[The Typing Baker] New to Masterpieces and Classics?... An Introductory Guide for 'Ye-rin-i' Beginners

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] It is the perfect season for a walk while listening to Antonio Vivaldi’s (1678?1741) violin concerto "The Four Seasons," specifically "Spring." The reason Vivaldi’s "Four Seasons" is famous is, of course, because of its beautiful melodies. However, the kindness of the sonnets, which are presumed to have been written by Vivaldi, should not be overlooked. A sonnet typically refers to a short Western poem consisting of 14 lines. In "Spring," there is a sonnet that begins with "Spring has come. The birds greet us with joyful songs." When such images come to mind while listening to the music, even difficult classical music feels much more approachable.

Yoon Ji-won, the author of "A Museum Where Music Flows," is a cellist. He says that studying both music and art while studying abroad in Paris, France?the birthplace of art?was an unexpected blessing. Getting to know art led to a miraculous understanding of the music he had been playing all along...

As the title suggests, "A Museum Where Music Flows" explains classical music in relation to art. What connection might there be between the paintings of 16th?17th century Italian painter Caravaggio (1571?1610) and concertos?

Caravaggio painted the background dark and illuminated the parts he wanted to emphasize as if spotlighted. This was to express dramatic effects. The technique of using darkness together with light to emphasize the light, called Tenebrism, was influenced by Caravaggio.

A concerto like "The Four Seasons" refers to a performance where an orchestra and a soloist play together. The word concerto has two opposite meanings: "to cooperate" and "to compete." It implies that the orchestra and the soloist compete and cooperate to make each other stand out more. The author says the orchestra’s accompaniment corresponds to the darkness supporting the entire music, while the soloist corresponds to the light highlighted in the foreground. In this way, the concerto is linked to Caravaggio’s paintings.

The author describes German painter Caspar David Friedrich’s (1774?1840) "Wanderer above the Misty Sea" as a painting that pairs well with Romantic music. Romantic music sought to express human inner emotions rather than reason or rationality. "Wanderer above the Misty Sea" depicts the back of a man looking down at a misty sea from a high rock.

Although the modes of expression differ, art and music ultimately share the same root in soothing human emotions. Therefore, painters and composers often exchanged ideas and inspired each other. French painter Eug?ne Delacroix (1798?1863), famous for "Liberty Leading the People," was a close friend of "the poet of the piano," Fr?d?ric Chopin (1810?1849). The portrait of Chopin held by the Louvre Museum was painted by Delacroix in 1838. Originally, Delacroix painted Chopin together with Chopin’s lover, novelist George Sand (1804?1876), but later the paintings of Sand and Chopin were separated and sold individually, a story well known.

Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky (1866?1944) was invited to a concert by Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg (1874?1951) and sketched his impressions of the concert in a painting. Spanish painter Pablo Picasso (1881?1973) was friends with French composer Erik Satie (1866?1925).

Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky (1839?1881) left a piano piece called "Pictures at an Exhibition," inspired by the posthumous exhibition of his close friend, painter Viktor Hartmann (1834?1873), who died young.

The author describes "A Museum Where Music Flows" as an invitation to beginners in the arts. Its small format makes it easy to carry and read anywhere without burden. However, the small size of the illustrations in the book leaves something to be desired when appreciating masterpieces.

(A Museum Where Music Flows / Yoon Ji-won / Misulmunhwa)