Month: May 2017

Last month I spent a few weeks out with my sister, who is attending college, to get some much needed recharge time. In the afternoons after classes, she would work on her homework, and I would work on my current writing project. Though I have been listening to his music for years—I grew up listening to Yo-Yo Ma playing an arrangement of his music from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, and I loved his Gabriel’s Oboe and On Earth As It Is In Heaven—I feel like those hours were when I truly discovered Ennio Morricone.

About the artist:  Though less popular than composers like John Williams and Hans Zimmer, Ennio Morricone has had a career spanning over seventy years, writing some of the most covered and parodied melodies of the twentieth century. He was born in Italy to a musician father who taught him and encouraged his musical pursuits (Ennio composed his first piece at six). He enrolled in conservatory at age 12, and promptly completed a four year program in six months. He continued to do very well in music school, excelling in trumpet, conducting, and composing. Even before he finished school he was taking composing jobs, and following the popularity of his music for radio programs, he was asked to do film. He was soon well-loved by audiences and filmmakers alike, and he has had long-time collaborations with a lengthy list of directors. Though his film scores have won countless awards, he has never been drawn to Hollywood, preferring to live in his native Italy with his family.

Why I recommend him:  Ennio Morricone is a diverse composer, writing everything from serious classical to jazz to sweeping epic scores. His themes are heartfelt and easy to discern, yet written intelligently so that you do not tire of them on repeated listenings.

What I use his music for:

-Mood setting

-Listening through entire album

Favorite Albums:

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Mission

Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone

Once Upon A Time In the West

Favorite Tracks:

On Earth As It Is In Heaven (The Mission)

Gabriel’s Oboe (The Mission)

Ecstasy of Gold (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly)

Once Upon A Time In the West (Once Upon A Time In the West)

Moses and Marco Polo Suite: 21″ (Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone)

Ecstasy of Gold (The Essential Yo-Yo Ma) 

And some other too good not to mention:

The Mission (The Mission)

Ava Maria Guarani (The Mission)

River (The Mission)

Cinema Paradiso (Cinema Paradiso) 

Moses and Marco Polo Suite: Theme (Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone)

Moses and Marco Polo Suite: Journey (Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone)

Giuseppe Tornatore Suite: Looking For You (Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone)

Have you heard any of Ennio Morricone’s scores? If so, which are your favorites?

P.S. A good friend of mine just announced some very exciting book news on her blog. I highly recommend you take a look.

I love Spring. I love how the drabness of winter melts away and the brown is replaced by green. I love how the air is fresh and sweet, and I love the way houses smell when you finally open windows. Spring cleaning gets into your bones, and you just want to make new starts of everything.

That’s why choosing my Spring TBR is so much fun.

I take that back. Choosing my TBR is always fun.

Also, my wonderful Mom took it upon herself to find some recently written (and not so junky looking) YA for me, so some of that is below. I just LOVE new books I have never heard of!

TBR:

The Shining Company by Rosemary Sutcliff: This is an old favorite, and I actually have not read the whole thing front to back in years. Time to get my heart torn out again (in the best sense).

Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus: This is the true story of a Japanese boy who was shipwrecked and saved by Yankee whalers in the 19^th century. However, he was barred from Japan and had to go with them to America. Really looking forward to diving into this one.

Just Write by James Scott Bell: One of my favorite writing books ever, I am always inspired and encouraged when I finish it. (This will be my third read-through in nine months.)

Eragon by Christopher Paolini: A friend lent this to me and I have been shamefully long about finishing it. I am constantly impressed that this was written by a fifteen-year-old.

The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats: Historical fiction set in 13^th century Wales. Oh yeah.

What Is Biblical Theology? by James Hamilton Jr. : I received this book when the author came to my church to speak. I got it free because I was one of two people who had read a 5/600 page book this year already (this was in January) and my pastor wanted it to go to someone who was actually going to read it. So I better get on it.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein: The story of a girl agent caught by the Nazis in WWII; she agrees to give them information instead of rather bad alternatives. I hear it is incredibly clever and sad. Hopefully my kind of book.

Now tell me: what’s on your TBR list this spring/summer? Any great books I need to read? I always have room for one more!