By Miya Liu
Violin Sonata No. 5, Op. 24 (Frühlingssonate) - Ludwig van Beethoven
This classical violin sonata written by Beethoven was published in 1801 and takes around 22 minutes to perform. Even if you do not recognize the name of this piece, you are probably familiar with its melody. The sonata is consisted of four movements, Allegro (fast and lively), Adagio molto espressivo (slowly played with much expressiveness), Scherzo: Allegro Molto (light and playful in nature, played very fast), and Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo (A rondo played fast and lively but not too fast). It’s a great piece of music to listen to when relaxing and meditating your mind after a long day of zooming, studying, and working.
2. Blueming - IU
"Blueming", serving as the second single from her album, Love Poem, is a song by IU, a popular South Korean singer-songwriter. It was released on November 18, 2019 through Kakao M, and was co-written by IU, Lee Jong-hoon and Lee Chae-kyu, with production handled by the latter two. Even if you don’t understand Korean, it is not difficult to fall in love with this song with its lighthearted vibe and catchy melody. This is a perfect song to add to your playlist if you are looking for something to brighten up your day!
3. Prelude - TwoSetViolin
This one minutes long violin duet was composed by Jordon He and TwoSet Violin and played by Brett and Eddy from TwoSetViolin. Although the length of the piece is relatively short, the beautiful harmonies can immediately bring the listeners into a dreamy word with prairies and sunlight. Like what one of the fans left in the comment section, “how can you NOT have a good day when you wake up every morning to this? It's like the sunlight carefully caressing your skin to wake you tenderly, with a touch of light breeze carrying the scent of petrichor and a few chirping birds.
4. Drive My Car - The Beatles
"Drive My Car" is a 3 minute long song that was recorded on 13 October, 1965. Fun fact, it was from the Beatles' first recording session that extended past midnight! The idea for this song was sparked when McCartney arrived at Lennon's Weybridge home for a writing session. At first, he thought that "the lyrics were disastrous” and even said it was "one of the stickiest" writing sessions. However, once they settled on the theme, “drive my car”, everything flowed easily from there and its upbeat, lighthearted nature made it the opening track for two of The Beatles’ albums.
5. Prelude to a Kiss - Brad Mehldau
This 10 minutes classic jazz piece was first recorded in 1938 by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, featuring Johnny Hodges. It is a great piece of music to listen to when you sip your coffee with whipped cream in the morning, when you sink into your couch to read a novel, or when you simply want some lighthearted jazz to accompany your mind. This piece will, without a doubt, brighten up the vibe on every occasion!
