Comfort Reads discussion

I think we should have a music thread! Music is a great source of comfort and joy, after all.

So, what kind of music do you all love? Do any of you play an instrument, sing etc? Do you have comfort music like you have comfort books?

I love lots of different types of music and artists...from rock/pop to jazz/blues and classical. It just depends on my mood. I play piano (in fact, I'm a piano teacher) so for comfort, I often turn to playing some of my favorite piano pieces. There's something about playing that is a huge stress reliever.

For LISTENING, I usually prefer things that I can sing along with. This is gonna show my age, but one of my favorite singer/songwriters is Billy Joel.

I love the Beatles. I think they are my absolute favourite modern music band, but I also like a lot of the pop/rock music of the 50's, 60's and 80's (anything past that, I don't generally like, and I cannot stand rap, techno etc.).

However, for relaxation and comfort, I usually listen to New Age (instrumental), like Merlin's Magic, Dan Gibson or Llewellyn, instrumental jazz and classical music (too many favourites to name them all, but I love Chopin, Debussy, Vaughan Williams, Holst, Rimsky-Korsakov, Haydn and Beethoven). And, while I like listening to opera and singing, when I am reading, I do not like to listen to any type of vocal music, as I find that somewhat distracting (especially, if the vocals are in one language and I'm reading in another).

I like almost anything: classical, irish/celtic, folk, pop, country, rock. No rap or jazz. My daughter keeps finding new music to listen to, so I have been expanding into J-pop (Japanese pop music).

Abigail wrote: "I too have pretty eclectic tastes, Jeannette! My biggest loves are classical, and world/folk music. I listen to a lot of Irish/Celtic music myself! Who are some of your favorites? I love The Bothy ..."

I am so limited in my selections by name, but will check into yours! I went to see "The Boys of the Lough" a couple years back, and really enjoyed their style. I also liked all of the music in the film "The Boys and Girls of County Claire." Have you seen it? I would love to get some of that music, too.

I also like bluegrass, which counts as folk, I suppose.

I like British Country Dancing music (John Playford), so I love The Baltimore Consort or the Broadside Band, amongst others (The Toronto Consort is excellent as well). And, I also love traditional British, Canadian, Irish folk music, so I enjoy music by The Revels, Great Big Sea, The Irish Descendents, Enya, Loreena McKennitt and so on. I also love traditional harp and hammered dulcimer (Kim Robertson and Carol Thompson have some wonderful harp music available and Rosmary Beland and Maggie Sansone are dulcimer virtuosos).

I love folk, classical, show tunes, oldies from the 50s-60s-70s, world music, the Beatles, etc. I don't like rap, hard rock, and certain music within every genre. I like so much within folk, classical, show tunes, oldies, etc. there are too many to list right now.

Thanks for the links, Abigail. I wish I could play the hammered dulcimer, but while I can play on a keyboard with one finger and am good at picking out a melody, I cannot play chords and I am rather hopeless with any kind of stringed instrument. And, reading music is something I've never been very good at.

I confess I'm not very eclectic in my tastes - or rather, I will listen to most types of music if someone puts a CD on and even enjoy it, but the type of music I constantly listen to on my own is a lot more limited. And unfashionable - for the past ten years or so I've scarcely followed the modern popular music at all. I mostly listen to musicals (especially my favourite new European musicals - and they have quite a varied range of music styles so from that perspective I do listen to a lot of styles of music) and classical music. There's also some classical-ish pop-ish music like Josh Groban and Hayley Westenra that I love. And every now and then I get into the mood for some oldies and evergreens. But I can't get much out of most of the modern pop and rock music, though I do love me some older stuff. Especially ABBA!

I generally find that most of the music I listen to nowadays falls into the category of "comfort music" as I'd call it. I mainly seem to want music that soothes me and makes me feel good. When I was younger, in angsty and angry moods I might want some angry rock music, but nowadays if I try that I find it tears my nerves apart and makes everything worse - I'll much rather put on some Hayley or Josh or one of my favourite calmer musical songs on repeat. A lot of classical music is also very soothing, I especially love Schubert (piano music or Lieder) for that purpose.

