Calming the Savage Beast

Tonight for our family time we listened to G.O. and our oldest son's "friend" as they practiced Meditation by Massenet for her church meeting this Sunday.  It was their first time practicing it together, even though my husband had worked on it Saturday for an hour or so.  


After listening to their piece I pulled out my mp3 player and encouraged (OK, made) the boys sit quietly while we listened to Barber's Adagio for Strings.  It is eleven minutes long and was difficult for my 12-year old drummer to adjust to, but as the younger boys watched their 17-year old brother soak it all in they began to listen and enjoy it, at least a little.  

We are not too stuffy around here.  We listen to classic rock as well as straight classical.  And we enjoy a lot of Indian music as well as some pop stuff.  But I have to say that there are a few classical selections that cut through me like a hot knife through butter, and I mean that in a very good way.  

What music calms your soul?  What can you listen to knowing you will feel good when you do? Here is one of mine...



2 comments

Heidi | September 16, 2008 at 8:20 AM

This is definitely one of them! I love this one! I find classical music is usually the most likely to be the hot knife for me, but I also love a few others such as one of the selections on the soundtrack of The Piano. I think its called Scent of Love. I can just feel my whole soul lifting up on that one.

charrette | September 16, 2008 at 10:51 AM

I LOVE Barber's Adagio for Strings! (The choral version, Agnus Dei, is beautiful too.)

I have a long list of classical favorites, but my sould has been stirred the most over the past decade by a contemporary choral work -- Morton Lauriden's Lux Aeterna. (I have a post started about that piece that one of these days I'll finish and put up.)