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Year of Wonder #1
Year of Wonder: Classical Music to Enjoy Day by Day
A unique celebration of classical music that showcases one inspirational piece each day of the year, written by an award-winning violinist and BBC Radio personality
Classical music has a reputation for being stuffy, boring, and largely inaccessible, but Burton-Hill is here to change that. An award-winning writer, broadcaster and musician, with a deep love of the art form she wants everyone to feel welcome at the classical party, and her desire to share her passion for its diverse wonders inspired this unique, enlightening, and expertly curated treasury. As she says, “The only requirements for enjoying classical music are open ears and an open mind.”
Year of Wonder introduces readers to one piece of music each day of the year, artfully selected from across genres, time periods, and composers. Burton-Hill offers short introductions to contextualize each piece, and makes the music come alive in modern and playful ways. From Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Puccini to George Gershwin, Clara Schumann, Philip Glass, Duke Ellington, and many remarkable yet often-overlooked voices, Burton-Hill takes us on a dazzling journey through our most treasured musical landscape.
Thoughtfully curated and masterfully researched, Year of Wonder is a book of classical music for everyone. Whether you’re a newcomer or an aficionado, Burton-Hill’s celebration will inspire, nourish, and enrich your life in unexpected ways.
Classical music has a reputation for being stuffy, boring, and largely inaccessible, but Burton-Hill is here to change that. An award-winning writer, broadcaster and musician, with a deep love of the art form she wants everyone to feel welcome at the classical party, and her desire to share her passion for its diverse wonders inspired this unique, enlightening, and expertly curated treasury. As she says, “The only requirements for enjoying classical music are open ears and an open mind.”
Year of Wonder introduces readers to one piece of music each day of the year, artfully selected from across genres, time periods, and composers. Burton-Hill offers short introductions to contextualize each piece, and makes the music come alive in modern and playful ways. From Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Puccini to George Gershwin, Clara Schumann, Philip Glass, Duke Ellington, and many remarkable yet often-overlooked voices, Burton-Hill takes us on a dazzling journey through our most treasured musical landscape.
Thoughtfully curated and masterfully researched, Year of Wonder is a book of classical music for everyone. Whether you’re a newcomer or an aficionado, Burton-Hill’s celebration will inspire, nourish, and enrich your life in unexpected ways.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published October 5, 2017
About the author
Clemency Burton-Hill
7 books61 followersClemency Burton-Hill (born Clemency Margaret Greatrex Burton-Hill, born 1 July 1981) is an English broadcaster, author, novelist, journalist and violinist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 256 reviews
December 31, 2022
Loved listening to these selections all year so much, I bought the next volume.
December 30, 2022
Loved the concept of this book and the well-written, sometimes witty, always insightful notes from the author. She covered many of my favourites and many not-so-well-known musical gems. The extra ‘tit bits’ about composers, performances and sometimes controversy were a delight.
Thank you, Laura, for your recommendation. It was spot on. A satisfying daily/weekly companion. If I missed an entry, it was fun going back and catching up.
I’ve got ‘Another Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Every Day’ by the same author. Wunderbar!
Thank you, Laura, for your recommendation. It was spot on. A satisfying daily/weekly companion. If I missed an entry, it was fun going back and catching up.
I’ve got ‘Another Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Every Day’ by the same author. Wunderbar!
November 1, 2018
This was a wonderful journey. I listened nearly every day and loved some of the new suggestions and disliked others.
January 1, 2020
I started this on January 1st and just finished it today. It is a separate movement from a classical piece for each day of the year, generally ranging from 2 to 20 minutes. In some cases motivated by the feeling of the day (like the champagne popping in the Johann Strauss waltz for today’s piece), in some cases the birthday, death day of the composer or the date of the composition, and in some cases even more arbitrary.
Clemency Burton-Hill is ecumenical in her tastes, incredibly enthusiastic, not remotely snobby—talks about pieces she listens to in the Tube, while doing housework, or reverentially in a concert hall. All of the major composers are here but with 366 days (yes, it has the leap day—so perfect for 2020), there are lots of women, non-European/Americans, and composers who are still alive and working—many of them under 50.
A book like this would have been impossible prior to streaming but with streaming I was able to listen to all 366 pieces (mostly on the designated day, but sometimes I did in groups because I got behind or felt like getting ahead). This introduced me to so many new pieces/composers that I downloaded and will help add to my listening next year and beyond.
If you like classical music and want to expand your horizons this is a great way to do it.
Clemency Burton-Hill is ecumenical in her tastes, incredibly enthusiastic, not remotely snobby—talks about pieces she listens to in the Tube, while doing housework, or reverentially in a concert hall. All of the major composers are here but with 366 days (yes, it has the leap day—so perfect for 2020), there are lots of women, non-European/Americans, and composers who are still alive and working—many of them under 50.
A book like this would have been impossible prior to streaming but with streaming I was able to listen to all 366 pieces (mostly on the designated day, but sometimes I did in groups because I got behind or felt like getting ahead). This introduced me to so many new pieces/composers that I downloaded and will help add to my listening next year and beyond.
If you like classical music and want to expand your horizons this is a great way to do it.
April 27, 2023
Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Every Day [2017]- ★★1/2
Despite Year of Wonder's noble intention to enthuse people with classical music, the book comes across as misguided and superfluous.
Clemency Burton-Hill, an author, broadcaster and journalist, has one of the most wonderful and “noble” intentions regarding this book. Through it, she desires to show her readers just how varied, beautiful, inspiring and life-changing classical music can be. This is a splendid goal, and Burton-Hill presents 365 classical pieces for each day of the year in her book, with the chosen pieces ranging wildly in style and stemming from all kinds of composers. Apart from distinctively classical compositions, the author introduces religious music, traditional songs (from Indian to Danish), film scores, modern minimalist music and jazzy pieces. At one end of the spectrum we have such big names as Purcell, Lully, Scarlatti, Tallis, Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, etc., at another – such composers as Vivaldi, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Ravel, Smetana, Sibelius, Strauss, Chopin, Satie, Saint-Saëns, Ligeti, etc., and yet at another – Bernstein, Morricone and Glass. The author is to be applauded for including many women composers in her book, including Hildegard of Bingen (1098 – 1179), Isabella Leonarda (1620 –1704), Florence Price (1887 – 1953) and Germaine Tailleferre (1892 – 1983). Overall, the selection of musical pieces is good, though sometimes odd and hardly introductory to classical music.
The main problem with this book is that Burton-Hill also provides the most annoying commentary to her chosen pieces. The author is definitely very passionate about classical music and genuinely wants to share this passion with others, but she may be said to go completely “overboard” with this desire. Her commentary beneath each chosen musical piece is in a strange diary-like format where she mixes weird Wikipedia-like trivia about composers with some dull biographical information about her own life. We read where she first heard this or that musical composition (or about it) – at her friends’ wedding, at a Christmas party, on a tube, etc., and what an amazing impact it had on her, helping her to get over a break-up or through a washing time. We read what a particular piece of music did to her insides at page 260, and every single entry ends on something similar to this line – “I hope you fall as hard for it as I did” [2017: 83].
Clemency Burton-Hill also uses language that more annoys, than informs or inspires her readers, writing constantly phrases like “this is something else” or “stay tuned”. There is a line between admiration and sincere praise, on the one hand, and incessant fanaticism, on the other, and the author leans to the latter, with the result being that her undying and absolute love for each and every piece and composer becomes exasperating to read. Surely, we all know how amazingly great Bach or Mozart were, but phrasing it this manner “Bach’s brain was…supercomputer” or “Bach was the daddy” [of everything in music] [2017: 11] is beyond cringeworthy. Her other entries are hardly helpful, for example, on page 26, for 16 January, we have Etude in C Sharp Minor, Op. 2 No. 1 by Alexander Scriabin (1872 – 1915) and this description beneath it: “Look sometimes what we just really need in the middle of January is music that feels like a large glass of red wine”….then the author adds “with sincere apologies to non-drinkers or those attempting a Dry January”. Similar weird and toe-curling attempts at lightness and humour pervade this book as the author later also “advertises” French and Brazilian cocktails.