I definitely don't listen to music while I'm reading, and unlike some writers I usually can't listen to it when I'm writing either. It distracts me and directs my thoughts too much. The only exception is that I will sometimes put on music to be able to read on noisy public transport - some suitably calm songs block out the surrounding noise without distracting my reading too much, but I still don't like to do it often. Music is for me its own artform that I want to enjoy, not just background. On the other hand, I find that listening to classical music while I work (or search for work, as is my life nowadays) helps me to concentrate - it captures those parts of my brain which would otherwise fly off to fancies and daydreams and keeps the rest of my brain able to focus on the task at hand.

Aha, I'm glad I'm not the only one who's not getting into all this Lady GaGa craze. I didn't like the 90s dance music the first time around, I'm certainly not going to like it any better now... I also love dancing, but to a different kind of music and a real beat. I enjoy 70s and 80s music a lot more, not to mention completely different dancing music like ballroom dances, Latin American dances or other "ethnic" stuff. I used to take classes in Irish dancing, and I dreadfully much want to learn Hungarian folk dancing, but I don't think I'm fit enough, I've tried and it almost killed me in half tempo. :P And they don't offer courses here anyway...

I think it would be great if gymns were to offer fitness courses in international folk dancing. I would much rather keep fit that way (and to folk music) than doing aerobics to top-30 music that I generally cannot stand and that is usually so loud that it makes your head hurt.

I absolutely love the soundtrack from the 2005 film "Pride and Prejudice."(I love the music more than the actual film.)I could listen to it all day!!! Also, I love beach music, like Jack Johnson or Tristan Prettyman. It chills me right out. Those are my comfort tunes, otherwise I have pretty eclectic tastes in music.

Jamie wrote: "I absolutely love the soundtrack from the 2005 film "Pride and Prejudice."(I love the music more than the actual film.)I could listen to it all day!!! Also, I love beach music, like Jack Johnson or..."

Yeah, that soundtrack was wonderful, another of my favourites (though I could not say I like it better than the film, as it is one of my favourites) is Ang Lee's adaptation of Sense and Sensibility (the one starring Emma Thompson, Kate Winslett, Hugh Grant and (drooling) Alan Rickman).

I love that soundtrack, too. That was my favorite film when I was 11, I was completely obsessed. It still is one of my all time favorites. At the time, I was too young to really appreciate the beauty of Alan Rickman, but now I think he's lovely.

My music is pretty eclectic, but I'm not a big fan of Lady GaGa. I do love the above-mentioned soundtracks, too. There are a few lovely songs from Atonement and I Capture the Castle in a similar style. I am a big believer in iTunes!

Jamie wrote: "I love that soundtrack, too. That was my favorite film when I was 11, I was completely obsessed. It still is one of my all time favorites. At the time, I was too young to really appreciate the beau..."

I've had a crush on Alan Rickman for years, he's just amazing and very sexy.

I agree. I really like Stephen Dillane, too.

Jeanette,I've never seen I Capture the Castle...I need to check out that soundtrack!(I don't like Lady GaGa either)

Fiona wrote: "Jamie, have you read I Capture the Castle? The movie is also beautiful - I love Romola Garai who plays Cassandra to perfection."

I've got to both read the novel and see the movie.

I have it on my "to-read" shelf. I haven't seen the film, but I do love Romola Garai. She was good in Emma.

Jamie wrote: "I have it on my "to-read" shelf. I haven't seen the film, but I do love Romola Garai. She was good in Emma."

Me too, but my to-read shelf is gigantic. I should reorganise it a bit.

Wow, Gundula! I just checked your profile, and that was not an understatement!

Jamie, My to-read list is even longer, and I have a few friends who have me beat. Goodreads is a dangerous place!

Fiona wrote: "Alan Rickman yummy - I love him in truly Madly Deeply.

Oh I loved the I Capture the Castle film (and book) never really checked out the soundtrack... hmm. It's by the same bloke as who did Atoneme..."

Dario Marianelli: I Capture the Castle, Atonement and P&P (2005). Now I know why I enjoy all three soundtracks!

