My Dark Academia Life

There is this Dark Academia trend fueled by people who like Harry Potter and libraries. You imagine yourself back in an earlier era, lost among old books and music and poetry. I have never read any Harry Potter or seen any of the movies. However this is a trend I love. And yesterday while I was playing the piano I began thinking about how Dark Academia my life is.

I did not plan it! It just worked out like that.

Just looking around my living room absolutely killed me when I thought about it.

Steinway grand piano from 1905.

Photo of the Van Cliburn Competition jury from 1963. Next to busts of Chopin and Beethoven.

Tapestry from my friend Brenda, as seen from the piano.

Portrait of Franz Schubert, a gift from my friend Peter.

That is the ultimate Dark Academia portrait if you ask me.

And speaking of the ultimate, how about this...

This was the book I was playing out of when these thoughts came into my head. It is Mendelssohn's "Songs Without Words."

It is copyright God knows what year. I mean I would have to go down and check. However it is the 19th century. I know that because the book has an inscription. A father inscribed it to his daughter in 1898. She was at the Richmond Preparatory Academy in Virginia.

There is writing throughout the book where someone, it appears to be the father, went through and wrote the titles to the various Songs Without Words.

I acquired this book at some sale somewhere a few years ago. Perhaps I should not be playing out of it because I have my own copy of the Songs Without Words, as every pianist should. I worry that I will hurt the binding or the pages. However you know what, I think this father and daughter would be happy that the book is being played out of, as it was once upon a time. I always get a beautiful feeling when I sit down of an evening, and open it, and start to play.

One of the WNED-FM hosts, I think it was Stratton Rawson, said one night that in the Victorian era there was always a piano book in every house and it was the Songs Without Words. And every pianist played them.

So there I am, smack in the middle of the Victorian era. Wearing my long dresses, playing my Victorian-era copy of Mendelssohn's Songs without Words. This was the first music by the way that I ever played on this beautiful old Steinway, back when I bought it. I think of that when I play it.

I never thought of it being Dark Academia.

I always just thought it enchanting!

Julia's books

Today I opened the book on Chopin that I bought at that sale yesterday. That is it pictured above! I still have not figured out the piano piece quoted on the cover. I played it but I cannot place it. I thought it was part of this one Nocturne I played but then thought it was not.

Here is the inscription on the inside page:

Isn't that wonderful? August 1894.

The recipient, "Little Two Shoes," was named Julia Grayson, followed by a last name I cannot make out. It looks like Wilson but when I pick it apart I do not think it is. She was a student at the Richmond Female Seminary. I know that because I also bought her copy of Mendelssohn's "Songs Without Words." The Mendelssohn was a present from her father in '96. Not 1996. 1896!!

My father gave me music too once for Christmas! I hope that up in Heaven my father and Julia's father meet. The Mendelssohn is just an old Schirmer edition but here is something cool: It was back when he was Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. If you want to live like a Victorian as I do one thing you have to do is say Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.

The Mendelssohn book is adorable because Julia wrote in all the titles in the table of contents starting with the first one which I studied in college with my teacher, Stephen Manes, and which thanks to him I still do play pretty well.

How sweet this all is! It made me think of the Mystery Missal.

Hereafter when I play the Songs Without Words I will play them only out of this book.

And I am looking forward to reading the book on Chopin!