THE MOST ROMANTIC MUSIC
Hello again!
I’ve been chatting about music lately with the lovely medical romance author, Kate Hardy. We both share a great love of it. She’s a classically-trained guitarist, I’m a classically-trained pianist, and these musical gifts we’ve both been given have greatly shaped our lives in ways we know and probably in ways we don’t know.
For me, my music started before I was born, when my mother would play her favorites on the record player and know, in her soul, that her music was touching me. My mother was a beautiful concert pianist and I remember being in awe, listening to her play. For me, she never played enough. I could have spent a lifetime listening to my mother’s music and it wouldn’t have been enough.
Mother put me on the piano bench when I was two, and taught me to play simple tunes. By the time I was four I was playing Chopin. Bach by the time I was eight. Beethoven by the time I was eleven. And classical duets...I can’t even tell you how many glorious hours my mother and I spent playing four-handed pieces together. I miss my mother’s music and there are so many times I wish I could hear it again, but it’s gone from me now. At least, insomuch as I can hear it. But I still have it with me, in my heart and soul. I’m never without my mother’s music.
But I have my own music, too. Pieces I love, performers I cherish. My preference always bends toward something classical first, as it was my first true love. But I also love music from musical theater, and movies, and numerous rock groups and solo performers. I love jazz, and sacred music, I love folk ballads and opera. Quite simply, I love... And I write to what I love. But I have to be careful of the songs I choose for my writing because if they have lyrics that come to me easily, I distract myself by singing along. And there are so many symphonic pieces where I’ve been known to bust out in spontaneous conducting, and it’s very difficult to write when I’m conducting my most favorite piece of music in the world, the 2nd movement of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcf92MaQzHo
Lately, I’ve been compiling a list of love songs to listen to when I write or, actually, before I write, in order to get me in the mood to bring romance to my pages. Surprisingly, this was a difficult list to compile, because there are so many songs I love. So, I divided my list into my favorites, my absolute favorites, my top ten absolute favorites, and for this blog, my top five absolute favorites. It’s in interesting list, without specific genre. But these are the songs that, without a doubt, put me in the mood to write romance. So, here goes...
Number 5: From the movie Somewhere in Time, this is called “Rhapsody on a Theme from Paganini” (interspersed with the theme music called Somewhere in Time.) It is the background for one of the most beautiful and sad romantic movies I’ve ever seen. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezZqe5cVoXw/
Number 4: From the theatrical production Love Never Dies, “‘Til I Hear you Sing” is about love lost. It’s beautiful to hear and beautiful to watch as the performer, Ramin Karimloo, is my idea of the perfect romantic hero. If I could choose one man to put on the cover of one of my books, it would be him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47dUc4iMAvQ
Number 3: “Plasir d’Amour,” an old French love song written in 1748, holds a special place in my heart as I performed it in recital while I was in college (music major), accompanying myself on the guitar. And, I sang it in French. Sung here by Nana Mouskouri...The joys of love are but a moment long, the pain of love endures the whole life long. Yes, another sad one, but oh, so beautiful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WvXpgLtTwY/
Number 2: Recorded by pretty much every singer who has ever sung, “Unchained Melody” has become one of the most classic love songs of all time. Popular as a stand-alone single in the 1960s, it was brought back to us in 1990, in the film Ghost. Another sad film, but such a beautiful song. My favorite version was recorded by the Righteous Brothers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrK5u5W8afc
Number 1: This is my ahhh song. “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” evokes such emotions! Originally recorded by Roberta Flack, I thought it couldn’t get better than that. But then I heard the version recorded by theatrical performer, Michael Ball, and for me, this is the only version I want to listen to. This particular video features it with a scene from Brokeback Mountain, but the song was not originally in the movie. (If you’re offended by the movie, close your eyes and simply listen to the beautiful song.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqcyACBxXqY/
So that’s my list. The five that remain always at the top, never changing, while everything else on my list switches around from time to time. Do you have a favorite romantic song? One that puts you in the mood to write romance, or feel romantic? Please tell me, because my list always has room to grow.
Before I sign off, let me just tell you that I’ll have a new book out in July, titled Doctor, Mommy...Wife? or Doctor, Mummy...Wife? depending on which version you buy.
Until next time, wishing you health and happiness...
Dianne
I’ve been chatting about music lately with the lovely medical romance author, Kate Hardy. We both share a great love of it. She’s a classically-trained guitarist, I’m a classically-trained pianist, and these musical gifts we’ve both been given have greatly shaped our lives in ways we know and probably in ways we don’t know.
