Writing Music: Moonlight

09:00



When I write, I listen to a lot of the Piano Guys music. The pieces that a piano and a cello can play together are truly amazing. They have many brilliant pieces that make perfect writing music. One of my favourites is a piece called Moonlight, which is an original composition based on Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, rather than a cover, and was composed for both the cello and the piano.

The plucked sounds of the electric cello and the flowing movement of the rest of the music make this piece perfect for listening to while writing a tense scene. It would be good for a scene where characters are hiding from their enemies, or where there is a tense, but not physically dangerous confrontation. It would also be good for a scene where a character has to face their fears.




What sort of scene does this suggest to you? What music are you listening to today?
 

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7 comments

  1. I love this one! (Who are we kidding? I love all things Piano Guys.) But I like it when they play with classical pieces...like Bourne meets Vivaldi?! Ohhh, be still my musical loving heart. And then, of course, I like to see what kind of funky looking cello they're going to use next. ;)
    Right now...I'm listening to Terminator: Salvation composed by Danny Elfman. I haven't watched the movie, but I LOVE Danny Elfman. It's kind of harsh, techno-ish music, which is perfect for what I'm writing. ;)

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    1. Danny Elfman composes such awesome music. I'll have to check out that soundtrack. Harsh techno-ish music sounds very interesting. I do love the way the Piano Guys take classical music and mix it with contemporary music to create something amazing. Thanks for stopping by Cait!

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  2. What is fascinating is that there are also elements of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony incorporated into this work. I studied Beethoven's life and music intensively in university; he is my muse and has been from birth (we also share the same birthday) and although I normally hate, hate, hate any newer treatment of his work, being a purist, I have learned over the course of my own music career to "lighten" up, as it were and thoroughly enjoyed this! Were Beethoven alive today, he'd be down with all of this and probably be writing Death Metal or something along the lines of Rammstein, which is actually an off-shoot of the 2nd Viennese school of composition and arose out of Gustav Mahler. The things I know that pay me nothing whatsoever are legion! I'm paid to play the viola and should hush!

    You're point about what this music would be a good "soundtrack" for is interesting. I see it as one of pure motion, in the plucking or pizzicatto, and it's not until the acoustic cellos play the excerpt from his Seventh Symphony and actually make it sound rather desperate and longing, that I can see someone hiding and thinking about what got them into their current mess in the first place! All in all, the piece is brilliant! My only complaint is that it isn't 978 measures long, ala Beethoven's Ninth, but that is my lizard-brain, looking for development, re-statement of the tema, and coda! Very nice, Imogene and thank you for sharing! I must listen to more of these guys! Mary <3

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    1. There are elements of his Seventh Symphony in this? I didn't know that. And how cool you share a birthday with him. I can imagine that, having studied his music at university, nothing but the purest form of his music would be enough. I'm glad you enjoyed this Beethoven inspired piece though. I know that the cellist at least has a background in classical music, so I can image he had a lot to do with the arranging of this piece. Wow, I would never have guessed that about Death Metal. I shall have to tell my brother that interesting fact. You definitely shouldn't hush. What's the use in knowing interesting things if you can't share them with people.

      I can definitely see the motion in the piece now that you point it out. It was that exact pizzicatto that I thought also spoke to me a little of the tension I felt. It's interesting how different people interpret the same piece. I'm starting to wish I had more musical knowledge to do a better job with these piece. Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your knowledge with me. I really enjoyed reading your comment. You've give me so much to think about.

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  3. Imogen, I had to come by and say more, after your delightful reply! Beethoven was all about pushing the edge of music and he broke the barrier between the Classical form (Mozart) and Romantic (Brahms) in his 3rd symphony, the "Eroica", which was originally intended to be a paean to Napoleon, and the "brotherhood of man" but since Napoleon made the wrong-headed move of deciding to conquer the world and was basically marching through Ludwig's backyard at the time of composition, Ludwig angrily scratched out the "To Napoloean" part and called it the "Heroic" symphony instead.

    Anger still not slated, he proceeded to unleash his fury in his 3rd movement, which starts out dark and funereal indeed, but towards the end just erupts in a white-hot rage. He was furious and he showed it, by breaking every convention of Classical music at the time, and pushing the envelope ahead. Sudden dynamic changes, furious swoops up and down in the first violins and loads of movement in the inner sections (2nd violins and violas) cracked open a door, which would never close again.

    I, for one, as a professional violist am extremely grateful. If Beethoven hadn't been my guy before, he certainly was then. No more BORING viola sectional parts! Yay! I kid, but there's a lot of truth there; for generations, the viola section was where 1st and 2nd violinists went to die after their retirements.

    So, he continued pushing the envelope and doing more and more that was "out there", not only in his symphonic work, but in his string quartets, which are masterful, and border on the bizarre towards the end of his life. Some had 7 movements. One had a fugue that went on and on and on and was practically unlistenable, as well as well-nigh unplayable. Structure and form became elongated with him. You can tell your brother that he most certainly would be down with the cutting edge of whatever is going on now. I think he would be comfortable with Def Leppard, Queen and Pink Floyd, who develop their themes thoroughly and employ any number of devices and also are not afraid to push it to the edge. He would have understood the Beatles.

    You also made a comment about how each one of us takes something different away from music. That's the beauty of it. We do all relate on it's most basic levels, without being aware of it. Major and minor keys for instance. One is happy, the other melancholy. We all get rhythm, because that's just the mathematics of music and we can never have 2 + 2 = 5. But after that? It's all a mystery and that's just wonderful to me. As far as doing a better job with the piece? You did beautifully, because you explained what you felt and at the end of the day, that is what music is all about. The rest is just nuts and bolts, Imogen. I really and truly enjoyed this and talking with you; you're splendid! Tell your mum I said hello! Mary <3

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  4. Wow.. I love that I have discovered your blog. I hadn't actually heard of the Piano Guys before! SHOCKER! I love this video of theirs that I just discovered thanks to you! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgAlQuqzl8o

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    1. I'm so glad I could introduce you to The Piano Guys. They're some of my favourite musicians. I love how they play so many different kinds of music on such classical instruments and still manage to have them sound great. Oh, I love that piece of theirs. The music is cool, and the video is so creative, isn't it?

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