Cameron Smith
Bio
Hello! I am a lifelong disciple of music :) I love my cello, history, literature, fantasy, sustainability, finding out how things work...my aim here is to make the classical world much more accessible and understood!
Insta: @itsme_crazycam
Stories (10/0)
Where Are We, Fragile Vial // Still, Thy Fire
(Hi everyone! ☺️ A little preamble before the start of the poem: this is a little project I have been inspired to do, where each poem you read is a response to one of Rumi's poems, with the intention to tailor the flow stanza by stanza as a direct mirroring and honoring of the original structure of Rumi.
By Cameron Smith6 months ago in Poets
The Deep Transformation from "The Tattooist of Auschwitz" by Heather Morris
Picture the scene: the ScotRail train coasting eastwards half-asleep against an early Scottish morning, with the dewy, dreary Western Scotland clashing against the awakening buzz of a clear work-day sky of the Eastern side. I'm sitting around the middle of the train, staring at nothing across the passing-by backdrop of the Scottish lowlands, tears streaming endlessly down my face, with a copy of The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris laid across my lap.
By Cameron Smith7 months ago in BookClub
W. A. Mozart and His K.310
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart embodied the ideals of the Apollonian Order in hisdarker Piano Sonata No. 8 in A Minor; he utilized the dominant aesthetics of the Classical period even inspite of a turbulent character that vaguely foreshadowed the humanistic whirlwind period of Romanticism.
By Cameron Smith7 months ago in Beat
Musical Improvisation
To create and perform with spontaneity, without any sort of preparation or specific instructions, to extemporize: that is improvisation. The sheer action of improvisation in music is deeply complex where the improvisator draws all of their knowledge and understanding immediately to the present, and show- cases it along with the spin of creativity, the sudden inspiration in the present, and the artistry of the indi- vidual. To have the ability of improvising easily and freely is a skill that speaks volumes of an individual in the process of mastering the relationships and structures of harmony, form, and the language of music. Improvisation should be imperative in a student’s learning of music regardless of the instrument, because not only does it play a significant role in helping the student deepen their grasp on music as a whole as well as advancing their skills on their instrument, but it also creates new neural pathways from neuroplas- ticity of the brain in other aspects of musical development of the student.
By Cameron Smith8 months ago in Beat
Pieces of: The Jovia-Keplara Tabulata
Chapter I: Preamble Far into the future, there has been the possibility of living not only on Mars, but on the world of Europa, Jupiter’s moon; or as it has come to be known as, Europa Jovia. However, this is the first planet in which the distance between itself and Earth has been a potential issue, as well as ethical and cultural stances have been brought to light. How many humans would volunteer to be the spearheads of the Europa Jovia Project? How can all cultures and backgrounds be represented in case there is potential life on the Jovian moon that would best describe the entirely of humans and our nations? But then, when would the Jovian culture be able to develop on its own independently? Remembering lessons of the past, the United Nations came to the conclusion that standard colonization must be avoided, together with any potential future problems of allowing Terran cultures have a sense of superiority over the developing Jovian culture.
By Cameron Smith11 months ago in Futurism
The Boy with Silver Eyes
Not a single soul contained courage to make contact with him. Stories began to emerge of how he mocked the fate of the blessed, a lingering curse spouting mirthless laughter for remembrance of what shall not come to be. Even the rare merchant passing by, offering sustenance, walked away with an illusion of a soul.
By Cameron Smith3 years ago in Futurism
Music: How I Live, How I Breathe
What does music mean to you? For me, its essence in purity ultimately is what drives me to do a lifelong study of everything: delving deep into the inspirations behind the artistry, seeing for whom the composer is, how it affects all of us, and why this language is such that it is the only one universally translated across all cultures and societies. For me, music is all encompassing: as a classical musician studying at a conservatoire I live and breathe it. However, apart from the classical world I draw inspiration and strength from a slew of other genres, and below are a few windows of examples I am ecstatic to share with you.
By Cameron Smith3 years ago in Beat
The Aftermath of Beethoven's Symphonies - An Overview
With a grandiose conclusion of his symphonies, Ludwig van Beethoven established not only a definitive leading voice of nineteenth-century music, but ultimately tapered the now-heraldic symphony's imagery, form, and style to be his own, leaving later composers of the same century with aesthetic anxiety. Although a symphony of the sublime still remained an option, composers were vehement in producing original works and dared not venture into familiar compositional territory, contrasting from the Classical composer mindset of paying homage to older generations in mimicry. Because of this staunch individuality, the genre of symphony significantly transformed to include various aspects of music that do not necessarily fall into the category of the heroic and sublime, and composers such as Berlioz, Mahler, and Dvorak were key catalysts in this metamorphosis of the definition of symphony.
By Cameron Smith3 years ago in Beat
Age of Enlightenment in Music
The Age of Enlightenment was the period of intellectualism, civil rights, and a tremendously fruitful period of music. This revolutionary age – evolving out of the Baroque period – focused mainly upon civil human rights, reason over faith, and philosophy; such principles were examined in the ancient history of Greeks and Romans, inherently deeming the name “Classical” upon the eighteenth century. These aspects inevitably were assimilated into the various music genres, namely the genre of symphony, and the multi-layered idealisms coincided closely its formal and stylistic characteristics; thus, this genre of Western art ultimately revealed how “enlightened” the fundamental music paradigm came to be.
By Cameron Smith4 years ago in Beat