What is it about Alan Rickman? He isn't exactly young, but he is definitely swoon-worthy! I don't know how I will handle Harry Potter 7, part 2!!

Lisa wrote: "Jamie, My to-read list is even longer, and I have a few friends who have me beat. Goodreads is a dangerous place!"

You're not kidding!

Jamie wrote: "Wow, Gundula! I just checked your profile, and that was not an understatement!"

And, I have not even finished adding all of the books that I have read. I agree with Lisa, Goodreads can be dangerous for bibliophiles.

Oh, I haven't added all my read books. I guess I never will because I don't remember all of them. But, I have many read books at home I haven't added; I may never because I'd rather be reading. That to-read list though: I need to pare it down!

Jeannette wrote: "What is it about Alan Rickman? He isn't exactly young, but he is definitely swoon-worthy! I don't know how I will handle Harry Potter 7, part 2!!"

I'm wondering that as well. I just think he has some kind of magnetism and charisma (you know I used to think that I was weird to like him so much as an actor when all around me people were drooling over actors like Brad Pitt etc., but I realise now, that I'm not alone).

I soooo agree about Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise! They are very boring. Johnny Depp is too awesome. I love Daniel Day Lewis, too.

I agree, Fiona & Gundula! Rickman & Depp *sigh*

The book, ICtC, is better than the film, but the film is a pretty good adaptation. I enjoy them both.

I guess ICtC is going to move up my to-read list!

Jamie wrote: "I soooo agree about Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise! They are very boring. Johnny Depp is too awesome. I love Daniel Day Lewis, too."

Yeah, boring like a mannequin without character and personality (you can add a few others to that list, Leonardo di Caprio for example and even Matt Dillon, I just don't go for the standard American Hollywood "hearthrob"). And, Alan Rickman and Johnny Depp do not just ooze personality, they are also amazing actors (You're right about Rickman's voice, I melt whenever I hear it).

Too true. It's funny because most of the actors I really love my friends have no idea who they are.

Fiona wrote: "It's depressing that isn't it. I don't really go for the "Hollywood" heart throbs.

Do like Hugh Jackman though... and Eric Bana but they're Australian!"

Have you watched Hugh Jackman in Oklahoma? Superb!

Have any of the Alan Rickman fans watched The Barchester Chronicles? This is one of my all-time favorites.

I generally don't like the typical Hollywood handsome-men standard at all. That's probably one of the reasons I don't watch movies much; the aesthetics in most of them don't appeal to me at all (also on other levels than good-looking men). That's why I save all my drooling on cute European musical actors! :D They tend to have a lot more personality in their looks, and while they get made-up and dressed for the stage, the style isn't as impossibly polished as in movies and on TV. Plus, they have to be able to sing, and sometimes dance, and that's a better way to sweep me off my feet than just looking "perfect". Oh, how a good singing voice can melt my heart, reason and a few other things...

Non-American movies more often have aesthetics that I like, so it's probably a Hollywood problem I have, but I'm still more of a theatre person. But I enjoy BBC period dramas. :-)

And just because this is the music thread and I happen to have this open in another window, here's what I've been using as comfort music a lot lately:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwd3sM...

Gyuri Mihálka (one of my favourite Hungarian musical actors) performing You Raise Me Up in a concert. I also love Josh Groban's version of this song very much, but I love Gyuri's voice even better. Though the live video can't really do full justice to how his voice is live, but it's still something.

Yes, Hugh Jackman was fantastic in Oklahoma! I like him alot.

Jamie wrote: "Yes, Hugh Jackman was fantastic in Oklahoma! I like him alot."

He's got a great voice! :)

I listen to a good variety of music, but when I want something that always makes me happy, I listen to Josh Groban. He has an amazing voice, and his songs are just beautiful. I myself sing, and took lessons for years. My repertoire mostly consists of show tunes, though. ;)

I love music, especially listening to live concerts. Sometimes you even want to cry from these living emotions, because you are infinitely happy. Although it is not very pleasant to listen to some live songs, but this is rare. By the way, I will soon go to the magic show vegas david copperfield tickets where the musical accompaniment should be great.