🎻 Going further, I have to say that I have never in my life read such a brazen and inconsiderate portrayal of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s life and death as I read in Burton-Hill’s book, and her degrading description of Alexander Pushkin’s death is beyond insensitive. I understand and appreciate “reader-friendly” language and material which is “fun to read”, but there is got to be some limit to it at least sometimes. Burton-Hill writes on a Glinka piece: “Pushkin, by the way, had been intending to write the libretto, but unhelpfully got himself killed in a duel with his brother-in-law after the latter attempted to seduce his wife” [Burton-Hill, 2017: 180]. Only a person who has not the slightest respect for this greatest of all Russian poets or who has absolutely no idea about the state of the duel practice in Russia in Pushkin’s time could have written something like this. I do not even know what is worse in Burton-Hill’s sentence, the passive tense hint [“got himself”], that can be read as both “objectifying” the poet and somehow blaming him for the duel position he found himself in, the word “unhelpfully”, which seemingly puts a libretto above Pushkin’s life, or the generalisation “the latter attempted to seduce his wife”.
Despite Year of Wonder's noble intention to enthuse people with classical music, the book comes across as misguided and superfluous.
Clemency Burton-Hill, an author, broadcaster and journalist, has one of the most wonderful and “noble” intentions regarding this book. Through it, she desires to show her readers just how varied, beautiful, inspiring and life-changing classical music can be. This is a splendid goal, and Burton-Hill presents 365 classical pieces for each day of the year in her book, with the chosen pieces ranging wildly in style and stemming from all kinds of composers. Apart from distinctively classical compositions, the author introduces religious music, traditional songs (from Indian to Danish), film scores, modern minimalist music and jazzy pieces. At one end of the spectrum we have such big names as Purcell, Lully, Scarlatti, Tallis, Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, etc., at another – such composers as Vivaldi, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Ravel, Smetana, Sibelius, Strauss, Chopin, Satie, Saint-Saëns, Ligeti, etc., and yet at another – Bernstein, Morricone and Glass. The author is to be applauded for including many women composers in her book, including Hildegard of Bingen (1098 – 1179), Isabella Leonarda (1620 –1704), Florence Price (1887 – 1953) and Germaine Tailleferre (1892 – 1983). Overall, the selection of musical pieces is good, though sometimes odd and hardly introductory to classical music.
The main problem with this book is that Burton-Hill also provides the most annoying commentary to her chosen pieces. The author is definitely very passionate about classical music and genuinely wants to share this passion with others, but she may be said to go completely “overboard” with this desire. Her commentary beneath each chosen musical piece is in a strange diary-like format where she mixes weird Wikipedia-like trivia about composers with some dull biographical information about her own life. We read where she first heard this or that musical composition (or about it) – at her friends’ wedding, at a Christmas party, on a tube, etc., and what an amazing impact it had on her, helping her to get over a break-up or through a washing time. We read what a particular piece of music did to her insides at page 260, and every single entry ends on something similar to this line – “I hope you fall as hard for it as I did” [2017: 83].
Clemency Burton-Hill also uses language that more annoys, than informs or inspires her readers, writing constantly phrases like “this is something else” or “stay tuned”. There is a line between admiration and sincere praise, on the one hand, and incessant fanaticism, on the other, and the author leans to the latter, with the result being that her undying and absolute love for each and every piece and composer becomes exasperating to read. Surely, we all know how amazingly great Bach or Mozart were, but phrasing it this manner “Bach’s brain was…supercomputer” or “Bach was the daddy” [of everything in music] [2017: 11] is beyond cringeworthy. Her other entries are hardly helpful, for example, on page 26, for 16 January, we have Etude in C Sharp Minor, Op. 2 No. 1 by Alexander Scriabin (1872 – 1915) and this description beneath it: “Look sometimes what we just really need in the middle of January is music that feels like a large glass of red wine”….then the author adds “with sincere apologies to non-drinkers or those attempting a Dry January”. Similar weird and toe-curling attempts at lightness and humour pervade this book as the author later also “advertises” French and Brazilian cocktails.
🎻 Going further, I have to say that I have never in my life read such a brazen and inconsiderate portrayal of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s life and death as I read in Burton-Hill’s book, and her degrading description of Alexander Pushkin’s death is beyond insensitive. I understand and appreciate “reader-friendly” language and material which is “fun to read”, but there is got to be some limit to it at least sometimes. Burton-Hill writes on a Glinka piece: “Pushkin, by the way, had been intending to write the libretto, but unhelpfully got himself killed in a duel with his brother-in-law after the latter attempted to seduce his wife” [Burton-Hill, 2017: 180]. Only a person who has not the slightest respect for this greatest of all Russian poets or who has absolutely no idea about the state of the duel practice in Russia in Pushkin’s time could have written something like this. I do not even know what is worse in Burton-Hill’s sentence, the passive tense hint [“got himself”], that can be read as both “objectifying” the poet and somehow blaming him for the duel position he found himself in, the word “unhelpfully”, which seemingly puts a libretto above Pushkin’s life, or the generalisation “the latter attempted to seduce his wife”.
January 2, 2024
Borrowed Margaret's copy. Spent most of today (1/1/2024) in catching up from mid November, but I'm going to not include it in my 2024 count.
I was introduced to so much beautiful music in this book ... and some that I didn't care for. Overall, a worthwhile way to spend a year.
I only wish all of the selections were in Amazon Music; better yet in a playlist. I think I've heard there's a Spotify playlist, but I don't have that (yet).
I was introduced to so much beautiful music in this book ... and some that I didn't care for. Overall, a worthwhile way to spend a year.
I only wish all of the selections were in Amazon Music; better yet in a playlist. I think I've heard there's a Spotify playlist, but I don't have that (yet).
August 22, 2022
I knew by January 3 that I was going to love this book. By spring I was starting to dread the turning of pages. In September I hated to think that the book would be coming to an end.
You know the feeling you have when you wish a book was but the first in a series? That's how I felt about Year of Wonder. I could have gone on reading this book every day forever.
I found a copy of the book at the end of November. I also got a copy of the audiobook, thinking that it would include a bit of each piece, but, no, it did not. I found a playlist on Spotify that included almost all of the pieces in the book, and so my adventure began. Year of Wonder is a compilation of a short writing about a piece of music for each day of the year. I read the daily essay and then listened on Spotify to the musical selection. And I marked each selection that I especially liked and made a playlist of my own on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/52o....
I will look for more from Clemency Burton-Hill.
You know the feeling you have when you wish a book was but the first in a series? That's how I felt about Year of Wonder. I could have gone on reading this book every day forever.
I found a copy of the book at the end of November. I also got a copy of the audiobook, thinking that it would include a bit of each piece, but, no, it did not. I found a playlist on Spotify that included almost all of the pieces in the book, and so my adventure began. Year of Wonder is a compilation of a short writing about a piece of music for each day of the year. I read the daily essay and then listened on Spotify to the musical selection. And I marked each selection that I especially liked and made a playlist of my own on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/52o....
I will look for more from Clemency Burton-Hill.
May 25, 2022
I loved this book in which the author, a violinist, journalist and BBC presenter, curated some of the world's greatest classical music pieces from throughout the ages, including those of some lesser known composers! I found many gems, both ones old and new to me, and thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Burton-Hill's interesting comments about the composers and often, also, about how these particular pieces came to be. This book is a wonderful jumping-off point for further exploration of the composers she cites as well as for delving into the opus of those who may be new to the reader. I've just learned that she has published a new compilation of more curated music, "Another Year of Wonder", that I look forward to exploring when it crosses over the pond to the U.S. Published in 2021, it appears that, as of now, it's only available in the UK.
