Call number
781.4 HOD
Collection
Publication
Bellevue Literary Press (2022), 224 pages
Description
Biography & Autobiography. Music. Philosophy. Nonfiction. How does time shape consciousness and consciousness, time? Do we live in time, or does time live in us? And how does music, with its patterns of rhythm and harmony, inform our experience of time? Uncommon Measure explores these questions from the perspective of a young Korean American who dedicated herself to perfecting her art until performance anxiety forced her to give up the dream of becoming a concert solo violinist. Anchoring her story in illuminating research in neuroscience and quantum physics, Natalie Hodges traces her own passage through difficult family dynamics, prejudice, and enormous personal expectations to come to terms with the meaning of a life reimaginedâ??one still shaped by classical music but moving toward the freedom of improvisati… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member mitchellray
This is a memoir of a musician’s conflicted relationship with performing music. Hodges is a talented writer. Her prose is clear and expressive. In this volume she explores time from the perspectives of music and physics. Her approach is artistic rather than academic. Her narrative is personal.
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The book is an interesting blend of autobiography, music, and science. Show Less
LibraryThing member jwhenderson
Natalie Hodges is a musician who has performed as a classical violinist and is pursuing an MFA at Emerson College. Her book combines memoir with a fascinating combination of music theory, the practice of music performance, the study of neurology and evolution, all combined with her personal
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reflections on the life of a musician. Particularly informative and touching are her insights into the very personal difficulties of performing classical music.. These thoughts are interspersed among commentaries on subjects like the nature of musical improvisation and the relation between music and time. As someone who has performed and continues to play the piano myself I appreciated the insights into the nature of music and its performance. The author provides helpful details about both the creation of music and its relation to understanding and performing that music. Show Less
LibraryThing member hemlokgang
I probably should not have selected this book from the Early Reviewer list. This book is a memoir, but is not easily read by a non-musician such as myself. I think it would be much more appreciated by musicians, philosopers, and/or scientists. Frankly, it was just beyond me. Much of the vocabulary
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was either too highly specialized or quite nebulous, an odd combination. Chalk it up to a mismatch between me and this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member stevetempo
Natalie Hodges writes a beautiful narrative that moves the readers through the landscape of her life. She is reflective in her pursuits of music as a violinist and the challenges of family and performance expectations. With all this, she mixes her story with a wonderful array of perspectives,
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involving the nature of time, psychology , quantum physics, neurology and biology. It was a pleasure to read and it has added much to my understanding of music and it's multifaceted connections. I highly recommend this fine work! Show Less
LibraryThing member Shadow123
I thought this was a really lovely book. A short collection of essays, the main threads throughout involve music, science, philosophy, and the perception of time. Hodges interweaves this with her own personal narrative and experiences as a professional classical musician, and I especially like the
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parts where she examines her relationships with her family and with her racial identity in the Western world. A nice read, would recommend. Show Less
LibraryThing member GlennBell
This is an autobiography written by a woman who was raised by her Korean mother after her Caucasian father left her and her siblings. She focused her life on becoming a violinist to the exclusion of most other activities. He suffered from stage fright and is a bit obsessive. She uses analogies in
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the book to principles in physics, which is a bit different. She eventually quit her life as a violinist. She describes playing the Chaconne as an ultimate accomplishment because of the difficulty of the piece. She also focuses her attention on the challenge of improvisation and her joy of playing in synchronization with pianist. Interesting but not quite sure to make of it. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jacsun
Natalie Hodges started playing the violin at age three and after numerous performances and awards, she has altered her path in her mid 20s and decided to take a step back from her career as a soloist. This is her story.
With support from her mother and three other siblings, Natalie has been
She began to have doubts in college about her ability to continue as a soloist. It didn’t help when a teacher told her she didn’t have much of a chance. Her mother (pegged as a Korean Tiger Mom) was a Harvard graduate in English and went to law school. She became a prosecutor and administrative law judge. She spent a lot of time helping her children to excel in academics and classical music. When Natalie asked her “When you quit (violin her senior year in High School)…how did you know?” She said, “I think you just know, if and when it is time. For you, the important thing is that you don’t regret and the important thing is that you choose.”
Natalie discovered in her college years that it wasn’t easy to leave something that you’ve surrounded yourself with. “Why keep trying to love something that doesn’t love you back.” She now had a sense of “empty time” in her life and had to go through some adjustments.
It’s a short book with 179 pages but it takes some time to digest and could be one of those books that you’d want to read over again to pick up some other thoughts that may have been missed. She reveals personal thoughts on prejudice with a Korean mom and relationships with her father. This is an interesting book especially for musicians like her that try to make sense out of their performances. Natalie said after a while, “I began to experience a unity of body and mind…I felt them working together in a rhythmic tandem.” Through interviews and research, she has now taken music to a new level through science --- letting go of control and trusting your body with a connection to others. This book gets released on March 22, 2022.
After reading this book, I had to google Natalie Hodges with one of her violin performances -- it was pure joy. I’m sure her talents have touched a lot of people.
With support from her mother and three other siblings, Natalie has been
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surrounded by music and the love for her violin just about all of her life. It wasn’t uncommon for her to play five to six hours a day – sometimes until 2 a.m. – when she was growing up. She was inseparable from her violin. However, she started to question after practicing complicated pieces over and over again why she would continue to make mistakes in the same place of the music especially on stage. She began to have doubts in college about her ability to continue as a soloist. It didn’t help when a teacher told her she didn’t have much of a chance. Her mother (pegged as a Korean Tiger Mom) was a Harvard graduate in English and went to law school. She became a prosecutor and administrative law judge. She spent a lot of time helping her children to excel in academics and classical music. When Natalie asked her “When you quit (violin her senior year in High School)…how did you know?” She said, “I think you just know, if and when it is time. For you, the important thing is that you don’t regret and the important thing is that you choose.”
Natalie discovered in her college years that it wasn’t easy to leave something that you’ve surrounded yourself with. “Why keep trying to love something that doesn’t love you back.” She now had a sense of “empty time” in her life and had to go through some adjustments.
It’s a short book with 179 pages but it takes some time to digest and could be one of those books that you’d want to read over again to pick up some other thoughts that may have been missed. She reveals personal thoughts on prejudice with a Korean mom and relationships with her father. This is an interesting book especially for musicians like her that try to make sense out of their performances. Natalie said after a while, “I began to experience a unity of body and mind…I felt them working together in a rhythmic tandem.” Through interviews and research, she has now taken music to a new level through science --- letting go of control and trusting your body with a connection to others. This book gets released on March 22, 2022.
After reading this book, I had to google Natalie Hodges with one of her violin performances -- it was pure joy. I’m sure her talents have touched a lot of people.
Show Less
Awards
National Book Award (Longlist — Nonfiction — 2022)
NPR: Books We Love (2022)
Pages
224
ISBN
1942658974 / 9781942658979