A Momentary Taste of Being

Pet Sounds Breakdown Those who know know, and those who do not won't care.

"The Sensual World" becomes "Flower of the Mountain" I have long lived in blissful ignorance of Stephen Joyce's stranglehold on his grandfather's estate--one of the best reasons I can think of for systematic conscientious objection to our present ludicrous copyright laws.  But Kate Bush can now sing what she first had in mind when constructing her magnificent song. And what better tribute to Joyce himself than to take his most musical novel and make of a bit of it a piece of music. (Ah, I love Kate Bush--from Wuthering Heights to the present.)

The Contemplative Journey of Franz Liszt A friend sent me this link.  Franz Liszt is one of my very favorite classical composers--I love the Etudes after Paganini and the Mephisto Waltzes, the Second Hungarian Rhapsody, amongst other wonderful pieces. An excerpt: Both Franz Liszt's piece, "Benediction de Dieu dans la Solitude," and St. John's poem revel in their rich and ecstatic language, daringly extreme in their attempts to depict a state of spiritual bliss, the highest form of which was pointedly called the spiritual marriage by many saints The first-time listener or reader would have been unwittingly on target in his intuitive, instinctive reaction. Both the composer and poet realized (the former through aspiration and reading, the latter though inspiration and burning experience) that Christian contemplation is meant to be a love affair; that human love, even at its pinnacle, is a mere shadow of that love with which God created us and to which he...

Well. . . a standard at least.  Many thanks to those who have supported this young singer.

A young person's guide to the Orchestra--or, in fact, any person's guide.

An opportunity to help support a young student going abroad for training. The song and the voice quality are truly wonderful.  Take a listen and if you are in a place to do so, please help this young lady.  I'm looking forward to hearing more of her voice in the future.

This epigram of Pope's puts me in mind of a little ditty by Beethoven

Classical Music and High Intelligence Being a major fan,  I should hope that it were true.  But, I'm dubious.  Equally I'm dubious about the other side of the proposition.  And I will note that if you have a will to, you can learn to enjoy nearly any kind of music.  One would profit from reading the Stravinsky chapter of Jonah Lehrer's Proust Was a Neuroscientist .

Rated merely by airplay, not by worth, top 100 songs of the 20th Century via Underbelly.

William Byrd did not seem to care for the KJV.

"Is That All There Is?" If that's all there is, my friend, then let's keep dancing. . . Perhaps the bleakest hit song ever, inspired, it appears by a story from Thomas Mann.  via Books Inq.

Jane Eyre: The Music

Thomas Tallis's Spem in Allium --still brilliant after all these years via Books Inq.

"Moonlight in Vermont" to say farewell to Margaret Whiting Isn't it wonderful that we have the means now to have more than mere memory traces of those who have enriched our lives?

"Music and Passion": a lecture via Books Inq.

A BBC quiz requiring registration

A Birthday Tribute to Joan Baez

History featuring Canterbury Tales ("California Dreaming") and Attila the Hun (Here Comes the Rain Again.) History for Music Lovers But for real literature-- The Divine Comedy to Blondie's Rapture

Elvis Presley's Birthday

Music Library Digitized--what a wonderful resource!