.

Congratulations to Ukraine, Slovenia, Germany and the UK for being my top viewers after the US. And the Android users, who make up 11% of the systems used to view this blog. Haha

Monday!

I honestly don't get the point of teenagers with minimal singing talent exposing themselves to the world's ears with the help of companies using synth machines. Besides money... But even from a financial perspective, wouldn't it be worth more to find someone who really has some talent in singing and songwriting? Or at least if you find a kid you like, give them some vocal lessons and some initiative for improvement. If they have a good stage personality (obviously we can't overlook the performance factor, which appears the largest) that's excellent, but you need someone who cares about the artistic and musical sense. What kind of impression do you think you're making on the younger generation?! Look at the crap they will consider to be "good music" just because it made it to MTV.

I think Pablo Cassalls is an amazing example of a prudent musician who made it to fame - because he was a good musician. He studied the Bach cello preludes for 15years before he even performed them for anyone. Our younger stars wouldn't have to go to that extreme, but really think what a difference it would make if they actually spent time gaining musicianship skills and really immersing themselves in the material. Even if it's pop - I don't care what genre it is - they need to take the time, really study it, know it backwards and forwards. Really understand it. Then I might have some respect for them. They may go through fire because they're famous, but that isn't any sort of excuse for cheap music.

Have you ever shot a man before? -No. Have you ever held a gun before? -No. What do you do for a living? -I'm a hairstylist. chk-chk.

I have not watched a more pointless movie in a long time. I can't remember one that was more random. It was about Brooklyn mobsters, a dude hairstylist, a hot chick, and a kangaroo wearing a red jacket with $50grand in the pocket. Set in the outback of Australia. Told you it was random. There were some funny lines, I'll admit ("This is the most romantic moment of my life. *splash* And now it's over.") and the kangaroo was awesome (actually the only awesome part of the movie), but overall it was the biggest waste of time in at least the past year. Afterward I modified that Relient K song, Crayons Can Melt on Us for All I Care... "I. Just wasted. 90minutes of your Life."

Gave in to the coffee this morning. How can you say no to espresso roast?... But I'm going to make up for those 90 wasted minutes last night and work on the Fauré Requiem. Singing in Latin is an interesting experience. Especially when you really don't understand it, and you hope the English translation underneath is somewhat accurate.

Väsen is coming to town Wednesday, March 16th! Amazing trad band from Sweden, performing at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center. Tickets available here. Might have to skip rehearsal for that one.

Celestial Navigation & the End of the World

Today I was informed about many spectacular things I never imagined could be floating out there. The end of 2011 is the end of the world in the Mayan calendar. 2012 is apparently the year we reach a "solar maxim" when the sun puts out an enormous amount of solar flares containing electromagnetic radiation, which apparently will destroy most of our satellites, and possible fry our electrical grid, which may take years afterwards to reconstruct so it works again. Needless to say, we will lose all internet, cell phone, and basically any electronic form of communication. We will be informed 6minutes before it hits by a satellite put up specifically for that purpose. Amazing theory. Can't wait to see if it happens.

First navigation class. I realized afterwards that I probably went way too fast with the concepts. Not many questions, and haphazard lame answers to the few that were asked... Please remind me I never want to be a professional teacher.

Page 3 of Goltermann is coming along, I'm so happy to be on to the beautiful theme in Bminor, it's so sonorous compared to the lively 1st and 2nd themes. Like something you want to sing whenever you see something beautiful. It's like a flower opening, a ripe apple falling to the grass, the sail filling with wind on a downwind course, the perfect ride on a fantastic wave, the unconditional love of the eternal Father.

Rethink...

I think Christian bands should stop imitating the secular ones - you all sound the same - come up with something new! ... Explanation of why the Classical station is the only one worth listening to - ever. Irish Rhapsody no. 6 by Stanford is the awesomest I've heard in a long time.

The picture of a paramilitary school is somewhat frightening... At least I have a better idea of what I'm getting into. Not sure I like the prospect... However, I believe there's room in the dorms, and the ship cabins, for the cello. Because if the cello doesn't go, I don't go. End of story.

The cello needs a bridge job, and something funky is going on with the C string; the harmonic on the 5th doesn't tune to the rest of it - which is terrible terrible... A performance major is looking more attractive than usual at this point.

Career Advice and Robbing Trains

Do What You Love. That's what a lot of people tell me. I think it's true to an extent. But like most rules, there must be exceptions... what if you love more than one thing, and they're virtually incompatible? Mine aren't completely, but it would take some figuring out to make them both work at the same time. Thoughts to chew on... What if the thing you love is robbing trains?...

The Great Train Robbery - it was excellent! Having never read Michael Chrichton before, I was pleasantly surprised with his writing style. I could really believe he totally researched Victorian culture, the way he wrote about everything made me feel like I was in it, living it. Parts of it were grungy, but it made the Victorian underworld seem so realistic. And the antihero factor. You really got to admire Edward Pierce as a criminal and supermind. Always so cool and collected, outrageous... and terribly evil. The societal issues at stake were remarkable. On reflection, it was rather like reading a Sherlock Holmes novel from the backside, or the criminal's point of view.

The cello has been tucked away in the livingroom for about a week now, deprived and ignored. The piano and the Bach Chorales have been recieving most of the attention lately, because they're part of my class grades... However, I have a little time for more challenging work; mainly the rest of the first cello suite.....

Beauty is the expurgation of the superfluous.
-Michaelangelo

Reflections on a Rainy Day

There is a drip, drip, upon my windowpane. Outside the trees moan as the wind brushes them aside. Speedily, speedily, she rushes along; she must make haste, but to what end? Passing over hill and valley, pond and knoll, to lull herself to sleep, then silently ruffle the blossoms of a cherry tree; no more threatening than a child’s breath.

The trees and their agony can be heard throughout the valley. Their cries from an unknown world shiver up their roots and extend to their very leaves and twigs, where the wind pulls their voices from them and the air is filled with their shrieks. Then for a moment there is silence while the wind gathers her strength, and the quiet melody of the raindrops is allowed its chance to sing.

Softly, quietly, beautifully they voice their song, pattering on fern and rock, path and roof. The gutter-water begins its drone as it channels its way along its travels, while the ever-present drops delicately chime a harmony. Each raindrop, completely singular, straight from heaven, where the Master bids them where to go. Perfectly beautiful spheres, a majestic touch of creation, something so innocent as they glide down the glass of the window that one could forget the harm they once wrought.