Classical music was always just, well, there. Throughout all my life, classical music merely existed, nothing more than that. Nobody in my family ever played any instruments, so I was never surrounded by any real music, nor inspired to pursue music.
One day while studying for my exams freshman year, I found a song called “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy in my YouTube recommended. It appeared to be classical by the thumbnail having a piano in it, and I figured I’d try listening to classical music while studying for a change. And oh boy, what a change it was.
I was instantly struck by the ambiguous tones in the song, and each tonal pivot would strike my heart strings. Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” is so elegant in its manner of adapting to any emotion. It’s tone can be interpreted with joy, melancholy, fear, anguish, excitement, curiosity, the list is unending. The title in English translates to “moonlight.” Just as moonlight can depict distress, excitement, or both, Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” insights a wide range of emotions. Each high and each pause are arranged meticulously to evoke arousal and suspense. Debussy coerces upon his listeners an emotional roller-coaster with constant, vivid ups and downs.
I’m not any music aficionado, and I don’t know anything about music theory. Although, I do know that this song made me feel so much in what seemed like a blink of an eye. And this wasn’t even in person. This song inspired me to take interest in other classic genres. Eventually, I would seek out opportunities where I could hear some of these songs performed in person. And my god, listening to the piano in person is an experience. You can express so much emotion through the piano, the way the instrument quakes when you play it, you can feel the intensity in both the audio and the physical. Not only do you hear the piano, but you see the piano.
Although I have come to love classic music and the piano, I have yet to learn how to play the piano. It has become a dream to me, a goal which I hope to achieve at some point. Understanding how deep an impact the piano has had on me, and watching others play the piano, it seems like playing the piano is the most sensation way of feeling the emotion of each note. It is almost like another language, another way of expressing what one holds deep inside.