January 13, 2025
My boss gave me this book as a Christmas gift in 2023, and I remember thinking that it would be an excellent day-to-day bookmark for my life throughout the next year. I told myself that I would use it as a way to savor each day, finding the time to listen intently to each day's offering and reflect on what has happened over the course of that particular day, in conjunction with what I read about in Clemency Burton-Hill's write-up on the history of the piece.
For this reason, it made me feel many different things on both ends of a positive-negative spectrum, if only for what it symbolized, and for the unfair expectations I placed on it: pressure to be present each day and to be in the mood to discover something new, which wasn't always the case; joy at having found pieces that I never would have found on my own, with my rigid, artist-first view of the world; anxiety as I fell behind in the middle of the year; overwhelmed as I tried to double up on all the time I missed; unfair for missing the specific days I was to listen to specific pieces, as music always has a temporal and seasonal quality to me, meaning different things at different times of the year -- listening to a June piece in the middle of November certainly felt off-putting, while listening to a piece in February that always reminded me of September felt strange, as well; ecstasy when the book worked the way I wanted it to, some combination of sheer perceptional force and happy accident, depending on what was going on in my life and the way the piece interacted with events; and on and on.
In any case, one thing I'm learning about myself is that I place too much pressure on my expectation of things, something I've always been conscious and aware of but rarely have made much effort, at least as of late, to undo (I think I did a better job 7 or 8 years ago than I do now). If it's fighting your nature though, is it unwise? I tried to challenge that throughout my so-called "fun era" (which incidentally led to the drop off during the summer months in my listening activity) to middling results. Maybe 2025 will be my year of calm. But there I go again, setting a plan for something as unpredictable as whatever will happen tomorrow, or the next day, or the next month, or 6 months from now.
Nevertheless, many of my favorite pieces as they reminded me of the time that has passed, times that are now gone, times that were so intense that they stick out in my mind and feel as if I haven't left, are listed below:
January 1 - Mass in B minor, BWV 232, 3: Sanctus, by Johann Sebastian Bach
Coming back from a New Year's Eve party in which I left my closet light on, and coming down from a high in which I found people in the world who were like me (we follow each other on Goodreads, so if you're reading this, shoutout to you lot). I finally felt as if I had found a home outside of family, finally felt as if I found community, a word I wish to emphasize because, for some reason, it seems like it doesn't do justice to what I felt, as "feeling community" suggests so much more than just a group of people for whom you share common interests, lifestyles, and values. The word can't possibly suggest just how much I felt I belonged somewhere, but maybe it comes close. This piece greeted me with the hope I felt going into the New Year, that I would get so much of my film work done, learn a new language, heal the wounds of my previous relationship (2023's, that is), learn more about classical music, etc.
January 8 - Concerto Grosso in D major, op. 6 no. 1, 2: Largo, by Arcangelo Corelli
Learning about a baroque era artist not named Bach or Vivaldi had the effect of revealing just how small and ignorant you might feel when you start to understand just how much you don't know. Though it was later in the year, this piece came in handy with a sound engineer I worked with, but I'll get to that later.
January 9 - Requiem Mass, 3: Offertorio: Domine Jesu Christe, by Giuseppe Verde
The first piece I was absolutely obsessed with. Drove with brother in the car down some interstate highway, I don't remember where or what the occassion was; scenes of winter and dirty snow play whenever I hear this piece, though. Also think of Lo, who came to my apartment while I was getting ready for trivia. I told them how much I adored it and played it for them. They called their mother shortly after, saying something to the effect of, "He's literally listening to opera music unironically."
January 18 - 'Dirait-on' Should We Say, from Les chansons des roses, by Morten Lauridsen
A song that symbolized the hope, calm, and near inevitability of the start of a new romance for me. Another one that I was absolutely obsessed with.
January 21 - Trauermusik by Paul Hindemith
The story is remarkable. Also a love at first hearing type song, it reminded me of the recent rekindling of love I had for Francois Truffaut, whose 70s work seemed to intermingle with this piece, though of course it was after the fact (still figuring out how to write about the feeling of intensity I have towards certain works of art in one period of my life, and how the meaningfulness of that intensity gets reawakened by other work that reminds me of it; almost like seeing it anew through the lens of another artist). Nick came by about a month or two later, where I spoke about the anxiety of all the romances in my life over the past 7 or 8 months; Mr. Hindemith was playing in the background while we talked about his (PH's, not Nick's) frustration towards atonal music.
January 30 - Violin Sonata no 1 in A major, op. 13, 1: Allegro molto, by Gabriel Faure
I missed the last few days of listening at this point. I shut myself in my office, determined to catch up. I put my headphones on, closed my eyes. My boss knocked on my door, but I didn't hear her. She crept in, grabbed what she needed without my noticing, shut the door, and then laughed at me, a few hours later, doing an impression of me with my eyes shut. My first exposure to Faure; I remember Richard Brody's brief but enthusiastic tweets about him.
February 14 - Concerto for two violins in D minor, BWV 1043, 2: Largo ma non tanto, by JS Bach
Shortly after Grandpa's death, the day of the wake. Still filled with hope at the idea of a loving, but soon to be ending romance saving me, which this song accompanied. Talked to the sound engineer mentioned above about this piece, named it as my favorite by JS Bach. He was a former violinist and named Mozart, Corelli, and Bach as his 3 favorites.
February 18 - Theme from Schindler's List, John Williams
Loved it upon first hearing it, though I don't care for Mr. Spielberg's films. Brother came across this piece around Christmas and loved it to. After watching the movie (he didn't like it), he said something to the effect of, "Pity that this song is so good." It was odd rehearing this piece at the end of the year.
February 21 - Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) - 1: 'Selig sind, die da Leid tragen' ('Blessed are they that mourn) by Johannes Brahms
A piece that formed the backdrop of said ill-fated romance with a dear friend. I listened to this piece on repeat as the sun set over Route 1-9, as I took the toll-free route to her apartment after work. I was bewitched, and it's quite funny that something so funereal reminds me of a connection that felt so strong and lively at the time. It was later to reflect the severance, however; song and life align.
March 7 - Piano Concerto in G major, 2: Adagio assai by Maurice Ravel
On a walk with the brother when this song came up. He told me that he'd loved this piece for a long time; I was shocked that I couldn't remember his use of it in a movie he made when he was in high school. We were walking through Donaldson Park, it was foggy and flooded in areas, we were leaping over many puddles. We played it a few times over.
March 9 - Violin Concerto, op. 14, 2 Andante by Samuel Barber
Same memory from above. Leaping over puddles music, I'll call it.
April 1 - Piano Concerto no. 1 in B flat minor, op. 23, 1: Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso
Walked through Highland Park on a Sunday with the brother in which this song played and we saw people going to Church. This may have been when we went to the Greek store and purchased Digestive Cookies.
April 6 - Symphony no. 101 in D major ('Clock'), 2: Andante by Joseph Haydn
Hadn't really listened to Haydn outside of a manic period in 2020, where I was interested in his String Quartets for a film I made that year. Was delighted by this piece, which later accompanied me to my first classical music concert, a month later; they didn't play this, but the qualities I loved in their performance reminded me of my love of this; back and forth in time we go.
April 12 - Metamorphosen by Richard Strauss
The bar down the street from me hosts a classical music concert by string players on the first Monday of every month; I met and became friends with the lead, Sam, there. We spoke for a bit that evening, but our friendship didn't quite take off until a month or so later. I met her outside, drinking with others who were soon to become friends I greet joyfully every time I see them, and mentioned my love for this piece. Her eyes lit up and we spoke about it for a bit.
