"This is the whole secret of tintinnabuli — the two lines. One line is who we are, and the other line is who is holding and takes care of us. Sometimes I say — it is not a joke, but also it is as a joke taken — that the melodic line is our reality, our sins. But the other line is forgiving the sins."

"If the human has conflict in his soul and with everything, then this system of 12-tone music is exactly good for this. But if you have no more conflict with people, with the world, with God, then it is not necessary. You have no need to have a Browning in your pocket, or a dagger."

"If you study something such as singing, you are a really rich person, because even if your money is lost, you are still very rich with something inside you that you can’t count."

"…It’s always good to start with Bach. You cannot be wrong when you start with Bach. Sometimes you have periods when your head is empty and you cannot find your way forward; it’s then that Bach can help. Start with a cantata or mass and Bach will bring you back to ground level."

Composing again!

For my school’s music/art collaboration, the composers are writing pieces based on Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin, a song cycle containing poetry by Wilhelm Müller. Art majors will illustrate these poems as well. In April, the pianists will perform the entire set of compositions, with the paintings displayed alongside each accompanying piece. Even though I don’t study composition currently, there aren’t many composition majors, so I’ll both compose and perform! I’d like to play one of my pieces, but have someone else do the other…that is, if I can choose who plays it. Otherwise, I’ll just do both of mine. I’ve finished the first half of my first piece so far.

The two poems I chose from the cycle are 6. Curiosity:

 I ask no flower,
 I ask no star;
 None of them can tell me,
 What I so eagerly want to know.
 
 I am surely not a gardener,
 The stars stand too high;
 My brooklet will I ask,
 Whether my heart has lied to me.

 O brooklet of my love,
 Why are you so quiet today?
 I want to know just one thing -
 One little word again and again.
 
 The one little word is "Yes";
 The other is "No",
 Both these little words
 Make up the entire world to me.
 
 O brooklet of my love,
 Why are you so strange?
 I'll surely not repeat it;
 Tell me, o brooklet, does she love me?

and 7. Impatience:

 I would carve it fondly in the bark of trees,
 I would chisel it eagerly into each pebble,
 I would like to sow it upon each fresh flower-bed
 With water-cress seeds, which it would quickly disclose;
 Upon each white piece of paper would I write:
 Yours is my heart and so shall it remain forever.
 
 I would like to raise a young starling,
 Until he speaks to me in words pure and clear,
 Until he speaks to me with my mouth's sound,
 With my heart's full, warm urge;
 Then he would sing brightly through her windowpanes:
 Yours is my heart and so shall it remain forever!
 
 I would like to breathe it into the morning breezes,
 I would like to whisper it through the active grove;
 Oh, if only it would shine from each flower-star!
 Would it only carry the scent to her from near and far!
 You waves, could you nothing but wheels drive?
 Yours is my heart, and so shall it remain forever.
 
 I thought, it must be visible in my eyes,
 On my cheeks it must be seen that it burns;
 It must be readable on my mute lips,
 Every breath would make it loudly known to her,
 And yet she notices nothing of all my yearning feelings.
 Yours is my heart, and so shall it remain forever.

I’ve started compiling a list of minor-key hymns.

Under the cut, because it’s a rather long list.

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