usic speaks from those deepest regions of being where mere words cannot reach. It is the ebb and flow of an ocean both joining and separating our hearts. Here I offer you a sampling of compositions which speak most powerfully to my own heart, with the hope that you may share the feeling communicated by these works of sublime beauty. I have neglected only to list many of the compositions of Renaissance, Medieval, and Ancient music which equally gladden the heart. What might one give to hear the songs of Sappho in their original and resplendent glory? We have but treasured fragments adoringly preserved by those who had attained the divine presence of the Tenth Muse. Before proceeding to the list, I'll mention that I have some preference for ensembles devoted to the performance on 'period' instruments, as much as I love these works in any form. The Academy of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields and the Academy of Ancient Music are my favorite groups. Among musicians, I most cherish the passionate performances of Anne-Sophie Mütter on the violin and equally those of cellist Ofra Harnoy. Georgia Kelly graces the harp with her own magical compositions, recalling quite another time and place. If forced to select a favorite composer among many favorites, the name of Händel would likely come to mind first. Who else has consistently written such enrapturing pieces, combining depth, grandeur, and delicacy? From his pen there is not a single work failing to reach me on every level of being! I listed a D-minor selection from the Concerti Grossi, but there is so much more: the stately largo section of the Overture to Berenice; "Where'er You Walk" from Semele or perhaps the somber D-minor harpsichord Sarabande used in the film "Barry Lyndon". Yes, there are many personal memories associated with the music. In mid-June of 1991, while appearing for evaluations at Johns Hopkins Hospital, I was in the midst of reading Anne Rice's powerful novel, A Cry to Heaven. Alessandro Scarlatti appeared as a minor character, the music teacher of protagonist Tonio. I searched endlessly to obtain a recording of Il Giardino di Amore, written for the voices of the magical castrati. In that most beautiful fourteenth aria, "Non me dire così ...", a dialogue between Adonis and Venus, it is the goddess who sings in the lower voice!

Key Signature of G Minor Albinoni/Giazotto. Adagio for Organ and Strings Roncalli. Passacaglia Tartini. "Devil's Trill" Sonata Vivaldi. Concerto, Op.10, No.2, "La notte", RV 439

Key Signature of C Minor Hoffman. Harp Quintet Marcello. Concerto No.2 for Oboe and String Orchestra Saint-Saens. Symphony No.3, Op.78, "Organ Symphony"

Key Signature of F Minor Brahms. Piano Quintet, Op.34 Corelli. Sarabande from Sonata VII for Viola da Gamba, Op.5 Locatelli. Concerto, Op.4, No.8

Key Signature of E Minor Mercadante. Flute Concerto

Key Signature of D Major Beethoven. Violin Concerto, Op.61 Haydn. Symphony No.96, "Miracle"

Key Signature of Eb Major Schubert. Piano Trio, Op. 100, D.929 Schumann,R. Piano Quintet

Key Signature of A Major Liszt. Piano Concerto No.2

Key Signature of C Major Tchaikovsky. Serenade for String Orchestra, Op.48 de Visée. Gavotte from Suite for Theorbo

Key Signature unlisted (Can anyone offer information?) d'Agnesi, M.T. Sonata per il clavicembalo Barber. Adagio for Strings Bizet. Suite Arlésienne Chopin. Piano Concerto No.2 Corelli. "La Folia" chaconne, Op.5, No.12 Couperin. Les Barricades Mystérieuses Glück. Orfeo ed Euridice: "Che puro ciel, che chiaro sol..." (Les Champs-Elysées) Gottschalk. Grand Fantasia Triumphale: Variations on the Brazilian National Anthem Grieg. Aus Holbergs Zeit, Op.40 Ippolitov-Ivanov. Caucasian Sketches, Op.10 de Lassus. Salve Regina Lully. "La Cérémonie Turque" from Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme Mahler. Symphony No.6 Marais. La Rêveuse Monteverdi. Book VII of Madrigals, "Madrigali Erotici " Mudarra. Romanesca Offenbach. Overture to the Grand Duchess of Gérolstein Orff. Carmina Burana Paradis. Sicilienne Puccini. Crisantemi Purcell. Dido and Aeneas: "Thy hand, Belinda ..." Respighi. Ancient Airs and Dances Ruiz de Ribayaz. Xacaras por primer tono, from Luz y Norte Scarlatti,A. Il Giardino di Amore (Venere e Adone) Sibelius. The Swan of Tuonela, Op.22, No.3 Soler. Fandango Taaffe-Zwillich. Symphony No.1 Telemann. Darmstädter Ouvertüren, TWV 55 Villa-Lobos. Bachianas Brasileiras, No.5

Enduring Beauty and Majesty Julia's main index

>