April 15 - Piano Concerto no. 2 in F minor, op. 21, 2: Larghetto by Frederic Chopin
Had been holding Chopin at arm's length for most of my re-entry into classical music, which started in February of 2022 and has not let up. Had a funny interaction with EJ on this piece, at the bar classical music concert.
May 6 - Maiblumen bluhten iiberall - May-flowers are Blooming Everywhere by Alexander von Zemlinsky
A piece that reminds me of Alan and the bookstore that I volunteered at weekly throughout the first 8 or 9 months of the year. I was both enchanted at its power and embarrassed by it playing over the loudspeaker in the store, such was its oddness to people whose tastes I didn't know anything about. Am I bothering them by playing out there music while they browse?
May 15 - Cantique de Jean Racine, op. 11 by Gabriel Faure
I walked into my boss's office, shut the door, played the piece in full without a word or a hint of introduction; we both cried together. Maybe my favorite discovery of the year.
May 19 - Symphhony no. 1 in C Minor, 4: Allegro maestoso by Alice Mary Smith
No memory to share, just being obsessed with a happier piece for once; it is one of the few classical pieces I can recall amost instantaneously.
May 23 - Romance for violin and piano, op. 23 by Amy Beach
Sat my dad down and we listened to this together, in silence. I asked him if he liked it, to which he responded positively. I don't remember what we were talking about; probably spirituality.
May 31 - Piano Quntet no. 1 in A minor, op. 30, 1: Allegro by Louise Farrenc
I recall September more for this one, though I can't remember why. This reminds me of a trip to New York on NJ Transit, though I don't recall the occassion. Nevertheless, I listened to it over and over on the train, fully enraptured.
June 3 - Ave Maria by Charles Gounod, after JS Bach
Before trivia, asked Lo once to sit and read with me while this piece played in the background; accidentally played it twice over, from different performers. "Don't recognize this one!" I remember them saying when it played the second time. We got Honeygrew for dinner.
June 7 - Raga Piloo, Traditional Indian Version by Ravi Shankar and Yehudi Menuhin
Two memories: in the first, had a therapy session over this piece and the way I almost force myself to examine something deeply until I like it; the second, this piece was playing in the background in the car in July, when one of the lead actresses from my film asked me on a date, after I dropped her off at her apartment. We were seeing diaristic films at a bookstore in Brooklyn. She said, "Don't worry, I like Ravi Shankar." Was really quite blown away. The date was amiable but filled with conflicted feelings; it didn't last.
June 9 - Sinfonia concertante for violin and viola in E flat major, K. 364, 1: Allegro maestoso by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Listened to this one, thinking, as I usually do with Mozart, "Why can't I recall his work as easily as I do Beethoven's?" Was on my way to a date in Brooklyn, sometime in July or August, that began and ended weirdly. This piece accompanied me before and after. Still can't recall it until it plays, in which the effects of listening to it on repeat for almost 3 hours start to show.
June 13 - The Salley Gardens by Benjamin Britten
Sent to dear friends Shawn and Lauren; for whatever reason, despite the content of the song, I wanted to share it with them.
June 14 - The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams
My therapist stopped me from using this as the background music for our session once.
July 1 - Gymnopedie no. 1 by Erik Satie
Lo sent me a hip-hop song that sampled this piece, asking me which one it was. This was in November I think. I sent them the piece, thinking, excitedly, "OOH! I just heard this piece!" as I was doubling up on all that I missed by that point in the year.
July 6 - 'My Ship', from Lady in the Dark by Kurt Weill
A piece I loved so much I shared with the people I "felt community" with, and got varying but intellectually stimulating responses from the 3 of them.
July 7 - Symphony no. 5 in C sharp minor, 4: Adagietto: Sehr langsam - very slowly by Gustav Mahler
Went on a walk with Michael, manager of the bookstore, in November. He works down the street from me at my fulltime job. We spoke about his love of Mahler's symphonies, and I shared that I had been listening to this piece on repeat. He said it was so "lovely, heavenly."
July 22 - The Homeless Wanderer by Emahoy Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou
Went crazy when I heard the first few notes, trying to recall where I first heard it. Then: Dad's messaging ringtone for a while, though I don't think he knew this piece. Reminded me of when Shawn told my second girlfriend Kelli and I about his love of Ethiopian jazz (the composer being Ethiopian).
July 30 - Eternal Source of Light Divine (Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne), 1, by George Friederic Handel
This piece accompanied me on my way to Philadelphia to meet up with Kathleen and Zach in November, months after K and I reconnected earlier in the year. A philosopher, incredibly intelligent, perspicacious.
August 18 - Symphony no. 35 in D major, K. 385 ('Haffner'), 1: Allegro con spirito by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Still couldn't get Mozart under my control, and yet, still can recall, for large passages, the melodies as soon as the song begins playing.
August 30 - Serenade for Strings in E flat major, op. 6, 3: Adagio - Piu andante - Tempo 1 by Josef Suk
A few days prior, finally started listening to the pieces in this book after a 3 month hiatus. This came a few days into the rekindling; was talking to a girl in Connecticut who I would go on a date with a few days later, shared this song with her; she said that it was too slow for her tastes, and that she didn't like strings. Still, she was wonderful. Woke up a few days ago with this piece in my head.
September 3 - Gnossienne no. 1 by Erik Satie
Had the people for whom I "feel community" with over for an underwhelming (not because of them, because of the event), wine-filled Halloween dance party at my local bar; this piece came on and Delilah asked, "What piece was that?" wanting to confirm if it was the piece she was thinking of. She had it on a playlist some time ago, after searching for it for years, if I remember her story correctly.
September 7 - Suite popular brasileira, 4: 'Gavotta-choro' by Heitor Villa-Lobos
Kept thinking of a piece from Mekong Hotel for some reason, despite there being continent's worth of differences.
September 12 - Adagio and Allegro for cello and piano, op. 70 by Robert Schumann
Late in 2023, I was playing a Brahms symphony at the bookstore. A guy a few years older than me came in and stopped. He came up to me, named the exact symphony and movement (1st mvt. of Brahms' Symphony No. 2). We talked about classical music for a bit; he recommended this Schumann piece to me, which I listened to on my car ride home, and was subsequently re-enamored with upon coming across it again, a little less than a year later.
September 20 - Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47, 2: Adagio di molto by Jean Sibelius
At one of Pino's classical music concerts, I heard a tune that I liked but didn't recognize. I asked one of the new, older friends, Ira, whether he knew it. He shrugged and said, "Maybe Sibelius?" I laughed and said, "I just discovered him today!" We turned away from each other and got carried away in the music again. Later shared this with Michael, who exclaimed "Sibelius!" over text.
September 30 - 'Au fond du temple saint' - 'At the back of the holy temple' from The Pearl Fishers by Georges Bizet
Just memories of playing this piece over and over again while on my way to work. Another piece where I felt as if I was possessed by it.
October 6 - Autumn by Frank Bridge
A piece I wanted to share with a girl I was seeing, though it symbolized how awful that whole "romance" was. I wanted to use it as an excuse to talk, since she seemed to be the type moved by poetry; not so. Still, I love this piece.
October 11 - Symphony no. 9 in D minor, 3: Adagio: Langsam, feierlich - slowly, solemnly by Anton Bruckner
Was on a walk through Morristown with brother, while this song played on repeat in my pocket. We spoke about Vertigo, walked in a nice arboreum (I forget how you spell it). This piece accompanied me throughout the day.
