Snarky and biased, yet well-researched and informed takes about classical music and music history by a musicologist with too much passion and zero tone control. Made by Amelia Awan (she/her). Cover art by Dee Drury (she/they).
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"I began it three days ago and am writing with difficulty, not for wont of new ideas, but because of the novelty of the form. One requires six independent yet homogeneous voices. This is unimaginably difficult." - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, 1890
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Talk to me about this on tumblr! https://www.tumblr.com/musicianrambles Thank you to my dear friend DeeDee for proofreading this episode for me! BIBLIOGRAPHY: Bunzel, J.H., Porter, R.P. and Goldman, D.P. (1991) "Black and white at Stanford", National Affairs. |Capell, R. (1938). Beethoven. Music & Letters, 19(4), 375–390 | Clark, P. (2020) "‘Beetho…
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You know, I'm starting to notice that my vocal inflections are extremely different when talking about pieces I really really care about.
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It must be a rule for all inventors to be extremely weird at this point. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Debenham, M. (2014). Joseph Merlin in London, 1760–1803: the Man behind the Mask. | Incledon, Charles Benjamin. "John Joseph Merlin: The Celebrated Mechanic". Broadsheet. Retrieved 12 July 2018 | Rimbault, Edward Francis (1895). Clinch, George (ed.). Soho and Its…
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This is the reason my standards are so high. I cannot listen to chamber music that isn't this and it is an Issue. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Tchaikovsky, P. I "Дневники П. И. Чайковского (1873-1891)"
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Two things: I am aware that talking about someone's first symphony isn't a good indication of them as a composer. I will cover a larger work when I have more time. No, I will not be posting another analysis this month.
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I genuinely want 50 pieces just like this one. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Luque Fernández, A. “The Works Of Manuel Quiroga: a Catalogue” | Samson, J. “Tempo”, no. 167, 1988
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This man cannot hold a relationship to save his life bless him. BIBLIOGRAPHY: POZNANSKY, A. (1998). Tchaikovsky: A Life Reconsidered. In L. KEARNEY (Ed.), Tchaikovsky and His World (pp. 3–54). | Tchaikovsky's letters (as found on http://en.tchaikovsky-research.net/pages/Letters)
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Happy Valentines month! Here is another programme work that I prefer to Symphonie Fantastique :)
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Take a note of the number of times I mention Tchaikovsky despite him having literally nothing to do with this story. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Maddocks, F "Rachmaninoff In Exile: Goodbye Russia" | Poznansky, A "Tchaikovsky: A Life Reconsidered" | Steinberg, M "The Concerto: A Listener's Guide"
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BIBLIOGRAPHY: Block, A.F. (2000). Amy Beach: Passionate Victorian | Block, A. F. (1994). A “Veritable Autobiography”? Amy Beach’s Piano Concerto in C-Sharp Minor, op. 45. The Musical Quarterly, 78(2), 395–416. http://www.jstor.org/stable/742549 | Rushing, K. C. (2000). Amy Beach's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in C-sharp Minor, Op. 45: A histori…
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TW: References to sexual harassment and misogyny. The Snow Maiden being aromantic is my new favourite headcanon.
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I love egregious use of the wind section!!!
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TW: Suicide mention I really wish rich people started keeping artists as pets again. BIBLIOGRAPHY: POZNANSKY, A. (1998). Tchaikovsky: A Life Reconsidered. In L. KEARNEY (Ed.), Tchaikovsky and His World (pp. 3–54). | Tchaikovsky's letters (as found on http://en.tchaikovsky-research.net/pages/Letters)
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BIBLIOGRAPHY: Berlioz, H "Symphonie Fantastique Programme Notes: 1845 Edition" | Berlioz, H "Symphonie Fantastique Programme Notes: 1855 Edition" | Codeine Monograph for professionals. (n.d.). Drugs.com. | "Documentation of a heroin manufacturing process in Afghanistan. BULLETIN ON NARCOTICS, Volume LVII, Nos. 1 and 2, 2005" (PDF). United Nations O…
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Fun game: count how many times I make noises of sheer exhaustion and disappointment in this episode. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Berlioz, Hector "Memoirs" | Lockspeiser, Edward, et al. “Unpublished Letters of Harriet Smithson and Berlioz.” The Musical Times, vol. 79, no. 1150 | Raby, Peter "Fair Ophelia: a life of Harriet Smithson Berlioz"…
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Fun game: count every time I chastize Haydn's existence in this one. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Brown, Rachel “Telemann Fantasias: a feat of ingenuity and inspiration” | Min, KyoungJoo. Analyses of the twelve fantasies for solo flute (1732-1733) and the twelve fantasies for solo violin (1735) of G. Ph. Telemann (with suggestions for performance). | Zohn, Steven…
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Enemies to lovers, speedrun, 100k, comfort/hurt. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Banks, Paul "Mahler." The Musical Times 129, no. 1739 | Barry, Barbara R. "The Hidden Program In Mahler's Fifth Symphony" The Musical Quarterly, vol. 77, no. 1 | Kravitt, Edward F. "Mahler's Dirges for His Death: Februrary 24, 1901" The Musical Quarterly, vol. 64, no. 3, 1978 | Mahler, …
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I will shove the 2nd movement in everyone's faces if it is the last thing I do. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Saccenti, Edoardo, et al. “Beethoven’s Deafness and His Three Styles.” | Solomon, Mayanard. "Beethoven" | Solomon, Maynard. “On Beethoven’s Deafness.” | https://youtu.be/yKl4T5BnhOA?si=c_RWGhmxQO2blJBePor Amelia Awan
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Look, I'm not saying he wasn't partially justified, but he had no right to expect to be treated like a saint when so many others before and after him suffered so much more! Anyway I would adore this kind of position and he's very selfish for not making the most of it.
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Today I ramble about my favourite Chopin piece and what makes it so authentic for his work. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Huneker, J. (1915). The Classic Chopin. The Musical Quarterly, 1(4), 519–525. http://www.jstor.org/stable/738063 Kallberg, J. (1985). Chopin’s Last Style. Journal of the American Musicological Society, 38(2), 264–315. https://doi.org/10.2307/83…
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