There and Back Again

there is a time for the evening under starlight,

a time for the evening under lamplight

(the evening with the photograph album).

(t.s. eliot, the four quartets)

    It’s been almost two months since I’ve been here. Things look a little different (and not just because I redesigned the header). I’m a different person than I was two months ago, although I’m not quite sure what’s changed. I travelled all around the country auditioning for music schools, and then came home. And home is the same, but I am not.

    I have learned to love life more. I have learned to push myself harder than I ever would have thought possible, and I have learned when to rest. And most of all I have learned to place my trust in God no matter what. Some things might not turn out the way you thought they would, but His plan is better than mine.

    Even still, sometimes I miss gallivanting around the country. There was a sense of excitement to it. I’m going on an adventure. And sometimes I’m happy to be home, before I leave next year on another adventure.

    All that being said, all this traveling and this series of auditions is only a slight foretaste into what my life will be like starting next fall. Everything I am is going to go into violin. And that’s what I want. I’m not going to stop loving great books and having deep conversations - banish the thought! But things will be different. I don’t know quite how yet, because I’m still in the process of choosing a school (after getting back some exciting offers!) People who haven’t gone through this process won’t quite know how difficult it is - there are many more factors than one would think that go into choosing a school. (I may do a post on that at some point - it’s important, even if it isn’t very literary.) 

    I guess all this is to say that though I will be posting and writing, it won’t be as often. But I will never stop loving the things that prompted me to start this blog, and I hope to keep it as long as I can. In the interim, I’m starting to do some more writing again, and will hopefully post a lot more in the weeks to come. 

    I have only a few months left before I leave this part of my life behind forever and I am going to hold onto them tight until there is nothing left to hold. I am going to get the most out of them and cherish the memories. Of people, of laughter, of difficulties, of doing hard and good and beautiful things together. I’m going to miss it, this world. But I’m going to do something that I love, and I am going to do it well for the glory of God. And my childhood home and these friends I have made, they are not lost. I am only leaving for a time, like I have done before, and then I will come back.

    I will come back, and we will laugh together again.

Oddly Specific Things I Love In Books Tag

    Why hello there :)

    An embarrassingly long time ago in a galaxy rather close by, I was tagged for the Oddly Specific Things I Love In Books Tag by my dear friend Miss Lizzie Hexam. Since there in fact are many I things I love in books, Let Us Begin. 

    (Because you know, we could be here all day.)

    First, allow me to present The Guidelines. 

1. Link back to who tagged you.
2. Share the Graphic on your blog
3. Share the Outline on your post.
4. Share a detail you love about the season of summer into fall.
5. List at least 7 random/ specific things YOU love to read about in books, big or small.
6. Tag 7 people who would enjoy taking part/whose answers you are curious to read!

    As you (hopefully) know, unless you have buried your head under a rock for the last few months (and as Lizzie pointed out as well) it is no longer summer into fall, but rather fall into winter. Autumn is of course my favourite season, but the feeling in the air when it’s slightly crisper (despite living in a Rather Warm Place), the rain, pumpkins everywhere and hot chocolate and tea (of which I have been known to drink an Uncivilised Amount) - it’s all just wonderful.

    Anywho, after having ado-ed for longer than necessary, shall we proceed?

    

    1. Faith content

Let me clarify on this one. I absolutely love it when authors include faith content that is not preachy, heavy-handed, or inaccurate. Well-done, like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien; or like some more modern authors such as Elisabeth Aimee Brown or Nadine Brandes, it is brilliant. I am all for good stories; and faith-filled fiction is even better :)

2. Cozy descriptions

I have a weakness for cozy things and for beautiful things. I tend to be attracted by anything warm, fuzzy, pretty—you name it. The beginning of The Hobbit is a wonderful example of this.

3. Loveable side characters

The main characters are great and all (or sometimes they aren’t), but everyone has their own story and I love seeing well-developed, relatable side characters who are actually people too. (Lewis does this really excellently. For example, Tumnus. And Puddleglum. You can’t go wrong with Puddleglum.)

4. Music… described correctly

One of my biggest pet peeves, as a classical musician, in any form of media (movies and books) is music represented or described incorrectly. So naturally I love it when it is done correctly all the more :D

(I still haven’t found a book that does this. Let me know when you do.)