November 7 - 'La Nuit et l'amour' - 'Night and Love', Interlude from Ludus pro patria by Augusta Holmes
Good God. I fell in love with this piece almost immediately, and the history behind it and Ms Holmes' life made me want to do the unthinkable: make a movie. I have been on hiatus from filmmaking because of how awful my previous experience was. Will this piece thaw the ice of my brittle heart? Hearing it dozens of times at the end of the year makes it that much closer.
November 8 - Piano Quintet in F minor, M. 7, 1: Molto moderato quasi lento - Allegro by Cesar Franck
Sat in near silence, in Lo's and LeAnn's apartment, as this piece played and I told them the history of it. They liked it, at least as far as I could tell. LeAnn commented on the insanity of classical music composers and their personal lives.
December 4 - Violin Concerto in D major, op. 35, 1. Allegro moderato by Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky
Kept thinking of the romantic theme from Star Wars for whatever reason. Went crazy for a day trying to find the similarities.
December 12 - Jesus Christ the Apple Tree by Elizabeth Poston
Shared this with my dad as a way to unite our sensibilities: mine, classical music; his, Christmas music. He played along with me, putting on another playlist with Christmas classical music, more so classical renditions of the pop tunes. I relented. This song came on and I pointed to it: "Look! Overlap!" I think I said.
December 21 - Overture from Nutcracker Suite by Duke Ellington after Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Still amazed by the story the record company thought up to sell this one. Showed it to my Uncle Joe since I was so amused. Couldn't stop playing it while I was staying at my Dad's for Christmas.
December 24 - Siegfried Idyll by Richard Wagner
A piece I shared with sister as I thought she would like the story behind it. Brother came back with a piece that grabbed his attention, off the same album; I thought it was this one, but no. Was on my mind a few days ago.
December 31 - Champagne Polka by Johann Strauss II
On my way to the event that started it all, The Height's New Year's Eve party. I'm worn, but what a year it was. I love each and everyone of the friends and family I have mentioned here.
For this reason, it made me feel many different things on both ends of a positive-negative spectrum, if only for what it symbolized, and for the unfair expectations I placed on it: pressure to be present each day and to be in the mood to discover something new, which wasn't always the case; joy at having found pieces that I never would have found on my own, with my rigid, artist-first view of the world; anxiety as I fell behind in the middle of the year; overwhelmed as I tried to double up on all the time I missed; unfair for missing the specific days I was to listen to specific pieces, as music always has a temporal and seasonal quality to me, meaning different things at different times of the year -- listening to a June piece in the middle of November certainly felt off-putting, while listening to a piece in February that always reminded me of September felt strange, as well; ecstasy when the book worked the way I wanted it to, some combination of sheer perceptional force and happy accident, depending on what was going on in my life and the way the piece interacted with events; and on and on.
In any case, one thing I'm learning about myself is that I place too much pressure on my expectation of things, something I've always been conscious and aware of but rarely have made much effort, at least as of late, to undo (I think I did a better job 7 or 8 years ago than I do now). If it's fighting your nature though, is it unwise? I tried to challenge that throughout my so-called "fun era" (which incidentally led to the drop off during the summer months in my listening activity) to middling results. Maybe 2025 will be my year of calm. But there I go again, setting a plan for something as unpredictable as whatever will happen tomorrow, or the next day, or the next month, or 6 months from now.
Nevertheless, many of my favorite pieces as they reminded me of the time that has passed, times that are now gone, times that were so intense that they stick out in my mind and feel as if I haven't left, are listed below:
January 1 - Mass in B minor, BWV 232, 3: Sanctus, by Johann Sebastian Bach
Coming back from a New Year's Eve party in which I left my closet light on, and coming down from a high in which I found people in the world who were like me (we follow each other on Goodreads, so if you're reading this, shoutout to you lot). I finally felt as if I had found a home outside of family, finally felt as if I found community, a word I wish to emphasize because, for some reason, it seems like it doesn't do justice to what I felt, as "feeling community" suggests so much more than just a group of people for whom you share common interests, lifestyles, and values. The word can't possibly suggest just how much I felt I belonged somewhere, but maybe it comes close. This piece greeted me with the hope I felt going into the New Year, that I would get so much of my film work done, learn a new language, heal the wounds of my previous relationship (2023's, that is), learn more about classical music, etc.
January 8 - Concerto Grosso in D major, op. 6 no. 1, 2: Largo, by Arcangelo Corelli
Learning about a baroque era artist not named Bach or Vivaldi had the effect of revealing just how small and ignorant you might feel when you start to understand just how much you don't know. Though it was later in the year, this piece came in handy with a sound engineer I worked with, but I'll get to that later.
January 9 - Requiem Mass, 3: Offertorio: Domine Jesu Christe, by Giuseppe Verde
The first piece I was absolutely obsessed with. Drove with brother in the car down some interstate highway, I don't remember where or what the occassion was; scenes of winter and dirty snow play whenever I hear this piece, though. Also think of Lo, who came to my apartment while I was getting ready for trivia. I told them how much I adored it and played it for them. They called their mother shortly after, saying something to the effect of, "He's literally listening to opera music unironically."
January 18 - 'Dirait-on' Should We Say, from Les chansons des roses, by Morten Lauridsen
A song that symbolized the hope, calm, and near inevitability of the start of a new romance for me. Another one that I was absolutely obsessed with.
January 21 - Trauermusik by Paul Hindemith
The story is remarkable. Also a love at first hearing type song, it reminded me of the recent rekindling of love I had for Francois Truffaut, whose 70s work seemed to intermingle with this piece, though of course it was after the fact (still figuring out how to write about the feeling of intensity I have towards certain works of art in one period of my life, and how the meaningfulness of that intensity gets reawakened by other work that reminds me of it; almost like seeing it anew through the lens of another artist). Nick came by about a month or two later, where I spoke about the anxiety of all the romances in my life over the past 7 or 8 months; Mr. Hindemith was playing in the background while we talked about his (PH's, not Nick's) frustration towards atonal music.
January 30 - Violin Sonata no 1 in A major, op. 13, 1: Allegro molto, by Gabriel Faure
I missed the last few days of listening at this point. I shut myself in my office, determined to catch up. I put my headphones on, closed my eyes. My boss knocked on my door, but I didn't hear her. She crept in, grabbed what she needed without my noticing, shut the door, and then laughed at me, a few hours later, doing an impression of me with my eyes shut. My first exposure to Faure; I remember Richard Brody's brief but enthusiastic tweets about him.
February 14 - Concerto for two violins in D minor, BWV 1043, 2: Largo ma non tanto, by JS Bach
Shortly after Grandpa's death, the day of the wake. Still filled with hope at the idea of a loving, but soon to be ending romance saving me, which this song accompanied. Talked to the sound engineer mentioned above about this piece, named it as my favorite by JS Bach. He was a former violinist and named Mozart, Corelli, and Bach as his 3 favorites.
February 18 - Theme from Schindler's List, John Williams
Loved it upon first hearing it, though I don't care for Mr. Spielberg's films. Brother came across this piece around Christmas and loved it to. After watching the movie (he didn't like it), he said something to the effect of, "Pity that this song is so good." It was odd rehearing this piece at the end of the year.
February 21 - Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) - 1: 'Selig sind, die da Leid tragen' ('Blessed are they that mourn) by Johannes Brahms
A piece that formed the backdrop of said ill-fated romance with a dear friend. I listened to this piece on repeat as the sun set over Route 1-9, as I took the toll-free route to her apartment after work. I was bewitched, and it's quite funny that something so funereal reminds me of a connection that felt so strong and lively at the time. It was later to reflect the severance, however; song and life align.
March 7 - Piano Concerto in G major, 2: Adagio assai by Maurice Ravel
On a walk with the brother when this song came up. He told me that he'd loved this piece for a long time; I was shocked that I couldn't remember his use of it in a movie he made when he was in high school. We were walking through Donaldson Park, it was foggy and flooded in areas, we were leaping over many puddles. We played it a few times over.
