There is now an abundance of music inside the house. Starting after Thanksgiving, I played every Christmas CD I owned, as well as all of John’s. It took the whole Christmas season to get through them all. Next, I played all the general disks of mine. Was I going to start with John’s? Yes, because by then I was used to playing one right after another, starting with exercise time before walking to the stop sign. For the sake of the neighbors, it’s good there is plenty of space between the houses.
I picked one row to start, not knowing what kind of music was there. The first ones were all Gregorian Chant – unaccompanied, single lines of sacred music in Latin. Most of them were men’s voices, which were quiet and soothing. The one I didn’t like was a single man’s raspy voice that sounded more like a barking dog than a human singing. Chants were sung in churches and monasteries, and there are still a few places that continue the tradition. Among John’s collection were a few recordings of women singing chants. Those were not as appealing to me.
This is where John’s CD’s are stored – in an odd non-corner of the living room. Most have not been touched since he died.
One disk seemed to be a dividing marker. It was music from the time of Nostradamus. That would have been after early music, moving into the Renaissance. The music looks more like our music today, with two staffs of five lines. However, it moves in lines flowing across the page rather than divided into measures with a definite beat.
A section of madrigals came next. They are secular songs that are often quite lively. I recognized a number of them, since John and I sang in a madrigal group in college. These songs come from the Renaissance and early Baroque periods. There may be lots more of the same. I’ll find out as I play them.
Mehrling Muse 
Wow! that is an amazing collection of music. Kudos for taking the time to listen to it all.
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I do other things while the music is playing. Every once in a while something catches my attention, and I pause to hear the rest of that piece. I won’t be listening much for the next month because daughter Lise will be here. I wouldn’t ask anyone else to listen to music all the time.
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I love that you are slowly making your way through them all. Beautiful music must bring back wonderful memories.
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In a way, music is new and fresh constantly. I hear new things in a familiar piece. My hearing has changed with age, so I don’t hear the way I used to.
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It’s good to revisit all the music. We got rid of a lot when we downsized and mostly stream now but there are a few I miss.
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I listened to Pandora for months, but I wasn’t hearing music from a wide range of composers.
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Yes, I found I had to specify what I wanted and sometimes I didn’t know what I wanted.
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You have a lovely CD collection Anne.😘
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I’m enjoying things I haven’t played for years.
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What an eclectic assortment of music. It all sounds fascinating!
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Some people would find big holes in this collection. There is not a single opera, no jazz to speak of, and just a few modern pieces.
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Well, I was gonna say, it’s not my jam but it must have been his. 😊
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John loved music and often had things playing when he was on the computer.
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John sure had a lot of CDs – that’s nice you are exploring each CD … the day passes joyously when accompanied by music.
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You are right. The music is joyful.
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So wonderful that you are going through his whole collection and discovering new ways to hear each piece. I often settle for turning on the radio while my old CDs collect dust. You’ve inspired me!🎶
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Do revisit your CDs! I was surprised at some of the things I own! Radio is wonderful if you know where to find what you want.
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Wow, he was quite the collector of music! I have often looked for the kind of music played in the movies of the Renaissance period, with flutes and recorders, gentle and lyrical. So far my search has yielded nothing. I was in a madrigal choir many many years ago, love that music too.
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I have a lot going this week, but I’ll try to remember to look for composers for you.
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💕💕
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The Collection sounds rather like my old vinyl, but you’d have to add more music from the 40s, ’50s, ’60s… I’m not surprised. I truly believe if we lived closer together we’d be the best of friends rather than digital penpals.
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