ext_343683 ([identity profile] petrusplancius.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] porphyry 2007-10-06 08:42 am (UTC)

Thank you, I think that is just about the best thing I have ever read on LJ!

We have a commercial classical music station over here called Classic fm which has produced a 2-CD set of music for babies. It seem that that your record-producers are trying to feed them on too narrow a diet. Here is the menu:

Disc One
1. Wiegenlied (Lullaby) Opus 49 No. 4-Brahms
2. Cantata No.156: Sinfonia-Bach
3. Gymnopedie No. 1-Satie
4. Intermezzo Removed (From Cavalleria Rusticana)-Mascagni
5. The Swan (From Carnival Of The Animals)-Saint-Saens
6. Piano Concerto No.20 In D Minor: 2nd movement-Mozart
7. Lisa Lan-Traditional
8. Touch Her Soft Lips And Part (From The Henry V Suite)-Walton
9. Lascia Ch'io Pianga (From Rinaldo)-Handel
10. Romance No. 2 In F Major-Beethoven
11. Cantique De Jean Racine Opus 11-Faure
12. Nocturne In Eb Major Opus 9 No. 2-Chopin
13. Variations On The St. Anthony Chorale: Theme-Brahms
14. Pie Jesu-Brunning
15. Concerto In D Minor For 2 Violins: 2nd Movement-Bach
16. Stargazer-Hawes
Disc Two
1. Carnival Of The Animals: Finale-Saint-Saens
2. The Marriage of Figaro: Overture-Mozart
3. Dance Of The Swans (From Swan Lake)-Tchaikovsky
4. Piano Sonata No. 11 In A Major: 3rd Movement ''Rondo Alla Turca''-Mozart
5. A Midsummer Night's Dream: Scherzo-Mendelssohn
6. Coronation March-Meyerbeer
7. Dance Of The Hours (From La Giaconda)-Ponchielli
8. Flight Of The Bumblebee-Rimsky-Korsakov
9. Petite Suite - Ballet-Debussy
10. Piano Quintet In A Major ''Trout'': 4th Movement-Schubert
11. English Folksongs Suite: 3rd Movement-Vaughan Williams
12. Concerto For 2 Violins In A Major RV.519: 3rd Movement-Vivaldi
13. Orchestral Suite No. 2 In B Minor: Badinerie-Bach
14. Waltz In Eb Major Opus 18 ''Grand Valse Brillante''-Chopin
15. Hoedown (From Rodeo)-Copland
16. Gold & Silver Waltz-Lehar

I approve of the Satie; Satie seems very suitable for some reason. But I'm not sure about the Cantique de Jean Racine. They actually rather give the game away in the blurb, which makes it clear enough that all this is really aimed at the parents:

'Classic Fm present their brand new collection of music for babies. This 32-track 2CD set is the perfect musical accompaniment for parents and their new arrivals. With classical music known to be both stimulating and calming, the excellent recordings selected here can be enjoyed whilst spending time with your baby or for adults to relax and unwind.

The CD booklet also includes useful top tips from Classic FM's resident doctor on how to care for your baby.'

(Would you have thought that a classical music station needs a resident doctor? And how can a doctor 'reside' at a radio station anyhow?)

They have carried out tests to find out if cows produce more (or perhaps better, I'm not sure) milk if classical music is played to them at milking-time, and Mozart apparently works very nicely. Not Bach, that is too intellectual for cows, and for babies too I should have thought. Can one divide composers into thinkers and feelers too?



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