March 9 - Violin Concerto, op. 14, 2 Andante by Samuel Barber
Same memory from above. Leaping over puddles music, I'll call it.
April 1 - Piano Concerto no. 1 in B flat minor, op. 23, 1: Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso
Walked through Highland Park on a Sunday with the brother in which this song played and we saw people going to Church. This may have been when we went to the Greek store and purchased Digestive Cookies.
April 6 - Symphony no. 101 in D major ('Clock'), 2: Andante by Joseph Haydn
Hadn't really listened to Haydn outside of a manic period in 2020, where I was interested in his String Quartets for a film I made that year. Was delighted by this piece, which later accompanied me to my first classical music concert, a month later; they didn't play this, but the qualities I loved in their performance reminded me of my love of this; back and forth in time we go.
April 12 - Metamorphosen by Richard Strauss
The bar down the street from me hosts a classical music concert by string players on the first Monday of every month; I met and became friends with the lead, Sam, there. We spoke for a bit that evening, but our friendship didn't quite take off until a month or so later. I met her outside, drinking with others who were soon to become friends I greet joyfully every time I see them, and mentioned my love for this piece. Her eyes lit up and we spoke about it for a bit.
April 15 - Piano Concerto no. 2 in F minor, op. 21, 2: Larghetto by Frederic Chopin
Had been holding Chopin at arm's length for most of my re-entry into classical music, which started in February of 2022 and has not let up. Had a funny interaction with EJ on this piece, at the bar classical music concert.
May 6 - Maiblumen bluhten iiberall - May-flowers are Blooming Everywhere by Alexander von Zemlinsky
A piece that reminds me of Alan and the bookstore that I volunteered at weekly throughout the first 8 or 9 months of the year. I was both enchanted at its power and embarrassed by it playing over the loudspeaker in the store, such was its oddness to people whose tastes I didn't know anything about. Am I bothering them by playing out there music while they browse?
May 15 - Cantique de Jean Racine, op. 11 by Gabriel Faure
I walked into my boss's office, shut the door, played the piece in full without a word or a hint of introduction; we both cried together. Maybe my favorite discovery of the year.
May 19 - Symphhony no. 1 in C Minor, 4: Allegro maestoso by Alice Mary Smith
No memory to share, just being obsessed with a happier piece for once; it is one of the few classical pieces I can recall amost instantaneously.
May 23 - Romance for violin and piano, op. 23 by Amy Beach
Sat my dad down and we listened to this together, in silence. I asked him if he liked it, to which he responded positively. I don't remember what we were talking about; probably spirituality.
May 31 - Piano Quntet no. 1 in A minor, op. 30, 1: Allegro by Louise Farrenc
I recall September more for this one, though I can't remember why. This reminds me of a trip to New York on NJ Transit, though I don't recall the occassion. Nevertheless, I listened to it over and over on the train, fully enraptured.
June 3 - Ave Maria by Charles Gounod, after JS Bach
Before trivia, asked Lo once to sit and read with me while this piece played in the background; accidentally played it twice over, from different performers. "Don't recognize this one!" I remember them saying when it played the second time. We got Honeygrew for dinner.
June 7 - Raga Piloo, Traditional Indian Version by Ravi Shankar and Yehudi Menuhin
Two memories: in the first, had a therapy session over this piece and the way I almost force myself to examine something deeply until I like it; the second, this piece was playing in the background in the car in July, when one of the lead actresses from my film asked me on a date, after I dropped her off at her apartment. We were seeing diaristic films at a bookstore in Brooklyn. She said, "Don't worry, I like Ravi Shankar." Was really quite blown away. The date was amiable but filled with conflicted feelings; it didn't last.
June 9 - Sinfonia concertante for violin and viola in E flat major, K. 364, 1: Allegro maestoso by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Listened to this one, thinking, as I usually do with Mozart, "Why can't I recall his work as easily as I do Beethoven's?" Was on my way to a date in Brooklyn, sometime in July or August, that began and ended weirdly. This piece accompanied me before and after. Still can't recall it until it plays, in which the effects of listening to it on repeat for almost 3 hours start to show.
June 13 - The Salley Gardens by Benjamin Britten
Sent to dear friends Shawn and Lauren; for whatever reason, despite the content of the song, I wanted to share it with them.
June 14 - The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams
My therapist stopped me from using this as the background music for our session once.
July 1 - Gymnopedie no. 1 by Erik Satie
Lo sent me a hip-hop song that sampled this piece, asking me which one it was. This was in November I think. I sent them the piece, thinking, excitedly, "OOH! I just heard this piece!" as I was doubling up on all that I missed by that point in the year.
July 6 - 'My Ship', from Lady in the Dark by Kurt Weill
A piece I loved so much I shared with the people I "felt community" with, and got varying but intellectually stimulating responses from the 3 of them.
July 7 - Symphony no. 5 in C sharp minor, 4: Adagietto: Sehr langsam - very slowly by Gustav Mahler
Went on a walk with Michael, manager of the bookstore, in November. He works down the street from me at my fulltime job. We spoke about his love of Mahler's symphonies, and I shared that I had been listening to this piece on repeat. He said it was so "lovely, heavenly."
July 22 - The Homeless Wanderer by Emahoy Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou
Went crazy when I heard the first few notes, trying to recall where I first heard it. Then: Dad's messaging ringtone for a while, though I don't think he knew this piece. Reminded me of when Shawn told my second girlfriend Kelli and I about his love of Ethiopian jazz (the composer being Ethiopian).
July 30 - Eternal Source of Light Divine (Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne), 1, by George Friederic Handel
This piece accompanied me on my way to Philadelphia to meet up with Kathleen and Zach in November, months after K and I reconnected earlier in the year. A philosopher, incredibly intelligent, perspicacious.
August 18 - Symphony no. 35 in D major, K. 385 ('Haffner'), 1: Allegro con spirito by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Still couldn't get Mozart under my control, and yet, still can recall, for large passages, the melodies as soon as the song begins playing.
August 30 - Serenade for Strings in E flat major, op. 6, 3: Adagio - Piu andante - Tempo 1 by Josef Suk
A few days prior, finally started listening to the pieces in this book after a 3 month hiatus. This came a few days into the rekindling; was talking to a girl in Connecticut who I would go on a date with a few days later, shared this song with her; she said that it was too slow for her tastes, and that she didn't like strings. Still, she was wonderful. Woke up a few days ago with this piece in my head.
September 3 - Gnossienne no. 1 by Erik Satie
Had the people for whom I "feel community" with over for an underwhelming (not because of them, because of the event), wine-filled Halloween dance party at my local bar; this piece came on and Delilah asked, "What piece was that?" wanting to confirm if it was the piece she was thinking of. She had it on a playlist some time ago, after searching for it for years, if I remember her story correctly.
September 7 - Suite popular brasileira, 4: 'Gavotta-choro' by Heitor Villa-Lobos
Kept thinking of a piece from Mekong Hotel for some reason, despite there being continent's worth of differences.
September 12 - Adagio and Allegro for cello and piano, op. 70 by Robert Schumann
Late in 2023, I was playing a Brahms symphony at the bookstore. A guy a few years older than me came in and stopped. He came up to me, named the exact symphony and movement (1st mvt. of Brahms' Symphony No. 2). We talked about classical music for a bit; he recommended this Schumann piece to me, which I listened to on my car ride home, and was subsequently re-enamored with upon coming across it again, a little less than a year later.
September 20 - Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47, 2: Adagio di molto by Jean Sibelius
At one of Pino's classical music concerts, I heard a tune that I liked but didn't recognize. I asked one of the new, older friends, Ira, whether he knew it. He shrugged and said, "Maybe Sibelius?" I laughed and said, "I just discovered him today!" We turned away from each other and got carried away in the music again. Later shared this with Michael, who exclaimed "Sibelius!" over text.
