December
MUSIC Information:
- All year round music
- D Major / B minor
- 48 Measures
- Cello and Piano
- 3:22 min
- 4 Pages
"December is the toughest month of the year. Others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, October, August, and February." — Unknown
ABSTRACT NONSENSE
Whoever said those words was on point when he noted, in a typically sarcastic way, that life is difficult. I couldn't agree more. In fact, I'd add that life does not care - it simply moves on, indifferent to our struggles or victories. At times, life feels like one of those abstract, nonsense modern paintings hanging in a gallery - a mess of loud, colorful strokes that critics and intellectuals pretend to understand, but lack of any real meaning or comfort.
From a very young age, I realized music always came to my rescue- whether it was December or August, January or April. I knew music had the power to protect me when the world couldn't care less. I turn it into a hiding place - a place where I could laugh or cry, and imagine fantastic worlds that were far kinder than the real one. A safe corner from where I could watch the biggest storms passing by, meanwhile building courage to face the next one sure to come.
NOT ENOUGH SPACE
Over the years, that world filled with melodies - songs that carried me through moments I can hardly remember. If I could make a list of all the songs I've loved through the years, there wouldn't be enough space to write all their titles. Now, if I could narrow the list to my top ten favorite songs, I know I'd end up re-writing - unjustly a new list every day.
Music is in a constant motion, it is always ready to shape the way I see the world, the way I think about myself, and the way I interact with others. But music is never quiet what it seems - everyone perceives sound differently, making it one of the most mysterious forms of art. I couldn't really say that a song is more beautiful than the other; it's a rather personal choice, and that's what makes music timeless.
In today’s pop culture, music composers don't always receive the full credit they deserved. Instead, performers get shower with all the glory. Then there are the commercial compositions - created for the sole purpose of making a fast, easy sale, only to disappear even faster. Still, there exist celebrated music composers, willingly and happily doing the ungrateful job of creating music for the sake of art.
GUILTY PLEASURE
I have a list of cheesy, trashy songs that I called my guilty pleasures. Indeed, it's embarrassing to admit - even to myself - the utter enjoyment I get out of such nonsense. These sort of songs, sometimes make me question my own sanity, and for that reason, I'll spare both of us the titles.
There's another category of songs I consider to be powerful and beautiful. Each of these pieces carries a persuasive melody that it is impossible to ignore, and in just three minutes - more or less - each manages to convey a substantial message. Melody, harmony, and lyrics - the essential elements in music - when combined, hold the potential to alter the chemistry in my body, making me feel alive.
MY LIST
Zombie by Dolores O'riordan. A song about war, loss, and dehumanization — the frustration of feeling powerless in the face of others’ pain. In “Zombie,” beauty and anger blend so completely that Dolores O’Riordan makes us believe they might be the same thing.
Not You, co-written by Alan Walker and collaborators It’s the feeling of life moving on, yet something essential is missing. At some point, we all have to surrender to the loneliness that follows love. With this song, I let myself be awestruck by sadness — and somehow, I feel better afterwards.
Troy by Sinead O'connor. This song is a surgical analysis of what happens to a person trapped between love and betrayal. What you do next — how you rise or fall — is up to you.. Back in 1987, Sinéad O’Connor let us witness, through this song, how she was torn apart — and then began to heal right before our eyes.
Bonnie Winds by Martin Furey Sometimes one does not need to understand or relate to the message in a song. The beauty of the melody lines combine with raw, honest voices is enough to make us feel we can reach the moon - simply by stretching out our arms to embrace it - and then, somehow, learn to let go with grace.
Bedtime Stories, co-written by Bjork and collaborators. The song is an invitation to renounce rational thought as the primary ways to understand the world. Reality can be harsh and painful. But if we dream, imagine, and allow ourselves to embrace our feelings with no remorse, we would never be hurt.
Oceanographer by Kieran Duddy I feel like the real meaning of this song is more that I could handle. Dark, deep, mysterious, even pagan. The lyrics can be interpret in many ways - a metaphor of many things. It could also convey a literal meaning. Either way, from the very first time I hear it, I've welcomed it into my life to reflect in the unknown parts of life. The parts I can see and marvel, but I would never be able to understand.
IRISH SHORES
If you are reading these lines, you've probably already guessed that when it comes to music, my heart, to a great degree is set on Irish shores. There is something about Irish music in general - a quality that feels at once tragic, a bit intense, and deeply passionate. Each song on my list, is comparable to a powerful magnet, it lays hold of my entire existence and doesn't easily let me go.
I hesitated when I wrote this small list, because, in truth, my top ten includes six hundred songs or more. Unashamedly, my musical taste doesn't orbited solely around Irish music. Since music is always evolving, I am already anticipating with gusto all the music I've yet to discover - the ones that will surprise me, move me, and perhaps change me a little.
CREATE AND SHARE
That's why, through this piano/cello duet, from my Notebook series: "All Year Round Music", I'm making a heartfelt dedication to all music composers. For the courage to create, and generosity in sharing with the whole world the thrilling ideas that once lived in their imagination. Thank you.
Music makes its way through - and just like an arrow, it goes straight to my heart. There is nothing I cannot mend with a touch of music. As a musician, my life revolves around it. Whether is December, November, March, January or July, music gives meaning to the abstract life I'm living - it’s the only proof that beauty and sorrow were ever the same thing.