For me, my music started before I was born, when my mother would play her favorites on the record player and know, in her soul, that her music was touching me. My mother was a beautiful concert pianist and I remember being in awe, listening to her play. For me, she never played enough. I could have spent a lifetime listening to my mother’s music and it wouldn’t have been enough.
 |
| Marguerite Holmes, my mother |
Mother put me on the piano bench when I was two, and taught me to play simple tunes. By the time I was four I was playing Chopin. Bach by the time I was eight. Beethoven by the time I was eleven. And classical duets...I can’t even tell you how many glorious hours my mother and I spent playing four-handed pieces together. I miss my mother’s music and there are so many times I wish I could hear it again, but it’s gone from me now. At least, insomuch as I can hear it. But I still have it with me, in my heart and soul. I’m never without my mother’s music.
But I have my own music, too. Pieces I love, performers I cherish. My preference always bends toward something classical first, as it was my first true love. But I also love music from musical theater, and movies, and numerous rock groups and solo performers. I love jazz, and sacred music, I love folk ballads and opera. Quite simply, I love... And I write to what I love. But I have to be careful of the songs I choose for my writing because if they have lyrics that come to me easily, I distract myself by singing along. And there are so many symphonic pieces where I’ve been known to bust out in spontaneous conducting, and it’s very difficult to write when I’m conducting my most favorite piece of music in the world, the 2nd movement of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcf92MaQzHo
Lately, I’ve been compiling a list of love songs to listen to when I write or, actually, before I write, in order to get me in the mood to bring romance to my pages. Surprisingly, this was a difficult list to compile, because there are so many songs I love. So, I divided my list into my favorites, my absolute favorites, my top ten absolute favorites, and for this blog, my top five absolute favorites. It’s in interesting list, without specific genre. But these are the songs that, without a doubt, put me in the mood to write romance. So, here goes...
Number 5: From the movie Somewhere in Time, this is called “Rhapsody on a Theme from Paganini” (interspersed with the theme music called Somewhere in Time.) It is the background for one of the most beautiful and sad romantic movies I’ve ever seen. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezZqe5cVoXw/
Number 4: From the theatrical production Love Never Dies, “‘Til I Hear you Sing” is about love lost. It’s beautiful to hear and beautiful to watch as the performer, Ramin Karimloo, is my idea of the perfect romantic hero. If I could choose one man to put on the cover of one of my books, it would be him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47dUc4iMAvQ
Number 3: “Plasir d’Amour,” an old French love song written in 1748, holds a special place in my heart as I performed it in recital while I was in college (music major), accompanying myself on the guitar. And, I sang it in French. Sung here by Nana Mouskouri...The joys of love are but a moment long, the pain of love endures the whole life long. Yes, another sad one, but oh, so beautiful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WvXpgLtTwY/
Number 2: Recorded by pretty much every singer who has ever sung, “Unchained Melody” has become one of the most classic love songs of all time. Popular as a stand-alone single in the 1960s, it was brought back to us in 1990, in the film Ghost. Another sad film, but such a beautiful song. My favorite version was recorded by the Righteous Brothers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrK5u5W8afc
Number 1: This is my ahhh song. “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” evokes such emotions! Originally recorded by Roberta Flack, I thought it couldn’t get better than that. But then I heard the version recorded by theatrical performer, Michael Ball, and for me, this is the only version I want to listen to. This particular video features it with a scene from Brokeback Mountain, but the song was not originally in the movie. (If you’re offended by the movie, close your eyes and simply listen to the beautiful song.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqcyACBxXqY/
So that’s my list. The five that remain always at the top, never changing, while everything else on my list switches around from time to time. Do you have a favorite romantic song? One that puts you in the mood to write romance, or feel romantic? Please tell me, because my list always has room to grow.
Before I sign off, let me just tell you that I’ll have a new book out in July, titled Doctor, Mommy...Wife? or Doctor, Mummy...Wife? depending on which version you buy.
Until next time, wishing you health and happiness...
Dianne
Dianne - the second movement of Beethoven's 7th is one of my all-time favourites (and I always vote for it on Classic FM!) :) (I am beginning to think we might be secret twins...) Romantic songs - 'Falling In' by Lifehouse is one I use a lot, and also the acoustic version of Def Leppard's 'Tonight'. And I think I have to add Coldplay's 'Fix You' (always one of my faves, but after singing along to it with the band 60,000 people at the weekend in Manchester... Yeah, it's pure magic).
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