Category: A Walk with Music - Sorinamu: The Forest of Music

The Clustered Sound of Horns | A Comparison of Organizational Methods in Bruckner, Mahler, and Strauss

February 22, 2026 by sorinamu

Illustration of The Clustered Sound of Horns in an orchestral setting, highlighting the harmonic blocks, dynamic divisions, and dense layering characteristic of Bruckner, Mahler, and Richard Strauss.

1. Introduction – How the Clustered Sound of Horns Expanded In the late 19th century, as the double horn became a standard fixture, orchestrations featuring four or more horns became commonplace. 4 became the standard, and by the Late Romantic period, it expanded to 6 or 8 depending on the work. From this point forward, … Read more

Composer MBTI | Resonance of Temperament Through Classical Music

February 7, 2026 by sorinamu

1. Composer MBTI as an Interpretive Lens Have you ever wondered about the Composer MBTI behind famous works? Classical music often feels distant or difficult. But when we begin to see composers not as monuments of history but as individual human beings, their music starts to feel surprisingly intuitive. I find myself emotionally inclined, much … Read more

Gloomy Sunday(1999) | A Portrait of an Era Etched into Melody

January 30, 2026 by sorinamu

Screen capture from the official trailer of the movie Gloomy Sunday, provided by Menemsha Films YouTube channel

Some songs are remembered through their stories before they are remembered as music. “Gloomy Sunday” is one of them. When this song is mentioned, phrases like “the cursed song” or “the music that drives people to suicide” tend to surface before the melody itself. Whether those labels are accurate or exaggerated, one thing is certain: … Read more

Harmony Designed Outside the Norm | Carlo Gesualdo and Moro, lasso, al mio duolo

February 22, 2026January 24, 2026 by sorinamu

1. Carlo Gesualdo: A Noble Composer Who Broke the Grammar of His Time When discussing Carlo Gesualdo (1566~1613), his tragic life cannot be avoided as a point of departure. A Neapolitan nobleman, he is recorded in history for the 1590 murder of his wife, Maria d’Avalos, and her lover, Fabrizio Carafa. Even by the standards … Read more

The Red Violin(1998) | A 300-Year Musical Journey Through Classical Music History

January 23, 2026 by sorinamu

1. The Dark Shadows of Classical Music History: The Curse of the Ninth, and The Red Violin The world of classical music may seem elegant and neatly ordered, but beneath it, strange legends and tragic “curses” that cannot be explained by logic have long been passed down. Perhaps the most famous is “The Curse of … Read more

Madness Served on a Melody: Hannibal Lecter and Classical Music

January 8, 2026 by sorinamu

Hannibal Lecter is a character created by Thomas Harris, first firmly etched into popular memory through the film The Silence of the Lambs. The character was later reinterpreted in the film Hannibal and the television series Hannibal, moving across different media while retaining a striking consistency. What gives these works their lasting impact is not … Read more

On the Pleasure of Playing the Piano | This Music Is Better Played Than Heard

January 5, 2026 by sorinamu

The Pleasure of Playing the Piano I am not a classically trained pianist. The piano remains deeply fascinating to me, but I would hesitate to call it an instrument I truly command with confidence. Still, among those who have spent even a short time learning the piano, there are many who recognize that their affection … Read more

Why is the Clarinet a Transposing Instrument? Its Evolution and Modern Standards

January 2, 2026 by sorinamu

A transposing instrument is a key concept that defines the unique character of the clarinet. When you first encounter a clarinet in an orchestra, you might notice something peculiar. Even though a clarinetist is reading a ‘C’ on their sheet music, the sound coming out is actually a ‘Bb’ or an ‘A’. This phenomenon often … Read more

Why Are Catalogue Numbers in Classical Music So Diverse?

January 6, 2026January 1, 2026 by sorinamu

When encountering classical music for the first time, one of the first things that often stands out—sometimes even before the title itself—is the catalogue number. Labels such as Op.23, K.550, or BWV 1043 quickly become familiar, yet the moment we ask why these numbers exist, the subject becomes surprisingly difficult to explain. These combinations of … Read more

What Is the Difference Between Symphony and Orchestra

January 5, 2026December 28, 2025 by sorinamu

Image source:State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation, photograph by DistinctArt, June 15, 2020.Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution–ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons. 1. Why do these two words sound interchangeable in English? In English, symphony and orchestra are often used in ways that seem very similar. A sentence like “I’m … Read more