Piano Guidance
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Why is Gymnopedie so sad?

He was diagnosed with cancer some years back. This day is supposed to be his last. He feels like crying but no tears come out.

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I feel Gymnopédie no. 1 is very “mediocre;” not too happy, nor too sad. It reminds me of a person living a mundane life. He has no relationships; no friends; no one to talk to; empty house. He goes to work, types on the computer, goes home, eats all alone, sleeps, and repeats the same sad cycle. After some decades of the same cycle, he retires, with barely enough money to spend the rest of his life. All he does during his day is wake up, eat, and spend the rest of his day sitting on his only rocking chair, silently staring at the wall. He thinks of his stale life, regretting all the opportunities he did not take, knowing there is nothing he could do now. It’s too late. He does this for 16 years, until one day, he was slowly rocking in his chair. He was diagnosed with cancer some years back. This day is supposed to be his last. He feels like crying but no tears come out. His eyelids slowly close. You can see one tear roll down his cheek as he dives into a deep sleep, one which he never wakes up from. He is forgotten. No one notices his passing for some months, until one day when the landlord was checking the house. No one pays for a funeral. No one attends his burial. He is simply forgotten. This is what Gymnopédie no. 1 reminds me of: a sad life. Many people see it as relaxing, but I see it as depressing. The same can be said for the movie Up. During the movie, there was a dejecting scene called “Married Life”. This scene is accompanied with what would be considered happy music, however the music becomes sad when put in the background of the couple’s life.

What do you think about Gymnopédie no. 1? What do you feel while listening to it?

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