Okay, if there’s anything I’ve noticed since becoming a music student and taking aural theory is that slowly, but surely, all musicians go a little crazy because hearing becomes such a vital and heavily used sense. I mean, sure: you need vision to see the music you’re playing or viewing, and the sense of touch to play your instrument (if you aren’t a singer). I don’t know if taste or smell exactly play into performance, but if you can think of a way, then let me know! Haha.
Anyway, since taking my first (and now completed!) semester of aural theory, I’ve noticed that I’m much more tuned in to what I hear around me. What’s weirder is that even speaking and hearing people talk has a much bigger effect on me. For example, I’m taking a German course right now and I find the sounds and shapes of it to be very intriguing compared to a more nasal language like French, or a more percussive language like Spanish. What I’m getting at is that there’s something about the guttural (and albeit “a little” angry sounding) sound of German that makes it seem very intellectual and somewhat pretty. I still hold Italian to be the prettiest sounding language…but German comes at a close second.
Now, on to my main topic. I was studying for my German final tonight, and while browsing through my iTunes library, I was definitely in the mood for some choral music. I like listening to classical music (as in, more contemporary sounding classical music) while studying, especially for German. I have an entire Pandora Radio station devoted to 20th Century piano music just for the occasion. As I was looking through, I was definitely in the mood for some of my favorite choral composer: Morten Lauridsen. This man’s work never fails to astonish me. I hadn’t listened all the way through his Mid-Winter Songs song cycle in awhile, so I flicked it on.
Now, mind you: even though I was getting a lot accomplished with German, I am much more in tune with my hearing. As the cycle progressed to movement three, “She tells her love while half asleep,” I all of a sudden started noticing the unsurpassed beauty of this whole work, let alone the seamless craft of Lauridsen’s work. All of his ever-changing harmonic foundations bring a vitality to the work that I honestly can’t comprehend or put into words. By movement four, “Mid-winter waking,” I couldn’t help but stop what I was doing to just listen.
You know how after you’ve listened to a song for a while, you’ll sometimes put it away or not listen for a while because you’re so tired of it? But then when you finally listen to it again, you start noticing things in that song you never noticed before? That’s how I felt about Mid-Winter Songs. I couldn’t help but just write down how I discovered a new found love of this song cycle. If you’re interested, I recommend you listen to Polyphony’s recording on their album, “Lauridsen: Nocturnes” with the Britten Sinfonia. While you’re at it, listen to the three Nocturnes on that album. I originally only intended on buying movement three from the Nocturnes (the prominent “Sure on this shining night”), but on a whim, I purchased the other two. Best. Decision. Ever.
I guess that pretty much wraps up what was on my mind tonight. Of course, there are many other things I could discuss, but I think my first post is plenty long already.
