The Smallest And Prettiest Book I Own

The smallest and prettiest book i own

It's a german poetry collection by Goethe

"You I saw, your look replied,

Your sweet felicity, my own,

My heart was with you, at your side,

I breathed for you, for you alone."

~ Welcome and Farewell by Johann Wolfgang Goethe

Most aesthetically pleasing movies I watched recently

1. Macbeth (2015)

The red/ orange colour theme in this is phenomenal for visualizing his inner demons. The blood he shed and will shed is literally visible everywhere.

2. Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Sleeping beauty has to be the most beautiful Disney movie ever made. Check out "Awaking Beauty" by Eyvind Earl if you are interested in the artwork

3. Portrait of a lady on fire (2019)

A must watch for everyone who adores art and period dramas. The soundtrack is phenomenal too!

One of the most beautiful classic literature editions 🧡💛💚💙💜

If you are interested in beautiful editions of classic Literature, check out the Penguin Drop Caps series! They have a book in every color of the rainbow for every letter of the Alphabet.

Penguin Drop Caps - Penguin Classics - Because what you read matters. - Penguin Group (USA)

Penguin Drop Caps by type designer Jessica Hische - Penguin Group (USA)

Penguin Drop Caps is a series of twenty-six collectible hardcover editions of fine works of literature, each featuring on its cover a specia

Amadeus is such a great movie for learning the deep meaning of and the appreciation for Mozart's music

how to get into classical music?

this post is inspired by the great twoset violin video which you can watch here. Their tips are good, but I just wanted to add something based on my experience!

Listen to the compilations - I think everything works in this case, seriously - playlists on spotify, "the very best of " albums. You can just search for example "the very best of Vivaldi" and listen to whatever the hell is there.

Ask your classical music enthusiast friend what's their current favorite piece - that's the best question you can ask. Questions like "what are your 5 favorite pieces" or "what pieces would you recommend for a beginner" can be confusing for someone, who has hundreds of favorite pieces and knows thousands of them. If you ask about their current favorite piece, you can discover something completely new and complex.

Watch Amadeus - it is a movie about composers Mozart and Salieri and it's based on a play, so not everything there is true, but the soundtrack is just 100% classical music and like 99% of Mozart's compositions. How the soundtrack is combined with the atmosphere of this film is indescribable. And here's an important information - this movie made me loose my fucking mind and fall blindly in love with classical music. I didn't give a shit about classical music before watching Amadeus.

You already know some pieces but you're still too confused - search for other interpretations - the best thing about classical music is that you can find your beloved performance of your favorite piece and cherish it like it's your own treasure. So, for example, you know The Four Seasons and you like it, but you feel like something's missing? Search for other recording. btw - check out this Spring.

Find your favorite musicians - you find your favorite musician, you want to hear more of their work, you automatically check their other recordings and wow, suddenly you know more pieces! Even if you like this musician only because they're pretty and you want to watch them play! Go for it, there's nothing wrong about it!

WATCH performances - there's something hypnotizing about watching a perfectly synchronized orchestra, the work of a conductor, a violinist making funny faces, a pianist waving a hand in a weird way. Seeing it makes you feel more connected to the musicians and finally - to the music.

Go see a free classical music performance - even if it's something you don't know. Even if it won't be so great, because it's for free or something. Just take your friend and spend a nice evening. Or maybe it's free opera performance online? Then buy some chips or wine or whatever, read the synopsis to prepare yourself and go for it! I mean, if it's for free you can just leave or turn that off, you won't loose anything.

The very last thing - watch Twoset Violin. Even the silly charades videos or Ling Ling workout. You can't escape from exploring new pieces when you watch twoset. Their channel shows that classical music is for everyone and lots of their videos are very educational.

Movies that will make you fall in love with classical music

1. Amadeus

"This was a music I'd never heard. Filled with such longing, such unfulfillable longing. It seemed to me that I was hearing the voice of God.”

I can't put into words how amazing this movie is. If you haven't watched it already go and see it. It will teach you more about the transcendental power of music in than almost everything.

2. All the mornings of the world

“So, you’ve discovered that music is not for kings,” Sainte-Colombe says. “Yes,” Marais responds, “I discovered that it’s for God.”

This french film tells us about the healing power of music and it's ability to speak where words fail : "When I first saw Tous les matins du monde in a theater, I remember looking around me when the movie ended, and seeing the entire audience in tears. I have no idea if any of what happened in Tous les matins du monde is true, but on the subject of music, its truth is unshakable."

3. The Pianist

A heartbreaking and highly regarded Film about the jewish Pianists Władysław Szpilman's real life and suffering during the 2nd World war.

4. A late quartet

"Time present and time past are both perhaps present in time future, and time future contained in time past. If all time is eternally present, all time is unredeemable."

A movie about the difficulties a musical ensemble faces as their Violinist is diagnosed with Parkinson: a sickness that slowly takes away his motion control.

5. Impromptu

A young Hugh Grant plays great composer and Pianist Chopin: the Film focuses on the love story between young Frederic and George Sand.

6. Immortal Beloved

"It is the power of music to carry one directly into the mental state of the composer. The listener has no choice. It is like hypnotism"

This movie is too beautiful to put into words. Please watch it and i promise you will be moved to tears: it tells the tragic life story of the great composer Ludwig van Beethoven and his failed attempts to find true love and meaning

7. The Soloist

This movie is based on the true story of a Journalist helping a sick musician to find his place in the music world again: The plot is based on the story of Nathaniel Ayers, a musician who developed schizophrenia and became homeless.

Some of my favourite literary/ academic movies

1. The Oxford murders (2008): This one is great for people who love mathematics, mysteries and murders. A suspenseful thriller for all admirers of the dark academia aesthetic.

2. Me and Orson Welles (2008): This one unfortunately is a lesser known movie. A big recommendation for everyone who has a love for Shakespeare, theatre and period dramas.

3. My afternoons with Margueritte (2010): This is a heartwarming french movie about a unique friendship between an old book-loving lady and a younger, poor educated craftsmen. She shares her wisdom with him and introduces him to the world of literature: A touching ode to loving books and bringing people together with literature.

4. The words (2012): This one is a touching and highly underrated movie about the power of words and books. It is a beautiful love story, thriller and drama all in one and tells the story about a writer during different timelines and dimensions. It is basically a book within a movie where the protagonist (a famous author played by Bradley Cooper) bears a big secret.

5. A beautiful mind (2002): This has to be one af the most beautiful movies of all time. Telling you to much about it would only take something away from the experience of watching it for the first time. Just watch it for yourself and be prepared for a huge twist and one of the most heartwarming, intelligent films ever produced.