Classics on the Road: Music Flows on Every Street

Author Jin Hwa-sook · Publisher Sangsang Square · Published 2025-12-17 · ISBN 9791198854377

About the Book

Stories remain in the places that time has passed through.
The moment you lend an ear to those stories, your journey truly begins.
Art and history always await us on the road.

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
-Marcel Proust

『Classics on the Road』 is a collection of essays about humanities and travel, written by Jin Hwa-sook, a music critic and columnist. In this book, she illuminates ancient ruins, museums, churches, and palaces in European cities through the lens of music and art. The author intuitively hears moments encountered on the road as if they were music, and observes them deeply as if they were paintings.

Wandering through Rome, Florence, Venice, Saint-Émilion, and other places, she revives the spirit of past artists and empathizes deeply with the works and anecdotes of figures such as Botticelli, Michelangelo, Dante, and Monteverdi, reinterpreting them from a modern perspective. Passing through Italian museums and beautiful ancient villages, she recounts history related to the melodies of Respighi and Puccini, and crossing Germany, she confirms the enduring spirit of Bach and Wagner.

The book combines the history, human life, religion, philosophy, and artistic inspiration contained within splendid ruins and artworks with music, weaving travel experiences into emotional and sometimes witty episodes. This book offers readers not merely tourism, but deep cultural insight and contemplation that transcends eras and genres.

Chapter 1, "Italy," documents a journey into the time of ancient civilizations, following historical and artistic centers like the Pompeii ruins in Naples, Mount Vesuvius, and Florence. Tracing the air of cities preserved by volcanic traces, the artistic achievements of the Renaissance created by Florence, and the footprints of artists like Mozart, Da Vinci, and Michelangelo, the traveler experiences moments where past and present meet in a sparkle. The story of Italy unfolds as a journey that allows one to feel 'the depth of time left by humanity' amidst ancient ruins and brilliant art.

Chapter 2, "France," follows the traces of Enlightenment thinkers including Rousseau and Voltaire, and the cultural landscapes held within quaint villages such as Chambéry, Ferney, and Saint-Émilion. Walking through the gardens where Rousseau strolled, the musical world he dreamed of, and spaces imbued with Voltaire's utopian experiments, a contemplative journey interwoven with philosophy, music, and nature unfolds. Within the French landscape, the author encounters 'places where people, art, and contemplation resided,' discovering subtle textures of traces that illuminated their era.

Chapter 3, "Germany," centers around places where the weight of music, literature, and history is layered, such as the remnants of the Berlin Wall, the spaces where Goethe and Schiller lived in Weimar, and Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam. Starting from her first travel memory at Berlin Airport, through streets where the history of the Wall and artistic reinterpretation coexist, and the air of a city where two literary giants exchanged ideas and formed artistic camaraderie, the author seeks the depth of 'spirituality' accumulated in Germany. The German landscape, where past wounds and cultural achievements engage in dialogue, leaves a profound emotional resonance with the traveler.

Chapter 4, "England," covers Scotland, England, and Wales, depicting a journey where art, history, and nature intersect. In Scotland, she encounters ancient myths and philosophical symbols in the humanistic garden 'Little Sparta,' and in Alloway, the roots of national poet Robert Burns and Scottish folk songs intertwine. In Wales, she discovers another charm of British nature and culture, passing through Freshwater West, a filming location for Harry Potter, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path with its waves, cliffs, and wildflowers, and the village of Portmeirion with its beautiful Mediterranean-style architecture. The "England" section is a record of a multifaceted journey where myth, literature, music, and history come alive in nature.

