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Music of Reunion: 80's and J.S. Bach
my four walls follow me through my past
I was on a Paris train, I emerged in London rain
and you were waiting there, swimming with apologies…:
I remember a feeling coming over me;
the solider turned, and walked away.
I remember hating you for loving me
Riding on the metro…
~The Metro, Berlin (1982)
My stepdaughter (12, turning 13 in March) is a radio and current music afficianado. Last night she was surfing through stations, pausing for a moment with a look of intense thought, the romote next to her cheek. "GooGoo Dolls!" Switch channel. "Somebody!" (that's me- I can't remember the band names) She was very impressed with me at one point because a song came on she knew that I liked (which is amazing- I don't listen to the radio, nor do I read the paper, nor do I watch TV, so unless she's had her radio on, I haven't heard it) and looked at me expectantly. I thought for a minute, then said, "Coldplay?" I was right. Validated. Woot! It's a pretty song ("Clocks," maybe? The singer sounds kinda like Bono.)
Tonight I went back to the church choir that I sang with for 5 years, the last two in which I actually worked at the church, for the choirmaster/organist. I haven't sung at this church in about 4 years now, so coming back tonight was like a reunion. Hugs all 'round to those who were there when I was there, comments of gratitude ('We need you!' 'It's so nice to have you back! Isn't the music great?!') And it was. Sightreading Herbert Howells gives me quite a thrill, honestly.
Back to my stepdaughter. I told her that I still had a casette tape of songs I had taped individually from the radio back when I was younger and listened to the radio all the time. I still have that tape. It's music from Q94 in Richmond, Virginia in 1984. I subjected her to the beginning, which wasn't bad- "Send Her My Love" by Journey, but then there's an easily forgettable song by Olivia Newton John next and I'm not sure of the rest, but currently I'm listening to "We Live for Love" by Pat Benatar [ed. now we're on to "Holiday" by Madonna (um, now "When The Lights Go Out" by Naked Eyes]. Also in said box of cassettes I also found one of my Rock of the 80's collection cassette tapes. I still listen to a lot of music from the 1980's, because it's music I enjoy. I definitely have a fondness for R/S stories which have 80's music in them, because I never grew out of it. Hence the quote at the beginning. This particular casette has Soft Cell's "Tainted Love," "The Metro" as quoted, "The Look of Love" by ABC, "Cars" by Gary Numan, and the first ever MTV video song, "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles. So you-know-who is now thoroughly enjoying being re-immersed in her 80's music which she has never forsaken. Listening to it is funny as it reminds me of the first singer/male person I had any kind of sexual feelings for. If you are drinking anything that could stain your monitor as you laugh, please swallow it now.
Literally, as I'm typing, I am looking at the LP of my first risquée album, Adam Ant's "Strip." This was given to me in 7th grade, and I actually hid it from my mom, because what was she going to think? This man, sprawled out backward on a bale of hay, shirt undone, provocative look on his face, a piece of hay in his lightly clenched teeth… This was after his "Goody Two-Shoes/Friend or Foe" album and he (sadly) was not wearing his facial warpaint on the cover, but to me, as a seventh grader, he was every possibility of whatever was exceedingly vaguely illicit and steamy. I didn't have anything else to go on and no details, sheltered child that I was. *takes album out of LP jacket and gasps at the record cover photograph* Okay, wow. Sure, he's probably sexually ambiguous, but he's still HOT. Or was. In 1983. My kingdom for a scanner right now- inside there's a black and white photo of him, pants halfway down, good lord, his thumb holding down his trousers, a "come hither" look lightly accentuated with some tasteful eyeliner, and longish hair.
*fans self*
Look for new avatar coming to a LJ near you.
Okay. I'll have to scan that one at the office for anyone else who reads this entry, unless I can find it on Google. I have been reading too much R/S. All I can do looking at the picture is think that Remus (or anyone of that persuasion, for that matter, or undecided!) would want to shag him rotten.
*cough*
Now to more pure thoughts.