EDIT: I  found one!  The Echoes of a Silent Song by Amanda Wen (an actual musician and also a Christian!) is a split-time romance and murder mystery and it’s actually really good ;D

5. Flawed and virtuous characters

One of the biggest problems in today’s modern literature is stereotypes. There’s the strong female character who’s better than the boys at everything; there’s the suave, dark male love interest who’s always got a suspicious past; and I’m tired of it. I love it when people do new and interesting things. Give me torn characters, flawed and indecisive characters, human characters. You know it’s a good book when you actually care about what happens to the characters, even if you don’t necessarily like them all the time. 

6. When characters repeat a phrase to each other

This one’s oddly specific and the title doesn’t make that much sense, but it just Does Something to me when one character says something that’s meant as a reproof or slight, and then the other character says it back to them at a later point. Example: in Enola Holmes, Sherlock tells Enola “you’re being emotional. It’s understandable, but unnecessary.” She later repeats it back to him and it’s just So Satisfying. (And yes I know that’s a movie but it’s a very good one and please don’t kill me because that’s the only example I could think of.)

7. After-marriage romance

I’m kinda stealing one of Lizzie’s points here, but… I love it when the author lets you see beyond the initial romance into the marriage relationship as well. In so many stories it’s like okay they fall in love and kiss and that’s the end… but really, in real life, it’s not. So I love seeing the characters fall in love with each other again continuously. (Love is a choice, after all.) L.M. Montgomery does this really well in the Anne series, and so does Alcott in Little Women. 

And there you have it - seven of the Oddly Specific Things I Love In Books ;P

I shall tag…

Hannah Ruth at Faith, Fiction, and Fairytales

Iona at Story Blossoms

Olivia at Meanwhile, in Rivendell…

And because everyone else I know has already been tagged, consider yourself tagged if you’d like to be! 

What do you think of tropes in books? What’s your favourite Oddly Specific Thing?

My Top 10 Favourite Musicals (in no particular order)

 As much as classical music is my life, I also love musical theatre. Mainly because it combines both my love of both stories and of music. 

    Today I come to you with my top ten musical recommendations, in no order whatsoever because I am an indecisive human being. (But please, I beg of you, never ever listen to the Lord of the Rings musical. It is an abomination to Tolkien's masterpiece and will probably make you lose both several brain cells and faith in humanity.)

1. The Great Gatsby (the original Broadway cast recording with Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada)

2. The Phantom of the Opera (Live at the Royal Albert Hall)

3. Les Miserables (the original Broadway cast recording; and I'm actually going to see this live!!)

4. My Fair Lady (the movie with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison)

5. Mary Poppins

(it is at this point that I start referencing my musicals playlist on apple music, because in addition to being indecisive, I am also forgetful.)

6. Little Women

7. Newsies (with, again, Jeremy Jordan)

8. The Secret Garden

9. West Side Story

10. Beauty and the Beast

Enjoy your musical-listening, and happy October :)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Hannah

Happy Birthday, Mr. Shostakovich

    

Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (fondly nicknamed Shosty by most classical musicians) was born on September 25, 1906, and died on August 9, 1975. He was a famous Russian pianist and composer battling the challenges of being an artist in Soviet Russia. He had a complex relationship with the government and Stalin in particular, especially after writing his infamous opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. 

    If you listen to Shostakovich’s music, you’ll notice it’s got an extremely distinct and identifiable style. Atonal, grotesque, mocking, but also beautiful and grand and picturesque. Some of his most famous compositions are: 

* String Quartet No. 8

* Symphony No. 5

* Symphony No. 10

* Symphony No. 11 (“The Year 1905”)

* A score for Hamlet

* Cello Sonata

(I’ve played the ones in bold)

    Happy birthday to an amazing composer, pianist, one of the founders of modern classical music, and personally one of my favourite composers!

Пока (that’s goodbye in Russian),
Hannah

the music tag

    “Music is life.” - Ludvig van Beethoven

    Thank you to The Hopeful Pen at With Joy For The Work for tagging me :)

    

    The Rules:

1. pick ten songs/pieces that come on shuffle (the original rules say no skipping but must I really?)

2. write your favourite lyric from each song (seeing as how classical music is 99.9% of my listening repertoire, not sure how this is going to work)

3. tag some people (everyone reading this, consider yourself tagged)

—

1. Shostakovich Symphony No. 11 (The Year 1904)

I played this over the summer and it’s such an amazing piece of music. I highly encourage listening to it; not only is the music itself brilliant and impactful, but so is the storytelling.

2. Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2; second movement

One of the most romantic pieces ever written. It’s beautiful.

3. Theme from “Schindler’s List”

Heartbreakingly beautiful.

4. Dvorak Symphony No. 8

I got to play this over the summer as well (as concertmaster; the solo is so beautiful!) and it’s just so playful and exuberant and joyful and I love it so much.

5. “The Last Goodbye” by Billy Boyd

“Many places I have been / Many sorrows I have seen / But I don’t regret / Nor will I forget / All who took that Road with me.”

So beautiful and so sad and so amazing.

6. Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8; second movement

According to sonata form most second movements are quiet, but this is definitely not. This piece is sooo fun to play and it’s crazy to boot. How exactly like Shostakovich.

7. “Give Me Jesus” by Bethel Music

“You can have all this world / Give me Jesus”

One of my favourite worship songs. It’s so powerful and beautiful.

8. Elgar “Enigma” Variations No. 9 (Nimrod)

I played the entire Enigma Variations two years ago and it’s just amazing. (Warning: will make you sob. I am not kidding.)

9. Sibelius Violin Concerto; 1st movement

This is the piece I’m playing for college auditions. It’s one of the most difficult concerti written for violin, but it’s also incredibly distinct, beautiful, and virtuosic.

10. Mahler Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection) 

I highly recommend this. It’s long, but incredibly well-worth it. 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Hannah

In Which I Say “So Long, Farewell” To Summer

A sad fact: It’s been ages since I’ve posted anything on here.

A happy fact: The reason being, I was off on the other side of the country playing violin and (on occasion) buying books.

But now I am back. 

A crazy fact: School starts soon (bebother summer homework 😠) and so do college auditions, and I shan’t have much time.

But!! I will be posting and sharing still (as time permits) on both blogs, which is very exciting because it’s been so long since I’ve been able to.

Summer was amazing. I got to do so many amazing things while at music camp, and I’m SOOO grateful for my experience there. 

After the six weeks I spent there, my family and I went vacationing and (as one does) we stopped at a bookstore. I acquired many delightful books (nevermind I had to carry them home on the airplane) and so here’s a brief outline of my post-summer-reading TBR: 

The sequel to Little Women and a journal to go along with Gatsby 🤩

A book with love poetry and a historical fiction, which I’m super excited about!

And of course, who can go wrong with Dostoyevsky?

Adieu,

Hannah

Don't Go Where I Can't Follow

    I felt it right to share a song I wrote a few weeks ago, based on dear Sam Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings. Enjoy, if you wish! It’s just the words because I haven’t recorded it yet, but I have been inspired to do some more songwriting.

don’t go where I can’t follow

“don’t go where I can’t follow” - Samwise Gamgee

[verse 1]

said I’d follow you to the end

said I’d never go from your side

a poor man’s child

but all the while

I’ll stay with you, my friend

so don’t go where I can’t follow

don’t go where I can’t follow

[verse 2]

how I loved you, now you’re gone

how I need you, at the end

we’ve travelled far

beneath the stars

don’t leave me here, it’s wrong

so don’t go where I can’t follow

don’t go where I can’t follow

[verse 3]

now your eyes are closed, please wake up

now your skin is cold, please come back

I’m with you here

I’ll stay right here

though end of times should come

but you’ve gone where I can’t follow

you’ve gone where I can’t follow

[refrain]

please, don’t go where I can’t follow

don’t go where I can’t follow

Soli Deo Gloria,

Hannah

A Joyful Noise

     Whether we realise it or not, music is an integral part of our lives. Some have favourite songs they listen to on repeat, others of us play musical instruments. Even if you are a dismal and glum sort of person who hates every kind of music, you at least know people who love it. It’s everywhere. But why?

    Now, it must be said that I am a classical violinist, and as such am partial to classical music. Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, that’s the kind of thing I love. But even so, I respect the types of music other people love. (Except for rap. That just confuses me.) Because all music tells a story. And that love of something so beautiful, that’s glorifying to God.

    That’s why music is such a powerful form of worship. Yet it doesn’t have to be Sunday morning at church singing hymns to glorify Him. It can be anytime, anyplace, whenever we’re doing something we love and dedicate it to God. 

    The Bible talks often of singing our praises, of making a joyful noise with music, even of a heavenly choir, and I believe that is one of the most touching, beautiful forms of worship we can give. 

    So it doesn’t matter what you sound like, or who you are. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

——

Namarië,

Astrya