September 30 - 'Au fond du temple saint' - 'At the back of the holy temple' from The Pearl Fishers by Georges Bizet
Just memories of playing this piece over and over again while on my way to work. Another piece where I felt as if I was possessed by it.
October 6 - Autumn by Frank Bridge
A piece I wanted to share with a girl I was seeing, though it symbolized how awful that whole "romance" was. I wanted to use it as an excuse to talk, since she seemed to be the type moved by poetry; not so. Still, I love this piece.
October 11 - Symphony no. 9 in D minor, 3: Adagio: Langsam, feierlich - slowly, solemnly by Anton Bruckner
Was on a walk through Morristown with brother, while this song played on repeat in my pocket. We spoke about Vertigo, walked in a nice arboreum (I forget how you spell it). This piece accompanied me throughout the day.
November 7 - 'La Nuit et l'amour' - 'Night and Love', Interlude from Ludus pro patria by Augusta Holmes
Good God. I fell in love with this piece almost immediately, and the history behind it and Ms Holmes' life made me want to do the unthinkable: make a movie. I have been on hiatus from filmmaking because of how awful my previous experience was. Will this piece thaw the ice of my brittle heart? Hearing it dozens of times at the end of the year makes it that much closer.
November 8 - Piano Quintet in F minor, M. 7, 1: Molto moderato quasi lento - Allegro by Cesar Franck
Sat in near silence, in Lo's and LeAnn's apartment, as this piece played and I told them the history of it. They liked it, at least as far as I could tell. LeAnn commented on the insanity of classical music composers and their personal lives.
December 4 - Violin Concerto in D major, op. 35, 1. Allegro moderato by Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky
Kept thinking of the romantic theme from Star Wars for whatever reason. Went crazy for a day trying to find the similarities.
December 12 - Jesus Christ the Apple Tree by Elizabeth Poston
Shared this with my dad as a way to unite our sensibilities: mine, classical music; his, Christmas music. He played along with me, putting on another playlist with Christmas classical music, more so classical renditions of the pop tunes. I relented. This song came on and I pointed to it: "Look! Overlap!" I think I said.
December 21 - Overture from Nutcracker Suite by Duke Ellington after Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Still amazed by the story the record company thought up to sell this one. Showed it to my Uncle Joe since I was so amused. Couldn't stop playing it while I was staying at my Dad's for Christmas.
December 24 - Siegfried Idyll by Richard Wagner
A piece I shared with sister as I thought she would like the story behind it. Brother came back with a piece that grabbed his attention, off the same album; I thought it was this one, but no. Was on my mind a few days ago.
December 31 - Champagne Polka by Johann Strauss II
On my way to the event that started it all, The Height's New Year's Eve party. I'm worn, but what a year it was. I love each and everyone of the friends and family I have mentioned here.
Currently reading
October 10, 2018Although I'll rate and review it before then, don't expect me to finish this book for exactly 365 days from now, as I'm definitely using this book as intended – enjoying a single piece of music and its accompanying one-page write up each day! I'm hoping that between YouTube, Amazon Music, Hoopla, and my local library, I won't have too much trouble finding all the music referenced.
January 1, 2020
Although it was nice to have something new to listen to every morning, the commentary of the author left much to be desired. It was often inane and simplistic, unfortunately, as was her agenda to spotlight some composers who would actually have been better left in the dark.
June 29, 2020
Not sure when I’ll be finished with this book, but man I love the journey! I’ve added some amazing pieces to my spotify playlist and I love hearing the background of the composers and the reasoning behind the written pieces.
This is the perfect coffee table book and I highly recommend it!
This is the perfect coffee table book and I highly recommend it!
December 26, 2019
Terrible as an audiobook! I thought I'd get to listen to at least a bit of the music, but there was none. Each chapter is short, a quick bio of the composer, a bit about the piece, & it's name. End of chapter & on to the next. So, I have to stop the book, remember the name (often long & confusing), search it out, & find it somewhere to listen to? Not happening. They could have at least included a 30 second clip, legal under fair use.
The text doesn't go into what makes the piece great, either. I don't know much about music, but I do know there are certain combinations of notes, tempos, & beats that hit certain chords in us. There is a math underlying much of it that appeals to our penchant for patterns, but there was nothing on that for the first couple, so I'm abandoning this as a waste of time in audio format.
This might be OK as daily meditation book in text of some sort, but definitely not as an audiobook, so how about another format? Nope. $11 is way too expensive for a Kindle text. It's almost as much used from Abebooks in HB & the PB edition is a few $ more. Not worth it to me. Big disappointment.
The text doesn't go into what makes the piece great, either. I don't know much about music, but I do know there are certain combinations of notes, tempos, & beats that hit certain chords in us. There is a math underlying much of it that appeals to our penchant for patterns, but there was nothing on that for the first couple, so I'm abandoning this as a waste of time in audio format.
This might be OK as daily meditation book in text of some sort, but definitely not as an audiobook, so how about another format? Nope. $11 is way too expensive for a Kindle text. It's almost as much used from Abebooks in HB & the PB edition is a few $ more. Not worth it to me. Big disappointment.
December 26, 2022
This was an informative and enlightening look into the world of classical music. Through a piece a day, I was introduced to a vast compendium of music I had never experienced before, as well as learning some of the background behind pieces and artists I already knew and respected. There were a couple of drawbacks to this book, but those are very much personal preferences. Firstly, there was far more opera included than I would have expected. When I hear “classical music” I instantly think of instrumentals, which I know is closed-minded. I simply have never developed a taste for opera, and thus there was a wide swath of this collection that I suffered through instead of enjoyed. Secondly, I wish there had been a bit more to the write-ups for each day. I know they’re meant to be brief, and that the author had a lot to do as there were 366 of them, but I was just left wanting more information to go along with quite a few of these pieces. But again, those are minor personal complaints. All in all I found Year of Wonder illuminating, and I’m very glad to have been introduced to so much new-to-me music.
March 4, 2020
I liked this book ok but it got old after a while, so I’m writing my own. This one celebrated all these random days (“listening to this piece today because it’s the composer’s birthday!!!”); I’d rather have it tied to more interesting stuff. And the author also, for the sake of growing audience, always says you don’t need to understand music to appreciate it. I agree, but understanding helps make it deeper, and you can explain musical concepts without needing the person to have musical training.
On the plus side, this is a great book for exposing you to new music that you never knew, female composers, living composers, old pieces that have their own small but interesting place in history. For that I would recommend this book. But I hope I can do a better job.
On the plus side, this is a great book for exposing you to new music that you never knew, female composers, living composers, old pieces that have their own small but interesting place in history. For that I would recommend this book. But I hope I can do a better job.
Shelved as 'pbs-wishlist'
March 18, 2024A big hit in my irl book club. A book one needs to own. I've read/ worked through enough to know that I want to savor it and will return this copy to the library. It does need to tell us how long the pieces are, though. So far it seems that they may mostly max out at about 1/2 hour, so, allow that, and, if it's shorter, listen to it twice.
October 13, 2023
Giving up on this: Absolutely nothing wrong with the book itself and it's a lovely idea. However, it's made me realise I'm not as interested in Classical music as I thought I was. Listening to the piece of music for the day was starting to feel like a chore, and there were very few of the pieces that I actually liked enough to want to listen to all the way through.
April 7, 2019
" . . .I believe that music holds the mystery of being alive. These pieces, some of which are just a few minutes long, can do so much with so little. They become friends, they become teachers, they become magic carpets. I feel, in the company of the greatest music, recognized, seen, held. Engines of empathy, they allow us to travel without moving into other lives, other ages, other souls."
