Writing Music: Leningrad
11:00I love listening to instrumental music while I’m writing. It’s perfect for setting the mood of a scene without the interruption of distracting lyrics. But though there is a lot of happy music and plenty of peaceful or dramatic music, I always find it hard to find good sad pieces. And while peaceful and dramatic music good, sometimes I just need something to set that sorrowful mood. This week’s writing music, Leningrad by a recent discovery of mine, pianist William Joseph, is perfect for those sad scenes.
In Leningrad, the combination of haunting violins and the delicate notes of the piano give this piece the feelings of a quiet lament. At the same time, it’s a subdued sort of sorrow, not a melodramatic emotional breakdown. This piece sounds like it would suit a scene of quiet despair or dark memories when the character just wants to sit down and weep quietly for a bit.
What sort of scene do you think this piece suits? Do you know of any sad songs? What are you listening to this week?
4 comments
Wow! That's beautiful, in fact haunting. It brings so many scenes to mind. Thank you so much for sharing. I've never heard of William Joseph before, I'm going to have to look up more of his! You're always a treasure trove of good musicians:)
ReplyDeleteI never really heard of him before Lindsey Stirling collaborated with him, and then I investigated him a little more. He has some brilliant music. You should definitely look at his music, especially if you want some music that's a bit more subdued in feeling. He has some really nice music for more thoughtful moods.
DeleteWow, great song. So emotional.=s One song I like to listen to for intrigue or when my sci-fi characters are in a emotionally uncomfortable or stuck in some alien place, I like to listen to the 'Breath and Life' by Audio Machine. I love it because there's a sadness there in the music but also the feeling of possibility. =D Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI know, right It hits me with the sadness every time I listen to it. Oh that piece is wonderful! It feels like that tense moment when the characters have to make the hard decision to do something great and possibly die, or stand back and do nothing, right after something terrible has happened to them. I love it! Thanks for the recommendation.
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