So Beautiful It Makes Me Cry

This post is a bit of a departure for me. I generally write about food, specifically what we ate for dinner. But I have been so inspired by a recent purchase that I thought I would share it with you.

 I love music, especially music that can play in the background without overpowering whatever I am doing.  I can't say I prefer one genre over another particularly, but there are a few I can do without. I am totally out of the rap demo.  I don't pretend to understand it or its appeal.  Hip-hop I can take in small doses, but again I am just too old to enjoy it. I can listen to some heavy metal, but I did notice something as I got older. When I was younger I loved to literally be able to feel the music.  The last time I was listening to live heavy metal I had fantastic seats, about 5 rows back, and wondered the entire time if the pounding drum beats  and relentless bass that were slamming into my chest could affect the rhythm of my heart. So I marked off heavy metal unless I am listening to it at home and can control both the bass and volume. Again I am too old to properly appreciate it.  About the only other genre I don't listen to is C/W.  I can enjoy some good old time country like Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Charlie Pride, Waylon Jennings and such but I don't like the new crossover country western at all. I have no idea why I don't like it,  I just don't.

There are many types of music that I can listen to and really enjoy.  Give me some Motown and I am right there with you dancing and singing. The same goes for Phish and String Cheese Incident.  I will sing bad backups while listening to do wap singers, will belt out lyrics to show tunes in a heart beat, and have been known to sing and dance to Raffi.  (Understand all this singing and dancing is happening in my home while no one is here but me. I do not have the performance gene.) Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings are the bomb and I listen to her regularly, but will also listen to crooners then follow it up with a little Buckwheat Zydeco. Still, there are a couple of genres that own me and I can listen to them all day without ever getting tired of them.

I adore jazz in all shapes and forms except for some avant-garde jazz and some free jazz.  That can get a little out there and too tedious for me.  I suppose I am not hip enough to understand it.  Oh well! Anytime I am down in the dumps I can listen to jazz and immediately feel brighter, plus it puts a spring in my step and makes my head nod while keeping time.  I don't even realize I am doing it, butI am called out on it regularly. (For the record,  as much as jazz musicians love and rely on audience participation while they are playing do not insult them by clapping rhythmically on the 1 and 3!)

I also love classical music.  I don't think I have ever met any I can't at the least be friends with. I am quite certain the cello is the closest thing to a voice from heaven that human ears will ever hear. (Though french horns and violas give it a close run for its money, and I can't forget the oboe can I?)

I love the romantics, the wonderful counterpoint of the baroque, waltzes, heavy ponderous Russian composers, scores for ballets and operas, madrigals from the Renaissance period, and the neo-classicals of the 20th century. Imagine my surprise and delight a couple of days ago when I found The 50 Greatest Classical Pieces by the London Philharmonic on Itunes for $5.99. This should link to the album.

Now, I need more music like I need another hole in my head, in fact I have all of these pieces on cd's and/or vinyl from decades of collecting music, but now I have them all together in one easy to access collection and have been listening to it non-stop since purchasing it. I really do like each piece, but a few of them have been favorites of mine since I was a young girl.  My family listened to music each night with dinner, usually classical. Sometimes as a part of after dinner conversation (and yes we had a set time for conversation before we could ask to be excused from the table) Dad would go to the stereo ( and yes I am that old) and select an album, put the needle down randomly and we would name the piece. (Until I typed that I didn't realize how weird we were. This activity is also why MyBeloved Sister and I can sing so many Broadway songs)

 One of my favorites Bacarolle from Tales of the Hoffman was a song I would listen to while My Younger Beloved Sister was napping. I would have been about 3 1/2  then I was probably supposed to nap also, but instead was very quiet so I could listen to music.  Another on the album is Adagio for Strings. A lot of people remember it from the movie Platoon, but it haunted me long before that.  I heard it at an open air symphony in the park when I in jr. high. Whenever I hear it I am transported back to that time. Then there is Finlandia, which I listened to with my Dad.  It was his favorite piece of music and he always asked us to have it played at his funeral. We honored his request and had it played, but now instead of sitting with Dad and listening to it as we always did, I heard it, marveled at its very simple beauty and cried.


If you like classical music it is well worth the money, and if you don't like classical music it would be a total waste of your 6 bucks so don't purchase it!

I feel very fortunate to have grown up in a house where music was accessible, encouraged and very much appreciated.  For the record though not all music at our house was appreciated.  I can remember Dad being totally disgusted that the same piece of electronics that delivered his beloved classics would also play The Beatles, James Brown, The Doors, Motown, Janis Joplin, Black Sabbath etc. at full volume.

Love you Dad and thanks!

Bacarolle

And to shake things up a little, here's to you Dad!