ClarineTesst

Music for 18 Musicians — Steve Reich

minimalist piece, it’s very light and airy. VERY feel-good, excellent for when you need to focus on writing or reading and you need something to blend into the background. Think nature documentaries, or Alto’s Adventure if you’re familiar. Section IIIA is probably my favorite out of the piece, and one of the most “intense” of the sections.

https://youtu.be/ZXJWO2FQ16c

String Quartet Nos. 4 and 5 — Phillip Glass

MORE minimalist pieces— these are usually very accessible, and always fun to listen to.

4 - Just. Very beautiful. Can’t pick a fave out of this one, tbh.

5 - bc it’s minimalism, there’s a heavy emphasis on rhythm. So, there’s a lot of changing time signatures. That being said, my fave movement out of this one would prob be Mvt. III

https://youtu.be/tr_xhO02Ikw

Symphony No. 1 — William Grant Still

An amazing early century work, heavily influenced by blues and jazz— both in harmony and rhythm. My favorite movement for this one would be Mvt. I, it just pushes and pulls SO beautifully.

https://youtu.be/8hzFcm6HCeI

Blue Cathedral — Jennifer Higdon

Absolutely gorgeous one-mvt piece, ethereal in some parts. Honestly that sums it up as well as I can, it’s just very very good.

https://youtu.be/-8E06h8pZiY

Short Ride in a Fast Machine — John Adams

It’s just. So good. Another one-mvt piece, this one plays around with rhythms and such, as you do, and that opening woodblock is so fucking iconic???

https://youtu.be/5LoUm_r7It8

The Planets — Gustav Holst

One that a lot of us are probably familiar with, yes, a basic choice, but damn. If you know The Planets, there’s also a good chance you know that this is the thing that influenced the Star Wars soundtrack! (I actually haven’t seen a Star Wars movie all the way thru, but a cool fact nonetheless.) my fave movements would be Jupiter and Neptune bc I can’t pick one OOPS.

https://youtu.be/be7uEyyNIT4

Fire in my Mouth and Dig Deep — Julia Wolfe

Mrs. Wolfe. My personal fave. She has SO MUCH GOOD STUFF???? Not necessarily minimalistic, but def has aspects like overlapping and complex rhythms

Fire in my Mouth — four movement oratorio based on the women who passed in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, absolutely chilling. I teared up many times listening to this, bc of both the sound and the message. I would recommend reading the libretto while listening for some more context, which is free on her website. If you like this, I’d also recommend Anthracite Fields and Steel Hammer.

https://youtu.be/HuaY-SD8-XM

(just the first mvt oops)

Dig Deep — a one-mvt string quartet with heavy, driving rhythms and little flutters of melody at first. It gets more frantic, somehow, as it goes on but it’s SO GOOD.

https://youtu.be/_qEjNu5Skhw

The Rite of Spring — Igor Stravinsky

Probably the other one most of us are familiar with, but worth mentioning anyway. My fave movement would have to be Mvt. IV, when he takes that melody heard in Mvt II (a close second) and makes it darker, and recontextualizes it into a minor key. Chills every time.

https://youtu.be/EkwqPJZe8ms

Concerto Grosso No. 1 — Alfred Schnittke

20th century polystylist piece. A little less accessible based on reactions I’ve seen to this one, but,,, it’s SO SO good. A lot of dissonance and such, very varied sounds within. My favorite movement would def have to be Mvt. II — Toccata. It’s SO energetic, and then the harpsichord that comes in?? And the theme variates in this just absolutely frenzied and intense way??? GOD. Might be my absolute favorite.

https://youtu.be/M3Xehs1rHfM

Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima (8’37’’) — Krzysztof Penderecki

An intense title, yes. An experimental piece that uses indeterminacy and a lot of tone clusters. It’s VERY cool for what it is as an experiment of sound.

https://youtu.be/Pu371CDZ0ws

classical music is my whole life. my highest highs, my lowest lows, everything in-between. a few of my favorites, categorized by mood:

music that wrecks me:

tomaso antonio vitali: chaconne in g minor

ludwig van beethoven: string quartet no. 15 in a minor

arvo pärt: cantus in memory of benjamin britten / spiegel im spiegel

gregorio allegri: miserere mei, deus

frédéric chopin: nocturne in g minor / prelude in d-flat major

franz schubert: trio no. 2, op. 100, andante con moto

ludwig van beethoven: symphony no. 3, mvt ii

j.s. bach: toccata and fugue in d minor: ii. fugue

johannes brahms: ein deutsches requiem: ii

music that brings me back:

ludwig van beethoven: moonlight sonata: iii. presto agitato 

henri vieuxtemps: violin concerto no. 5 in a minor: iii. allegro con fuoco

antonio vivaldi: violin concerto in e minor

j.s. bach: harpsichord concerto in d minor / piano concerto in a minor: iii

ludwig van beethoven: symphony no. 7: ii. allegretto

camille saint-saëns: introduction and rondo capriccioso

niccolò paganini: violin concerto no. 2 in b minor: iii. “la campanella”

franz schubert: quartet no. 14 in d minor (“death and the maiden”)

edvard grieg: piano concerto in a minor, op. 16

pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky: the nutcracker: scene xiv - pas de deux

music that makes me yearn:

w.a. mozart: piano concerto no. 21 in c major, k. 461: ii. andante

ludwig van beethoven: piano concerto no. 5 in e-flat major, op. 73: ii. adagio / sonata “pathetique” op. 13: ii. adagio cantabile

g.f. handel: sarabande in d minor, hwv 437

j.s. bach: adagio from concerto no. 3 in d minor

ludwig van beethoven: piano concerto no. 3 in c minor, op. 37: ii. largo

erik satie: gnossiennes

claude debussy: suite bergamesque, clair de lune, no. 3

franz liszt: liebestraum no. 3, notturno

gabriel fauré: après un rêve

frédéric chopin: nocturne in c-sharp minor / nocturne in b-flat minor

w.a. mozart: piano concerto no. 23: ii. adagio

franz schubert: 4 impromptus, op. 90, d. 899: no. 3 in g-flat: andante

christoph willibald von gluck: dance of the blessed spirits, orfeo ed euridice

music that feels like a dark fairy-tale:

béla bartók: romanian folk dances, sz. 56 - iii. 

