Music to Read By: A Playlist for Fall
This is a guest post from Cariwyl Hebert. Cariwyl is the founder of Salon97, a San Francisco-based non-profit that makes classical music approachable to the uninitiated. When she’s not showing folks across the country a *really* good time at her classical music salons, she immerses herself in the world of search engine marketing and social media consulting. Cariwyl is also a fervent fan of discovering the best cocktails around, watching movies with her husband, reading books about anything and everything, going on long walks, and making up for it later by meeting up with friends for a trip to one of the many restaurants on her to-do list. Follow her on Twitter @salon97.
Though we tend to save our reading lists for summer, the longer nights of autumn provide a perfect opportunity to catch up on some of the books we didn’t get through in the warmer months. Give those light, summer reads a more autumnal feel with this playlist of music to read by. Time to get your “adagio” on!
The Seasons, Op. 67
Autumn: Petit Adagio—Alexander Glazunov
Alexander Glazunov rose to fame quickly at the beginning of his composition career; he studied piano for two years before he began composing and his talent was seen immediately. Some of his best works were written while he worked as the director of the St. Petersburg Conservatory.
The Seasons are one of three ballets Glazunov wrote and one of his most popular works today. An allegorical ballet with one act and four scenes, it was choreographed by the renowned Marius Petipa, who also choreographed Giselle, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty.
Glazunov’s Petit Adagio is a pleasant and beautifully pensive listen.
Quartet in a minor, Op. 132
3rd movement: Molto Adagio “The Song of Thanksgiving”—Ludwig van Beethoven
If your first thought was, “But wait, the Thanksgiving holiday we know and love didn’t exist for Beethoven!” you would be correct. However, Beethoven fell ill in the writing of his 15th string quartet and composed the third movement as a song of thanksgiving for his returning health.
Despite the fact that Beethoven’s giving of thanks does not directly relate to our upcoming holiday, gratitude is one of the aspects of Autumn that makes this season so special.
“The Song of Thanksgiving” is a lovely twenty-minute roller coaster ride but certainly mellow enough for your evening reading session.
The Four Seasons, Op. 8
Autumn: Adagio molto—Antonio Vivaldi
What would a seasonal playlist be without an appearance by Vivaldi?
Antonio Vivaldi was known as il Prete Rosso, or, The Red Priest as a result of his famous shock of red hair. He additionally composed music in the Baroque style and was a virtuosic violinist. His work The Four Seasons is one of the most popular classical works of all time and has been sampled numerous times across popular culture.
The adagio molto in Autumn is a thoughtfully hopeful piece and a perfect end to your fall playlist.
Each of the pieces in this playlist is available for download in most online music stores. Best wishes for your autumn reading!
