Tag: night

TBT^16: The Frisson of the Night

The Portly Politico10 Comments

Since getting with Dr. Fiancée, yours portly has come to appreciate the daylight hours.  She is big on natural light, and even has this bright light that she puts on in the winter months which we jokingly call the “Depression Light,” as it allegedly wards off bad feelings by blasting one’s eyeballs with synthetic sunlight.

The nighttime is more exciting when you’re a younger man.  I find that my nights now are either for playing Civilization VII entirely too late or for falling asleep while reading.  At Dr. Fiancée’s house, nighttime is for having tea before bed—one of my favorite rituals when we are together.

What nighttime rituals do you have?  How do you wind down at bedtime?  Are you a night owl?  Let me know in the comments—and sleep tight!

With that, here is 19 September 2024’s “TBT^4: The Frisson of the Night“:

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TBT^4: The Frisson of the Night

The Portly Politico23 Comments

Yours portly has been burning the midnight oil—and the candle at both ends—lately with composing, as I’m churning out Spooky Season III (tentative release date:  Friday, 4 October 2024).  Last week my church also had revival services, so I was in this weird situation of working late with lessons, cramming some food into my mouth, and then going to church.  I’d then come home, exhausted but hyped up on the Holy Spirit and caffeine, and work doggedly at Halloween music (if that all seems incongruous, well, that’s just me, baby!).

In addition to the Halloween music, I’ve also been working on a number of arrangements for my Music Ensemble and private music students, such as an arrangement of the hymn “O Salutaris” for clarinet, violin, and cello (with piano reduction).  Shew!

Naturally, this past weekend I crashed—hard.  I spent most of Saturday asleep, then slept in some Sunday morning before church.  I did not get done nearly as much as I’d hoped, but did get caught up on some World History slides (which I largely put on the backburner last week so I could compose), and slammed out some blog posts (including this one) before church.

Anyway, the late nights have reminded me of how exciting nighttime can be, especially when those hidden reserves of energy pump out quasi-mystical levels of creativity.  Perhaps there is something hallucinogenic about operating on too little sleep (that said, I don’t recommend it) and too much inspiration.  Maybe I’m just a workaholic.

But, in looking back at this piece, it’s notable how much fun stuff happens at night.  It’s a weird, otherworldly time, especially as it veers into the wee hours of the following morning.

I’m a morning person (except for this past weekend), but there is something tantalizing and deliciously inspiring about a late night—even though now I much prefer being in bed under normal circumstances.

With that, here is 21 September 2023’s “TBT^2: The Frisson of the Night“:

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TBT^2: The Frisson of the Night

The Portly Politico5 Comments

Yours portly is a morning person, but there is also something electric about the night (as for afternoons, well, why bother?—they’re hot and sleepy, and are better spent napping than working).  Some of the best songs I’ve ever written were completed at 2 AM.  While the approaching time change brings the night on a bit too early—who wants to leave work in total darkness at 5 PM?—it does cloak everything in a simultaneously cozy and exciting twilight.

Nighttime is certainly not without its dangers—animals and people prowling about, looking for prey; otherworldly spooks haunting decrepit graveyards; nasty, crawling things oozing about in one’s vegetable garden.  But it’s that very sense of the unknown, of the potential nightmares lurking around the corner, that make the night so fascinating—and exciting!

Of course, I much prefer the safety of a well-lit night at a good coffee shop or eatery, with exquisite music and good company.  Music sounds better in the autumn, but it also sounds better at night.  Don’t ask me why—it’s the mysticism of the night.

With that, here is 15 September 2022’s “TBT: The Frisson of the Night“:

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TBT: The Frisson of the Night

The Portly Politico1 Comment

The night has always been a time of excitement, a time when—as I wrote a year ago—music “lives.”  There’s something exhilarating and fun about the night, which is why I chose the word “frisson” to convey the tantalizing possibilities of the night.

I’m more of a morning person these days, rising early, well before the dawn.  Well, isn’t that just another way of saying “the late, late night”?  There’s not much exciting happening at 5 AM (other than reading the Bible and talking to God), but it’s still pretty dark out.  Try waking up then and you’ll see!

Still, there is a real appeal to the night.  I’m at my most alert and mentally focused in the morning and—you guessed it—at night.  Afternoons would be naptime for yours portly, if I had my druthers—and a schedule that permitted it.

Regardless, night is when everything interesting happens.  It’s the time when things go bump.  It’s probably when Bigfoot comes out to play, too.

With that, here is 15 September 2021’s “The Frisson of the Night“:

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The Frisson of the Night

The Portly Politico52 Comments

Yesterday I wrote about the joy—the thrill!—of live music.  I’m excited to see it making a comeback after the long, weary months of The Age of The Virus, and hope we will witness a renaissance of live entertainment.

Live music is most at home, I think, at night.  Sure, there are plenty of fine performances that take place during the day, and a talented classical guitarist plucking out Bach’s Bourrée in E Minor adds a bit of classiness to a tony Sunday brunch, but music lives at night.  After all, Mozart composed Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (“A Little Night Music”), not Ein Kleiner Tagmusik.

There is palpable excitement to the night—a delectable frisson, the promise of things to come.  The night is when things happen.  Granted, they aren’t always good things, but they night promises to be eventful.

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