As we depart midterm season and finals loom not far around the corner, I thought it would be appropriate to compile a short list of pieces of classical music that can give you that extra oomph you need to crush your exams.
Mozart, 12 Variations in C Major ‘Ah vous dirai-je, Maman’
You’ve just finished a difficult term full of essays, cold calls, and briefs. Now the real game
begins.
Nothing makes you smarter than Mozart, or so the baby books at Indigo say. Here’s Mozart’s take on “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” Leave it to Mozart to take something seemingly simple and turn it into a mind-bending flurry of confusion (not unlike law school).
Enjoy this brief moment of hopefulness, however, because all will soon be doom.
Ysaÿe, Sonata No. 2, I. Obsession
Despite your long hours of studying, you probably think things aren’t going all that well. Don’t worry—I’ve got the perfect piece for this occasion, because I’m certain that your greatest concern right now is to have the perfect soundtrack to accurately embody your troubles and tribulations in Contracts.
Ysaÿe was a Belgian violin virtuoso who wrote a series of six solo violin sonatas in parallel with those of JS Bach. “Obsession” is the first movement of the second sonata, which is dedicated to his friend and fellow violinist Jacques Thibaud. The legend goes: Thibaud used to practice Bach’s “Preludio” from his Partita No. 3 on a regular basis, but was terrified to perform the work, thinking that he would get lost within the endless lines of notes and never find his way out. Ysaÿe, being the ever-gracious man that he was, decided to mock his friend. He took Thibaud’s fear of “Preludio,” put it in a blender with the opening notes of the Catholic mass of the dead (“Dies Irae”), and “Obsession” was born.
Look on the bright side: it’s unlikely that any of your colleagues will be snide enough to take your exam-based nightmares and turn them into an everlasting monument to your inability.
Ligeti, Continuum
This is the current state of your mental stability.
Bach, Goldberg Variations
After Continuum it’s unlikely you’re going to be able to sleep properly for a while. I can remedy that.
Lots of ink has been spilled and many trees have been killed discussing the brilliance of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. While some think that this is a harmonic or mathematical masterpiece, I prefer not to focus on that.
The (questionably true) story goes that Count Hermann Karl von Keyserling (a name that I copy and pasted for obvious reasons) was a Russian diplomat who was plagued with chronic insomnia. He did what so many of us do when we can’t sleep—he asked one of the greatest composers in history to write him the musical equivalent of a sleeping pill. Bach completed 30 variations on a single theme. If that doesn’t make you sleepy, I don’t know what will.
Take two variations 15 minutes before sleeping. Proceed with caution, however: it doesn’t yet have FDA approval.
Cage, 4’33”
It’s important to take some moments to meditate and put aside all the stresses and worries of everyday life. Take four minutes and 33 seconds with Cage to think about the meaning of life. There are some particularly moving renditions of this work and I highly recommend spending $0.99 on some of the orchestral, solo, and chamber recordings that iTunes has to offer.
If you have found that this experience was not only entirely useless but also maddening—me too…
Ives, String Quartet No. 2, II. Arguments
Things not working out with your study group? Insurance agent and composer Charles Ives knows all about that. The first movement of this quartet is “Discussions” which, inevitably, quickly devolves into “Arguments.” Ives, if this piece serves as evidence, had very violent arguments. But you’re going to be a lawyer soon, so maybe be a little bit less aggressive. Everyone in your study group is just trying to survive too.
Though fear not! Perhaps you’ll eventually hear “The Call of the Mountains,” the third movement of the quartet, and all will be well again.
Orff, Carmina Burana, O Fortuna
Thought I was going to end this on an inspirational note? Think again.
As you log into MyOsgoode and your hand quakes as you click “download” on your final exam, consider calling out “Alexa! Play ‘O Fortuna’!” If this doesn’t get you ready for battle, I don’t know what will.
The fates have spoken. Good luck.