Clemency Buron-Hill
Obviously, music and literature have everything in common. They are both universal languages that travel across any border you could come up with.
Year of Wonder, courtesy of Clemency Burton-Hill provides a hand curated treasury of music for every day of the year; 366 works by more than 240 composers from medievalists to the twenty-first century.
When I opened my copy to the 8th of July (today), I was joyously offered up the Gladiolus Rag by Scott Joplin. As an African American who was exposed to minimal classical music as a child and who is now enraptured by all things classical, this was wondrous for me. Year of Wonder is the book I need, indeed it is the book for everyone, those who merely want to dip in occasionally and those like me who long for immersion.
I cannot recommend Year Of Wonder highly enough.
Clemency Burton-Hill is an angel.
Revel in music and literature and discover bliss.
Thank you SO much HarperCollins for the ARE!
Clemency Buron-Hill
Obviously, music and literature have everything in common. They are both universal languages that travel across any border you could come up with.
Year of Wonder, courtesy of Clemency Burton-Hill provides a hand curated treasury of music for every day of the year; 366 works by more than 240 composers from medievalists to the twenty-first century.
When I opened my copy to the 8th of July (today), I was joyously offered up the Gladiolus Rag by Scott Joplin. As an African American who was exposed to minimal classical music as a child and who is now enraptured by all things classical, this was wondrous for me. Year of Wonder is the book I need, indeed it is the book for everyone, those who merely want to dip in occasionally and those like me who long for immersion.
I cannot recommend Year Of Wonder highly enough.
Clemency Burton-Hill is an angel.
Revel in music and literature and discover bliss.
Thank you SO much HarperCollins for the ARE!
January 1, 2020
What an amazing book project. I would read a few of the days, download the songs to google play, and then spend a few days listening to them, then going on to read more. And such fun to come, from listening to all the songs again, to listening to all of the different renditions, and then listening to more from the artists I really liked. Can't say I enjoyed all of the songs, but really I would say I didn't enjoy maybe 7 songs? Please don't tell 15 year old me that I would get older and start to enjoy classical music.
December 9, 2019
interesting concept but honestly? for the repetition of the same phrase ('formal elegance') and appalling number of times the slur 'g*psy' was used in a modern context and the switching between adoring and making digs at millennials....gonna have to give this a 2.5 :/
March 8, 2019
Really enjoying this!
September 21, 2019
Fun daily look at a lot of different classical music. This would be great to go through for exposure to classical music for someone of any age.
Currently reading
February 7, 2021January: The first month's worth of music has been interesting! There were some pieces that I didn't expect to like, but I did! I loved Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1, Concerto Grosso in D Major by Corelli, and Unsent Love Letters by Elena Kats-Chernin (this was based on a bunch of love letters written by Erik Satie that were discovered, unsent, after he died. Kats-Chernin wrote a suite of 26 piano miniatures that were inspired by these letters.) I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Mozart's Symphony No. 41 on his birthday, and discovering a unique piece of music by Steve Reich called Electric Counterpoint. I may never have heard some of these pieces if not for this book!
When I listened to Mendelssohn's Octet in E-Flat Major, I noticed that the scherzo was very familiar to me. But this didn't seem possible because I didn't think I had heard this piece before! I did some investigating and discovered that Mendelssohn wrote the Octet in 1825 when he was 16. When he wrote his first symphony, he orchestrated the scherzo from the Octet and used it in his symphony, and THAT'S why that part was so familiar to me! I'm one month into this book and it's a fun musical adventure so far. :)
When I listened to Mendelssohn's Octet in E-Flat Major, I noticed that the scherzo was very familiar to me. But this didn't seem possible because I didn't think I had heard this piece before! I did some investigating and discovered that Mendelssohn wrote the Octet in 1825 when he was 16. When he wrote his first symphony, he orchestrated the scherzo from the Octet and used it in his symphony, and THAT'S why that part was so familiar to me! I'm one month into this book and it's a fun musical adventure so far. :)
January 2, 2024
A fabulous journey I took with my husband in 2023. A short introduction to a piece of classical music followed by listening to a recording of the piece each night for a year was something to look forward to each day. This is classical music for everyone…not stuffy, not esoteric, real music for the masses. I enjoyed listening to long-favorites, forgotten gems, and being introduced to many completely new pieces and composers. Bravo!
February 16, 2025
A lovely day to day way to come to know both well-known and more obscure musical pieces. Fun to read about the piece and then find it to listen too!
May 20, 2021
No doubt there is some good music in the book, and it covers an incredibly broad range of styles that fall within "classical" music. I think Clemency Burton-Hill tries too hard to make it all inclusive of every possible angle and all possible styles. A lot of amazing music that is kind of famous is missing, so if you're looking for a book to introduce you to sort of the canon of "famous" classical/orchestral music this isn't it. Find a better book that focuses on GOOD music and worries less about demonstrating the breadth of what can be considered music (e.g., Music for Wood). There's also plenty of diversity in the composers of the sort of famous classical canon that we could have skipped some of those pieces included solely to check more boxes in DEI Bingo.
On the other hand, you could do far worse in setting up a set of 366 snippets of music to demonstrate the breadth of the genre. I successfully found 365 of the pieces on YouTube, so it's a cheap way to survey a lot of music. You even get to hear the Nokia ringtone... the original piece of guitar music from which it's taken. So that's kinda neat.
On the other hand, you could do far worse in setting up a set of 366 snippets of music to demonstrate the breadth of the genre. I successfully found 365 of the pieces on YouTube, so it's a cheap way to survey a lot of music. You even get to hear the Nokia ringtone... the original piece of guitar music from which it's taken. So that's kinda neat.
December 15, 2022
One of my goals for 2022 was to listen to a new piece of classical music everyday and to learn about the history of the piece and the composer. Year of Wonder was a great guide for exploring old favorites and lots of music new to me. As I read the daily entries, I downloaded the featured music and created monthly playlists. It’s turned into a worthwhile project for me, and I discovered I love some of the modern classics, especially music by composer Philip Glass. I especially enjoyed the author’s spotlights on female composers such as Fanny Mendelssohn And Clara Schumann, who have only recently become better appreciated. I listened to compositions by Erik Satie that gave me a better view of art in the early 20th century. Burton-Hill is an accomplished violinist, and her BBC programs have made classical music more accessible to the average listener. My only complaint about the selections - too much chorale music. Still not a fan! I plan to read her next daily guide to classical music, Another Year of Wonder.
December 31, 2023
I started this book on January 1, 2023 and read and listened to it each morning. I learned a lot about classical music and I found some music that I absolutely loved - here's looking at you Hildegard of Bingen and the Danish String Quartet. I still don't like opera - I tried. I have marked about 100 of the songs in the book to relisten to over and over and will begin Another Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Every Day tomorrow. What a wonderful book! Highly recommend!
February 13, 2019
Did not read this so much as skim it -- it is not what I was expecting. -- This book would make a GREAT gift to give someone who wants to learn about classical music or for the person who already loves classical but would like to expand his/her horizons. The selections touch most of The Greats, but there is a definite whiff of political correctness about the contents (although the inclusion of so many female composers is a definite plus).
January 3, 2020
Every day my husband and and I listened, semi faithfully, to selections from A Year of Wonder by Clemency Briton-Hill! (This Book was donated to our public library by the Friends Group, in honor of Arthur Belfiore & the MCHS Marching Band.)
We had a sticker system which designated favorite selections! We agreed there were some not to receive a sticker, or to listen to ever again! It was a fun family project, and made for some entertaining dinner conversation!
We had a sticker system which designated favorite selections! We agreed there were some not to receive a sticker, or to listen to ever again! It was a fun family project, and made for some entertaining dinner conversation!
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