Mozart, Tea, and Architecture

musings of an INFJ architecture student and classical music lover

[larchitettainfj]

spatial connection

A connection struck me recently between two buildings which had some of the most wonderful spatial qualities I think I’ve ever experienced.  One is a favorite of mine, Andrea Palladio’s Villa Rotonda:

The other is simply a beautiful twentieth century home I recently visited. 

What do they have in common?  Even with contrasting styles, both had a beautiful connectedness between interior and exterior spaces.

Looking at the plan of Villa Rotonda, you can see the lines of sight that cut through every room and out to a window.  Being in the space, there is an absolutely wonderful awareness of not only the room you are in, but how it is a part of the rest of the spatial organization.  And the outside--on opposite sides of the building--is also always visible.

It was the same in the twentieth century residence.  Not nearly such a clear, simply geometry of course, but in a house that could otherwise have been quite standard there was an amazing spatial quality achieved through beautifully thoughtful arrangements of visual connections throughout.  No matter where one stood, the outside on either side of the house and layers of internal spaces were always present.

A quality to strive for.

[sixalien]

Several Circles

Wassily Kandinsky

1926

[larchitettainfj]

The circle, which I have been using so often recently, can sometimes only be described as romantic.  And the coming romanticism is indeed deep, beautiful, meaningful and joyful—it is a piece of ice with a flame burning in it.  If people only sense the ice and not the flame, then it’s all the worse for them.

Wassily Kandinsky

[larchitettainfj]

You know you’re an INFJ when you adopt the two little lost balloons you find wandering alone around a parking lot and it makes you happy to see them safe in your home.

[larchitettainfj]

“Elegance and comfort are not incompatible, and whoever maintains the contrary simply doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”     ~Salvatore Ferragamo

(quote mood board; pictures are not mine)

[larchitettainfj]

While I couldn’t love Baroque music more but don’t much care for Baroque architecture, I find a beautiful coherence between the Classical era architecture and music in their dedication to rationality and pure forms, whether geometric or harmonic, and I adore both.

[larchitettainfj]

“Architecture is frozen music.”  --Goethe

Moodboard, no pictures are mine.

[larchitettainfj]

And with Mozart comes the tireless quest for naturalness, for the ability to say the most profound and heartfelt things in the simplest and most immediate way.

Enrico Girardi

[ashes-0f-laughter]

Claudio Abbado, Teatro alla Scala, Milan, 1965/1966

[larchitettainfj]

The Most Beautiful Paradox

I'm taking a little tea break to share some thoughts which a nice lecture on Japanese architecture inspired. Something which was well articulated in the lecture, by the Japanese architecture and gardens, to which I feel profoundly intrigued by is the idea of this paradoxical simplicity--a simplicity which requires great complexity and sophistication to be achieved. I love paradoxes.  And this paradox--the highly complex simplicity, the greatest naturalness achieved through the greatest abstraction--defines for me what true beauty is. And one can find this everywhere: to me, the most beautiful music is so sophisticated and complex but when articulated in a very refined way appears to be some of the most simple while holding the greatest depth; architecture which is free of excessive ornamentation and articulates a deep understanding of space and materials is almost minimalistic or even austere yet it holds such pleasing formal elegance in every detail; poetry which limits all linguistic ornamentations or fussy formalities expresses through clean language something even more moving; tea, food, fashion, manner, . . . the same follows in most anything, for me.

[larchitettainfj]

Concert Etiquette

I have had a couple rather surprisingly bad experiences in the last week with audiences at the ballet.  I would just like to make note of some general etiquette to follow when attending the symphony, opera, or ballet.  Please do try to keep these things in mind, something like applause during a performance can really ruin the evening for others!

• The performance starts with the overture.  This is not a time for you to shuffle around and adjust yourself.  It deserves your full attention, a completely critical part of the music which sets your ears to the entire following piece.  Pay attention, or at least don’t make it harder for others to enjoy it.

• No talking/commenting, phones, excessive moving, etc..  This should all be obvious anyhow.

• For symphonies: do not applaud in between movements of a piece.  Get comfortable, stretch a little, but overall it is a quiet breath from the music.

• For operas: it is debatable at times whether or not to applaud after great arias, but in general, it is better not to.

• For anything: simply don’t applaud while the musicians are playing.  It’s disrespectful to the music and the performance overall, not to mention your fellow audience members.  Live performances are incredibly magical experiences, one can become so wonderfully wrapped up in the worlds on stage and ringing through the hall, but that magic is hard to find when every slightly spectacular spin or splits in the air must result in the moment being broken by applause.  

• Saying “bravo” and standing are great ways to indicate appreciation for something really exceptional, but don't yell or whistle

Really, just: Don’t do anything that detracts from the music/performance itself!!

Thank you for reading!

[larchitettainfj]

Moodboard for Mozart’s Symphony no. 38, “Prague”

(pictures not mine)

[larchitettainfj]

An INFJ’s favorite things to do over the winter holidays

• spend time with loved ones, of course!

• lots of coffee and other warm favorite drinks, particularly while writing poetry or just getting lost in thought

• writing, or other creative things like photography or sewing

• going for long walks with someone you love, be they human or a four-legged friend

• a nice amount of holiday shopping, just as long as it isn’t too much

• watching great movies

• reading

• going to special events like concerts with loved ones

• sometimes not “doing” anything, just enjoying the crisp, clear winter days and the peacefulness

[larchitettainfj]

It’s so nice to be done with the semester!  Of course there is still plenty to do, including putting portfolios together, but the photographing of models part is fun!

[larchitettainfj]

And here we are apart, but here together are Our hearts that now beat for each other, although far

Sharon Van Etten, I Know lyrics

[larchitettainfj]

Sigh, what better a way to finish off the semester than with a great architectural history final and an evening curled up on the sofa with a cozy blanket, my favorite tea, and Pavarotti in the background?

[larchitettainfj]

omg your INFJ post struck soooo close to home with me being just a INFP!! that’s crazy that the personalities are so similar , I stay in my head , just imagining things instead of participating in reality sometimes oops...

Thank you so much for sharing!!  And it’s so true, the INFx’s have many similarities:).  I suppose this is mostly an effect of introversion + intuition.  And yes, sometimes “oops,” but sometimes it’s great too!  It certainly can be a great trait to have for good creativity!