5. Adventures Abroad
Wow, it’s been way too long since my last blog entry! If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll have seen my many posts from my music history study abroad in Austria and Germany, which was from May 26th to June 16th. The trip was transformative in a way that I didn’t think was even possible. This trip ended up teaching me so much about music, culture, history, religion, and myself.
Some of my favorite things we did on the trip were the archive visits, which were unbelievable. Seeing the real manuscripts of Beethoven and Brahms made me practically breathless, which was something I wasn’t prepared for. I was looking at the same paper that these incredible composers touched and probably thought nothing of, but they’ve become practically priceless a couple hundred years later.
As a composer, I felt a growing connection to a lot of the German and Austrian composers we discussed throughout the trip. Our lectures and the artifacts that we saw from them inspired me a lot and I was itching to get back to Virginia so I could start writing again. It gave me a lot to think about regarding my own process; for instance, some things I wrote about in my travel journal included returning to my voice leading exercises (following Mozart’s lead) and beginning some score study. I also wrote that I want to explore more vocal works, and I have plenty of ideas for new pieces scribbled throughout my notebook and hummed into my voice memos app.
The last inspiration I jotted down was just to keep going. This was certainly the one that I felt the most deeply during the trip. Sometimes I get discouraged while working on my compositions because I feel like it’s not good enough or I won’t be able to achieve any success in the field. Hearing about Mozart’s lack of job security and how many of these composers didn’t receive acclaim until after their death was almost reassuring to me in the sense that I don’t necessarily have to be famous in order for my art to be worthwhile. Wagner’s German romanticism stuck with me as well in terms of suffering for one’s art. I realized that I should keep composing as long as I have music to write because it’s worth it to put it out into the world, even if only for the sake of art.
Outside of composition, this trip reinvigorated me and my passions in so many ways. I decided that I needed to have a rededication to my foundational music studies, but also in other realms. I started to pick up reading again and bought a couple of books, committed myself to learning German, and started going to Mass every Sunday again.
I’m also thrilled to report that I discovered a new love for opera, which you’ll be able to read about in my next entry coming soon! This trip truly changed my outlook on music, my career, and my life, which I hope will be evident as I continue to grow. If you’re still reading this, thanks for sticking with this very long post, and stay tuned for more coming soon!
