I’m not an expert on music from the Romantic era – but as I walked out of there with a wide grin on my face, I couldn’t help but long for just one more play of Krystian Zimerman’s interpretation of Chopin’s Ballade #4 in F-minor, op.52. Probably the greatest piece of musical expression, ever.
Just, Wow.
]]>Family, Loves, Friends, Patrons and Pupils. The diverse nature of Chopin’s relationship with women arose from his position as composer-pianist and the prestige inherent to this in 19th century society. His personality in particular was marked by the intensity of his contact with his family and women, who fascinated him.
paints some of the most amazing mind-bending art. Bumped into his exhibition in Berlin today, and picked up this masterpiece. Got my copy signed too 
This one’s called The Night of Unknown Subjects.
HQ version here.
]]>The mere existence of largely surfacial popular culture proves that man made a choice at one particularly dilemmatic juncture, picking carnal desire over embracing cognitive thought and advancement of knowledge; wherein instant gratification is of higher significance than a more holistic pleasure, doubly comforted by a contagious human greed and ego bloated from scientific advancement perhaps vain in the grand scheme of evolutionary iteration.
Nor does mother nature’s regular albeit catastrophic reminders serve to shake up the helm of the collective conscious, but only to move back to the instantly gratified human 2.0 – a mind satisfied by homogenized drivel, a lifetime of dubious existence fuelled by greed for power, thereby resulting in a grotesque misrepresentation of the true value of thinking life.
]]>The old man came up to me
He said you’ve got time to go
Boundaries I came to see
I’ve got time no more
I had this dream one night
She came up to me, I came alive
She told me the pieces would fit in
But I’d have to find the light
Why should I run away from you?
You give me comfort, you let me flow
I hold on here for you
Though there’s temptation below
A wise man came up to me
He said these chains they’d never let go
You’re tying me tighter and tighter
But I’m pining for your love
Why should I run away from you?
You give me comfort, you let me flow
I hold on here for you
Though there’s temptation below
Martone’s albums have been a huge inspiration for all my guitar driven work. What an honour! Listen for absolutely stunning arpeggio work, along with the ambient violinesque layers playing allthrough the song.
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]]>I’ve always been curious about the nature of keys and musical modes; trying to understand the underlying nature of gravitating to certain keys subconsciously when writing or improvising. I applied Schubart’s writing and ideas to some of my own music and was quite surprised to see what unravelled. If you write music, or know the keys of some of your favourite songs, try reading what’s below to further unravel artistic intent. However, do note that with all things that abridge, there are variations, complexities, contradictions and more.
Enjoy.
Translated by Rita Steblin in A History of Key Characteristics in the 18th and Early 19th Centuries. UMI Research Press (1983).
C Major
Completely Pure. Its character is: innocence, simplicity, naivety, children’s talk.
C Minor
Declaration of love and at the same time the lament of unhappy love. All languishing, longing, sighing of the love-sick soul lies in this key.
Db Major
A leering key, degenerating into grief and rapture. It cannot laugh, but it can smile; it cannot howl, but it can at least grimace its crying.–Consequently only unusual characters and feelings can be brought out in this key.
C# Minor
Penitential lamentation, intimate conversation with God, the friend and help-meet of life; sighs of disappointed friendship and love lie in its radius.
D Major
The key of triumph, of Hallejuahs, of war-cries, of victory-rejoicing. Thus, the inviting symphonies, the marches, holiday songs and heaven-rejoicing choruses are set in this key. (Stepping Stones)
D Minor
Melancholy womanliness, the spleen and humours brood. (Dark Sands, Innerworld, changes from D major to a D minor interlude)
Eb Major
The key of love, of devotion, of intimate conversation with God.
D# Minor
Feelings of the anxiety of the soul’s deepest distress, of brooding despair, of blackest depresssion, of the most gloomy condition of the soul. Every fear, every hesitation of the shuddering heart, breathes out of horrible D# minor. If ghosts could speak, their speech would approximate this key. (Blue memories, I don’t agree)
E Major
Noisy shouts of joy, laughing pleasure and not yet complete, full delight lies in E Major. (Folked )
E minor
Naive, womanly innocent declaration of love, lament without grumbling; sighs accompanied by few tears; this key speaks of the imminent hope of resolving in the pure happiness of C major. (India, Transcend)
F Major
Complaisance & Calm.
F Minor
Deep depression, funereal lament, groans of misery and longing for the grave.
F# Major
Triumph over difficulty, free sigh of relief utered when hurdles are surmounted; echo of a soul which has fiercely struggled and finally conquered lies in all uses of this key.
F# Minor
A gloomy key: it tugs at passion as a dog biting a dress. Resentment and discontent are its language.
G Major
Everything rustic, idyllic and lyrical, every calm and satisfied passion, every tender gratitude for true friendship and faithful love,–in a word every gentle and peaceful emotion of the heart is correctly expressed by this key.
G Minor
Discontent, uneasiness, worry about a failed scheme; bad-tempered gnashing of teeth; in a word: resentment and dislike.
Ab Major
Key of the grave. Death, grave, putrefaction, judgment, eternity lie in its radius.
Ab Minor
Grumbler, heart squeezed until it suffocates; wailing lament, difficult struggle; in a word, the color of this key is everything struggling with difficulty. (Delusia)
A Major
This key includes declarations of innocent love, satisfaction with one’s state of affairs; hope of seeing one’s beloved again when parting; youthful cheerfulness and trust in God. (My favourite Vai song, Die to Live is in A major and I cant love that song enough, and so is Searching)
A minor
Pious womanliness and tenderness of character. (While my Guitar gently weeps, moves around between A minor and A major)
Bb Major
Cheerful love, clear conscience, hope aspiration for a better world.
Bb minor
A quaint creature, often dressed in the garment of night. It is somewhat surly and very seldom takes on a pleasant countenance. Mocking God and the world; discontented with itself and with everything; preparation for suicide sounds in this key.
B Major
Strongly coloured, announcing wild passions, composed from the most glaring coulors. Anger, rage, jealousy, fury, despair and every burden of the heart lies in its sphere. (Satriani’s masterpiece Always with me always with you, walks around B major and B minor with Satch’s traditional modal interplay genius)
B Minor
This is as it were the key of patience, of calm awaiting ones’s fate and of submission to divine dispensation. (Divinity)
Ideas are but iterations in a local, but specialized evolutionary landscape, with an intent to surpass the usefulness of the state of the current. No such thing as a perfect idea, just as there’s no such thing as a perfect evolution.
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