The Black Tulip Playlist
Happy October! To usher in the new month, we have the Black Tulip Playlist:
Accidentally in Love, Counting Crows.
Could any song be more perfect for Miles? I listened to this over and over while I was in the early phases of writing The Masque of the Black Tulip. As I played it, I could just picture Miles bounding down the stairs of Uppington House, lock of hair flopping, scattering ginger biscuit crumbs.
Kiss Me, Sixpence None the Richer.
If Accidentally in Love is Miles’ song, this is Henrietta’s. Otherwise known as: “Hey, buddy, get a clue and just smooch me already.” So Henrietta.
Brandenburg Concerti Nos. 4, 5, & 6, Johann Sebastian Bach.
I listened to a lot of Bach while writing Black Tulip. I still haven’t quite figured out what the connection is, but, somehow, it just seemed to work for this book.
St. Matthew’s Passion, Johann Sebastian Bach.
Bach, Bach, Bach.
Caro Mio Ben, Giuseppe Giordani.
The song Hen sings to Miles in the emotionally fraught musicale scene. Like Henrietta, my little sister is a classically trained singer, and she patiently coached me through this song, years ago, so I would have something to sing at auditions for amateur theatrical societies and at family parties for elderly relatives. When I needed something for Henrietta to sing, Caro Mio Ben came instantly to mind. The lyrics couldn’t have been more perfect: “Thou all my bliss/ Believe but this/ When thou art far/ My heart is lorn”.
This Kiss, Faith Hill.
Sense a theme here? No, I don’t mean Bach. I suppose it makes sense that songs with “kiss” in the title were the order of the day for Black Tulip, since the pivotal point of the books comes when Miles kisses Hen and realizes, ooops, life won’t ever be the same. Unstoppable, indeed! And if anyone’s a “white knight/ With a good heart, soft touch, fast horse” it’s Miles.
Do you have any good Henrietta and Miles songs to add to the list? When I post the lists to the Diversions page in January, I’ll be adding a “Readers Recommend” section to each list. So please recommend away!
“Dance Me To the End of Love” Madeleine Peyroux [especially tasty love song worthy of Hen]