In the final chapter, "Nordic Countries," the overwhelming scenery of fjords seen from cliffs, the unique serene light and colors of the Nordic region, and the rhythm of nature heard in Grieg's piano concerto stir the traveler's emotions. In Oslo, Norway, with its unique architecture and the Munch Museum, and amidst the fjord landscapes, one fully experiences the charm of the Nordic region, where practicality and art, and overwhelming nature, blend together. In Troldhaugen, standing at the point where Grieg's music and the Norwegian landscape meet, one realizes how music connects with a country's nature. In Finland, through the Chapel of Silence, Iittala design, Kalevala, and Sibelius, one encounters a landscape where restrained design sensibility and strong national sentiment coexist. In Sweden, at the Vasa Museum and Millesgården, one faces time intertwined with historical tragedy, arduous restoration, ancient myths, and sculptural art, thereby understanding the Nordic region as a grand narrative where nature, art, and history are layered. The Nordic region is depicted as a chapter that offers moments where humans feel small before majestic nature, and an experience where nature's deep energy opens the heart like music.

Each travel destination awakens memories and emotions within us like a classic piece of music. While this is true for all art, classical music, in particular, can be enjoyed more deeply and meaningfully with greater background knowledge. This book not only covers classical music but also encompasses the stories left by those who made their mark in culture and history, as well as those who disappeared without a trace, expanding the scope of sharing and empathy. It will offer new perspectives to travel enthusiasts and the joy of revisiting classics and culture to art lovers.

“That dream and longing always carried a shade of gray. I wanted to encounter that gray melancholy in Schwabing. I wanted to walk through streets dampened by rain and fog, feeling that chilling cold, which seemed to penetrate even the soul, throughout my body. A street where sorrow imbued with moisture becomes romance, freedom, and art. Walking through that street, which holds the memories of Rainer Maria Rilke, Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Lou Andreas-Salomé, and Thomas Mann, perhaps I might encounter the young me who was thrilled by their poetry and paintings.”

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Italy_A Journey through Petrified Time where Music Resides
A City in Petrified Time_Pompeii Ruins in Naples
That Beautiful Sea, That Missed Sunlight_Sorrento
Florence is Like a Blooming Tree_Florence
A Beautiful Medieval Village where Dante Rests_Ravenna
All Art Leads to Rome_Rome
The City of Water where Artistic Inspiration Springs Forth_Venice

Chapter 2. France_A Contemplative Path in the Land of Art
Time Travel to the Distant Past_Saint-Émilion and Lascaux Caves
Garden of Flowers, Trees, and Water_Giverny
Marie Antoinette's Little Playground_Versailles Palace, the Queen's Domain
The Home of an Enlightenment Thinker Who Dreamed of Being a Musician_Les Charmettes in Chambéry
Voltaire's Utopia Built in a Small Village_Ferney, Voltaire's Château de Ferney

Chapter 3. Germany_Echoes of Time in Landscapes Shaped by History and Music
A Comfortable Retreat for the Music-Loving King_Potsdam, Sanssouci Palace
Where Do We Go Now?_Berlin, East Side Gallery
Street of Linden Trees_Berlin, Unter den Linden
The Swan Castle Built by an Architecture Enthusiast_Füssen, Neuschwanstein Castle
The Pride of Bavarian Musical Tradition_Munich Opera Festival
A Village Embracing the Souls of Goethe and Schiller_Weimar, Goethe's House, Schiller's House

Chapter 4. England_A Gateway to Stories where Old Streets and New Rhythms Coexist
The Most Learned Garden in the World_Scotland, Little Sparta
The Seat of the Stuart Dynasty where Queen Mary was Born_Scotland, Stirling Castle
A Tragic Scene Like a Movie_Edinburgh, Holyroodhouse Palace
The Stage for Shakespearean Tragedies_Scotland, Glamis Castle and Skye, Alloway
Stop, Beautiful Time!_Wales, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and Portmeirion Village

Chapter 5. Nordic Countries_Moments Facing Grand Nature and Sublime Music
A City that Gifted Fantasies to Architecture Enthusiasts_Norway, Oslo
Nature's "Song of Norway"_Lysefjord, Kjeragbolten, Preikestolen
Troldhaugen, the Sanctuary of Norwegian Music_Bergen, Nygard Glacier, Geirangerfjord
The Finnish National Epic Sung by Sibelius_Finland, Helsinki
Long Ago in This Sea_Sweden, Stockholm, Vasa Museum and Millesgården