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Suggestions For Soothing Classical Sounds

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By KURT LOFT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 21, 2007

You don't have to be recovering in a hospital to appreciate music as medicine, of how the ethereal strains of certain melodies, harmonies and rhythms can put the mind and body at ease. Why not start your own library of music to soothe the soul?

Today, we offer a short list of classic recordings worth hearing again and again, through sickness and in health. Most, if not all, should be available in better record shops.

Gregorio Allegri (1582-1652), "Miserere"; Tallis Scholars; Gimell Records — Allegri's disarmingly simple "Miserere" will pierce the heart of anyone who hears it for the first time. The solo voice rising above the choir is unforgettable.

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911), Symphony No. 3; Royal Concertgebouw, Riccardo Chailly conducting; Decca — Dionysian, mystical and sublime, Mahler's huge score alternates between innocence and pathos, and the sixth movement stretches into one of the longest crescendos in music.

William Mundy (died circa 1591), "Voice of the Heavenly Father"; Tallis Scholars — Little is known of Mundy, but this piece assures his place as a fine composer. The music grows in power and sensuality, like a sacred "Bolero."

Joaquin Rodrigo (1902-1999), "Concierto de Aranjuez"; Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Pepe Romero, guitar; Philips — The 20th century's most famous guitar solo was not from "Stairway to Heaven," but Rodrigo's masterpiece, which hinges on the ethereal Adagio, a melody of such profound beauty it aches.

William Byrd (1543-1623), "Mass for Five Voices"; The Sixteen; Virgin Classics — Byrd's freely composed Mass is delicious in its simplicity, and the recording in an English cathedral captures the delayed echo of the voices.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Mass in B Minor; Collegium Vocale, Harmonia Mundi — Arguably the crowning jewel of the Baroque era, the Mass unfolds on a vast scale, from the soaring Kyrie to the comforting "Lord, Grant Us Peace" that closes the work.

Henryk Gorecki (1933- ), "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs," London Sinfoinietta — One of the biggest hits ever on the classical charts, Gorecki's transparent symphony is a study in quietude, with the strings working their way up to a whisper of ecstasy.

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