myTunes

I never did get classical music, but The Nooj introduced me to some damn good stuff, including the musical style called the Sonata Defn:”Instrumental genre in several movements for soloist or small ensemble.” as well as the Adagio: a composition played in adagio tempo (slowly and gracefully).

There’s a piece called Adagio for Strings.
It was on this album she passed on, I gave her Sh Hamza Yusuf, she gave me music, for the record…
This Adagio for Strings, it really is quite good. I was so impressed I Googled it and this is one thing that was written about it:

“You never are in any doubt about what this piece is about, says music historian Barbara Heyman. “There’s a kind of sadness and poetry about it. It has a melodic gesture that reaches an arch, like a big sigh… and then exhales and fades off into nothingness.”

A YouTube clip can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dPDO3Tfab0&feature=related

The link plays the tune against the backdrop of a poem, to make it ULTRA cheesy.But great nonetheless.Listen “slowly” though. There’s a part when it goes crazy intense. Then it just falls.And starts again, slowly. The audio I have is only about 5 mins long, the YouTube clip pasted is way too long, 10mins! But worth it. Be patient.But really rather try to get the shorter clip.

As for the Sonata, also from Nooj’s album (titled: Best Classical Album in the World), this one is ok: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQVeaIHWWck , by Beethoven.

But this other Sonata is really good, by some Satie dude, described as:

The melodies of the pieces use deliberate, but mild, dissonances against the harmony, producing a piquant, melancholy effect that matches the performance instructions, which are to play each piece “slowly”, “dolorously” or “gravely”

Listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUJd_QPnuSU&feature=related.

The nice thing about this last one by Satie, is the simplicity. It’s a SOLO act. Simple AND Solo.
I really like it.
Try and listen to it, forget the unpopular connotations of high brow classical stuff, it’s just a really good tune.
I don’t know much, and don’t intend to learn more about classical music deliberately, but these are just great tunes.

And for a blast from the past, here’s a tune I recalled recently with some old friends, can’t beat it for swagger and for schooldays nostalgia, HOTStEppER: another: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7MK5Esy-L0

And if you’re still reading, I just want to take this opportunity to tell you all that I think iTunes SUCKS.
And if there’s any niche thing you’re into, that you’re willing to share, please do. Even at the high risk of me not getting it.

If you’re budgeting on bandwith, just watch the Satie clip, the Piano sonata.
If you’re NOT budgeting on bandwith check these two movie clips out, by Al Pacino:
Scent of a Woman –> Integrity http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH4p9BQ3V9o&feature=related
Any Given Sunday –> Life’s a game of inches http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO4tIrjBDkk

(I’ve had a 2 gig data bundle for the last few months).