claude debussy: children’s corner, l. 113: iv. the snow is dancing

hildur guðnadóttir: leyfðu ijósinu 

christoph willibald von gluck: melodie, orfeo ed euridice

gabriel fauré: pavane op. 50

jean-philippe rameau: le rappel des oiseaux

camille saint-saëns: le carnaval des animaux: aquarium

jean sibelius: nocturne op. 51, no. 3

heinrich wilhelm ernst: grand caprice on schubert’s der erlkönig, op. 26 

pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky: swan lake (suite), op. 20: i. scene (swan theme)

franz schubert: schwanengesang: ständchen, d. 957

music that reminds me of dusty practice rooms, quiet cobblestone streets after the opera, and resonant cathedral bells:

w.a. mozart: piano sonata in c-major, k. 545: ii. adagio 

w.a. mozart: piano sonata no. 11, k. 331: i. theme (andante grazioso)

ludwig van beethoven: piano sonata in g-major, op. 49, no. 2

franz schubert: impromptu op. 142, d.935: no. 3 in b-flat, var 3

w.a. mozart: deh vieni non tardar, le nozze di figaro

j.s. bach: invention 1 / invention 6 / goldberg variations

stephen heller: 30 études mélodiques et progressives: op. 46, no. 8

j.b. cramer: 60 selected studies: étude no. 10

arcangelo corelli: concerto grosso in g minor: ii. allegro

some devastatingly beautiful soundtracks and instrumental pieces:

sufjan stevens: untitled (all delighted people side d - ep) 

ólafur arnalds: improvisations /  loftið verður skyndilega kalt / erla’s waltz 

max richter: three worlds - music from woolf works

hildur guðnadóttir: strokur / torrek / Þoka / elevation 

keaton henson: romantic works / la naissance

coeur de pirate: pilgrims on a long journey / leave your castle

dario marianelli: atonement / pride and prejudice

abel korzeniowski: evgeni’s waltz / come, gentle night

yann tiersen: comptine d’un autre été, l’après-midi 

and some vocal shout-outs:

g.b. pergolesi: stabat mater

j.s. bach: quia respexit, magnificat in d major

a. scarlatti: mentro io godo, il giardino di rose

g.f. handel: ombra mai fu, serse

w.a. mozart: in quali eccessi…mi tradi, don giovanni

gaetano donizetti: il dolce suono, lucia di lammermoor

vincenzo bellini: casta diva, norma

I’m just procrastinating:

  1 - if you love jazz, French-shit, ballads, Serge Gainsbourg and fine wine:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6NDvLsBHmFQJINqCwAoWdR?si=ixdqAI6VROukqCM6dE3w9Q

 2 - if you’re terminally chill:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1HiMkOpIZZbJ1NtEUbompt?si=9aWxdlNxTgqnlecY65_jUw

3 - if you appreciate Taylor Swift, softness and good song-writing:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2aR0Z99p28lh8fpfs706CC?si=mIuZtg_8Sx2a-yo7ytzvXQ

4 - if you’re interested in ambitious electronic music: 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/68IlMIWeF1d7bT5pl1ZAGZ?si=ktrVB-MfSnWMmFzp2BT6ZQ

5 - if you’re a romantic cow-bitch: 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6F3lA4luMltIkfxfQUBsv9?si=cGYkNIzwQ7-qo6Bzxmo-iQ

6 - if you are smart enough to worship Italian masterpieces:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0XsZ3mqTYanD2EnhtXKtvL?si=hNadHUtJREKHfdAClC-KmQ

7 - classic jazz:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2QO6wvtet2h9EQMAhJSLeT?si=EMtai6TgQpS86NjVf-HS8g

8 - some of my favorite composers:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2F4v2Watw2KmfSBluOZF7p?si=IXwVWXypRtqrgFkPOh6_Yw

9 - Taylor Swift but pop:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/69R0YS9VvqtxmwSdU8Tg2s?si=EL59IvY1TTyi9TlvkWjznQ

10 - Dmitry Shostakovich was a god:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX8xxSIOk0dAz?si=zS4NUkL-Tw68xb0abEnNHw

11 - jazz but New Orleans: 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DXbLsFIeybF20?si=RNfsegsLRSSwDztdHWlKFA

12 - if you want to know what I loved to listen when I was sixteen: 

Das Lied von der Erde // The Song of the Earth

If you feel like you’ve seen this alread, that’s normal. This list of recommendation has been previously posted on my first account @praestantias which has been deleted for some reasons. So here I am, reposting it. 

Hating how elitist and eurocentric the dark academia community became, I would truly appreciate that you leave some recommendation of book written by people of color, for I noticed that I am guilty of the eurocentric part, but I am really want to educate myself and read more non-white books. 

Pride & Prejudice (2005), dir. Joe Wright