August 15, 2007
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Soundtrack for School
We like music to fill our home;
certain music signals that studying is the priority.
We sing a psalm in our morning time.
But when the Algebra book comes out,
we start the CD player.We do have rules.
No words – it’s too distracting.
No jarring dissonance – it’s too unpleasant.
There are only two of us at home now so
we try to play stuff we both enjoy.In no particular order, here are our faves:
I think my Dutch ancestors must have migrated from Ireland.
When we watch movies, I always crane my neck to see the
composer of the soundtrack.
I like Rachel Portman.
This has two discs – lots of good stuff.
Sometimes the music is better than the images.
I bought five CDs trying to find the music on this one.
Finally, I emailed the radio station and asked for help.
One Christmas we gave this CD to lots of people.
This is easily my most favorite violin CD in the world.
It’s a pleasant mix of high, middle and low brow.
Fritz Kreisler’s Liebesieid is worth the price of the CD.
On the whole, I really like the Adagio Series.
Sometimes the music is slow and loud.
I love Bach’s Adagios, but there is too much
choral music, which disqualifies it for school.
George Winston. A great pianist.
Mellow, evocative, lovely.
When I saw the video of a blogger’s daughter
playing in a string trio, I realized that there was
a huge hole in my CD collection. No string trios!
They play composers old (Albinoni) and new (Piazzolla).
Janie turned me on to Phil Coulter.
My husband insists that he will write words
to the Highland Cathedral tune to sing in church.
We have four Phil Coulter CDs which we play regularly.
This soundtrack from Ken Burn’s series
is fabulous.
Make sure you understand:
I want Ashokan Farewell at my funeral.
What can I say? My son loves Pirates music.
Has all three.
The truth is, I like it too!
I adore Night Tracks.
When Collin’s appendix ruptured,
I spent a week sleeping in the chair
next to the bed in the hospital;
we went to sleep every night
listening to this eclectic mix.
Another keeper.
This gem has Simple Gifts with Allison Krauss.
I used to want every CD
Yo-Yo Ma was on, but some of his latest stuff
isn’t to my taste. It was a year ago that I saw
Yo-Yo Ma in person at Ravinia, fulfilling one of my life goals.
The Haydn concerto still rings in my head.
I highly recommend his two Appalachian CDs.
And the Baroque CDs.
And the Bach CDs.
And the Vivaldi CDs.
And the Dvorak Album.
And the Brahms.
I don’t have his latest, Appasianato, but I bet it’s good.I couldn’t find an image for Itzhak Perlman’s Vivaldi.
Once The Four Seasons was playing in the background
when the phone rang. “That is the most beautiful
music I ever heard,” the caller gushed.Another tried and true winner has been a boxed set
I picked up at some box store.
Weekend Classics.
They are green.
I gave a set to a client when she got married,
because she loved to listen to them at my house.
Four discs, all perfect for tuning your mind.Do you have a favorite (instrumental) CD?
Comments (6)
Time for you to invent “CD Swap”!
There is a textbook warehouse locally that has an annual giveaway. Wait, I just have to revel in that blessing for a minute. OK, I’m back. Anyway, we were able to pick up an entire “Music Appreciation” class on tape- not the textbook, just 8 cassettes of a quiet voice saying things like “Wagner: Lohengrin, Act 4″, or “Ellington: Summer Day”, and then fine instrumentals, with just a touch of Gregorian chant. The kiddos, astoundingly, love studying to the tape, with personal preferences, of course. (Won’t they be surprised when they find there are 7 more cassettes?)
I am making of note of your favorites, so that when it comes time to purchase a CD, I will choose from your list. I had thought that one day I would work my way through The Gift of Music, using their recommendations to build my music library.
At any rate, this area is woefully weak in my background. Or maybe, it’s my personality. I prefer the quiet when studying.
Great entry.
You did not put the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. To me, it is on the same level as POTC (Pirates of the Caribbean) or better.
Our little Wallowa Valley Orchestra got to play the overture for the first Pirates movie last year. We had to work very hard and there were some parts that took me all year to actually *get*, but it was worth it!
It seems to me that there are so many elements to such a piece of music that are missed when you just listen to the music. Layer upon layer we had the chance to build the sound and texture. I had heard it countless times (Crista is also a devotee), but only had the major themes. Without the supporting instruments it would be one dimentional, flat and lifeless. How could Captain Jack Sparrow do all the cool things a pirate does without that great score behind him! (of couse that goes for all the great characters in musical theatre!)
I have recently fallen in love with the sound track from The Greatest Game Ever Played. ( a golf flick and a true story) It is also fun to see that the person who wrote the gorgeous music to Jesus of Nazareth also wrote for Lawrence of Arabia. (Maurice Jarr) I love and know MOST (but not all) of the above! Have been a fan of Vivaldi’s four seasons since Edith Schaffer first wrote about it, thirty years ago. I will watch for the ones I don’t know. fun stuff!
Ooooh, I just loved this delicious list! I have been guilty of updating the book library exclusively, and neglecting our music library. I needed this fresh inspiration. Thanks!