A beautiful world is more than just color and light. Some of our most moving experiences come from sound. What sounds are your favorites? What's the soundtrack for your Belle Époque? Saying that music plays with our emotions is an understatement of the greatest magnitude. Every generation since the beginning of human time has had some kind of music that has helped define it. What music makes you smile, makes you cry, makes you remember? Whether it’s Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion, “Begin the Beguine” or the theme tune from Bewitched, every song makes you think of something, makes you feel something.
For me, certain songs have great significance. The theme tune from The Burns and Allen Show-- "Love Nest" by Louis A Hisch and Otto Harbach—makes me think of Bertie because on the day he was adopted, my mother made up a little song for him to that tune. As Time Goes By makes me think of my parents since that’s the song from their wedding (I wasn’t there, obviously). Verdi’s Requiem reminds me of Princess Diana’s sudden death. The theme tune from Wishbone reminds me of the time I spent working on that show. Anything by Tom Waits makes me think of my good friend, Whirligig, and attending his concert together a few years ago. The song, “Monkey and Bear,” by Joanna Newsom reminds me of my own life. The list is endless.
So, if you were creating the playlist for your beautiful era, what would you pick? I can’t wait to hear your answers.
Above painting by W.A. Young, 1874, from my collection.
2 comments:
I would have to have several lengthy playlists organized by either mood or events they remind me of...too much to list! But those lists would certainly contain my favorites (and I'm paring down here): Adrian Belew, Chris Whitley, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, the Ramones, Frank Zappa, Jethro Tull, Johnny Winter, and a host of old blues artists long gone.
Computer applications like iTunes and web site applications like lastfm or Pandora are absolutely great for organizing and categorizing your music. Helps you see at a glance what you have and remember great songs you might have forgotten. Some of the web sites will even find other users with the same tastes as you, 'learn' your musical tastes and suggest other music you might like, and provide you with a way of accessing your music when you're without your computer, phone, or music device. I love music sites!
Great advice, whirl! Thank you!
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