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Monday, August 9, 2010

Music is a Universal Language

The last couple of posts have had music in them, so maybe it's time for a full post about it. A popular writers trend right now is to write while listening to music, hence the playlist on the sidebar. I need quiet to write, but I can't deny that some tunes inspire. Chains, Fortresses, Cennet...you know, stuff already running through my head anyway gets channeled when I'm listening in the car or kitchen and - A-ha! I have a moment of clarity. I listen to stuff from everywhere...language is not a barrier for me. At the moment Primavera in Anticipo (Laura Pausini and James Blunt) is on the top of my list. Half of it is in Italian, but I get it anyway.

In Turkey, like everywhere, there are different types of music. Halk muzik (folk) , Sanat muzik (classical, lots of arabesques), and then of course modern Pop/Rock/etc... I don't usually listen to the first two, although I appreciate them of course. I really like when artists take something from halk or sanat music and blend it into pop/rock. That I can't resist. Since I'm a former violinist, Can Atilla easily takes a "most played" track status in my iTunes library. He's a composer and his instumentals are just as important as the words. He likes to invoke images of the Ottomans...one of his albums is even titled 1453 (When Istanbul became the capital of the Ottoman Empire).

I just watched his video of Cariyerler ve Geceler for the first time. Its animation, but a very nice use of arabesques in every sense plus a bit of a steampunk vibe. Some indian woman singing background too... don't ask me what she's saying. Love the high violin crying out. Pure angst! If angst isn't YA, then what is?




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4 comments:

  1. I can't really write *while* listening to anything, but I have gotten inspiration for characters or stories from songs... :o) cool video--I think that song's relaxing...!

    And I got a little something for you over on my blog... wanna see it? ;p

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  2. P.S.
    that video could be a scene from you book, yes?

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  3. Yes! I think he was channeling Sybil, don't you? Or we're on the same wavelength...but Sybil's story is before the Ottoman Empire takes Istanbul. I've been listening to the music for some time, but only saw the video yesterday. I was kind of floored!

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  4. Lovely! You're right, it does have a steampunk feel. I made a YouTube playlist a couple of months ago for a writers' houseparty we had on my writers' forum; it was our ninth party to date and this one was set in the timeframe of my novel, Constantinople 1493! (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=5E0D4292D074ADFC)
    The Ladino songs are there for my main character, and the Arabic songs were for another author's character - here's the info on the party: http://thegirdleofmelian.blogspot.com/2010/10/would-you-like-to-travel-in-time-to.html and http://kaitnolan.com/2010/09/26/guest-post-by-deniz-bevan/

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