The other point to this post as I was thinking about it on the drive home from choir practice was about Bach inventions and the Dwarf/Elf story I'm working on. I'm intriguing myself by having so much of the verbiage be the same, but in retrograde, plus the fact that there are a couple of thousand (hundred?) years between the scenarios. I'm seeing the story now partially like a Bach invention (yes, I played piano for a couple of decades, and still do on occasion; I don't suck at it) in that some of the sentences are identical, but others will be almost identical, just slightly different for the very different races of the protagonists, and hopefully the discerning reader will pick up on it and find it as interesting as I do as the author. I have just a small new sample that came to me this afternoon as I took a late lunch and a quick walk (this is a continuation of "Speak, Friend, and Enter":
Narvi the Dwarf returned triumphantly home, buouyant in her steps despite the midwinter cold. She met briefly with King Dain, who was as shocked as she had been that the Elf-Lord would oversee the project himself. Then she returned to her room, had a celebratory swig of zhikomir, and sat at a small table carved by her father. Narvi unearthed some blank pieces of parchment found under a teetering pile of sketches, cursing as her fingers knocked over a small inkpot which she recovered before its contents ruined the unblemished pages. Finally, with quill in hand, she dipped it in, letting it rest for a moment as she remembered the sounds of Celebrimbor’s fine hammer hitting against the tracer, and hearing again the quiet melody which seemed more to flow from his fingers than through his lips. With weight of exquisite memory, the quill touched the paper, deftly marking short lines and cross-hatchings, giving angular voice to such liquid song.
*******
With weight of exquisite memory, the quill touched the paper, deftly marking long curves and short flourishes, giving rounded voice to such fluttering song. Then the quill was set down to rest for a moment, as the Elf remembered sounds of leaves shimmering in autumn’s breath, delicate whispers of deer steps near the trees of the nearby river. Suddenly inspired, Legolas leaned in, then cursed as his fingers knocked over the inkpot which he recovered before its contents ruined the embellished pages.
Again, as with much of my writings, I think that some of it's really clever and I amuse myself, if no one else.
In other fanfiction news: "A House Divided" made it through Henneth-Annun's reviewing pool. I wasn't too worried, but the brevity of reviewing comments saddens me, especially this one: the capsule reason for acceptance was strong writing/good style, and the reviewer comments were "I liked the Chapter titles."
*sigh*
Again, I did try to be a bit different with them (there are 8 chapters, each one is one word and begins with the letter "D": Destiny, Desire, Duty, Divergence, etc.) but hm. A bit deflating (not trying to be clever here, really) in regards to the author who thought that the characterisations were the most important aspects to this story. Ah well, c'est la vie. It's still my favorite. Do other fanfiction writers out there who read this LJ have favorites as well of their own works? I guess we all must. I'd love to hear from you, and what those works are. I'll go read, and give feedback, of course, since it's what we all thrive on.
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Aussie tapes
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And your sample is divine. But only a sample (bah!). I await more...
"Speak, Friend, and Enter"
Yes, I've scanned him and posted him now, and even looking at him on a rainy Thursday morning under flourescent office lights, he's still HOT.
Are you a member of Henneth-Annun? I have "Speak, Friend, and Enter" over there in the Beta section. If not, here's part one:
Part I (http://www.livejournal.com/users/thrihyrne/11204.html#cutid1)
and
Part II (http://www.livejournal.com/users/thrihyrne/12530.html#cutid1)
I'll get there- I have grand plans for all of them. I'm glad that you're enjoying it!
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Hmm. My favourite fanfic that's on the web is probably 'I Can Hear the Mermaids Singing' but it's Angel, not Tolkien I fear. Don't feel obliged to look it up -- unless you happen to be an Angel fan, it's not really one that will make much sense for non-fen!
Re:
We were singing a C.P.E. Bach Passion last night at choir- hard stuff to sightread, so I took it home to practice. Personally, I prefer J.S. and his organ music. As a soprano, usually the lines are hideously boring because all you do is sing the chorale line. *dramatic sigh*