Had a listening break...

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

  A very good point.  One of my many escapes into reality occured just yesterday while listening to Der Rosenkavalier (I am in the middle of a R. strauss marathon). Near the end of Act 1 the Marschallin contemplates the passage of time, how it slips unnoticed like sand in an hour glass and suddenly we find ourselves old (the bitter truth about reality), but the accompanying music is unbelievably beautiful it rips my heart apart every time I hear it.  I don't like to think about the passage of time, it is troubling and disturbing but I keep replaying that scene in Der Rosenkavalier over and over again.  I have even commented on it in a post on another thread.

Well I have said too much about myself already....

Wait till you get to the immortal Trio in the Third Act...

[LVB_opus.125]

I really believe that this 'organized sound' is a spiritual experience. Why else would music gives as peak experiences, make us cry, take one's breath away? Music is a serious thing, and I feel sorry for those that don't take music seriously - that's why medicore music is king to the masses. It's just silly background noise to these souless rats!

[Solitary Wanderer]

I visited my Father recently and was dissappointed that during the visit he didn't turn the radio off which was tuned to some classic hits type station. I found it extremely distracting. Its strange because my Father used to be very selective about the music he played, in fact when I was a 10 year old he introduced me to Mike Oldfields Tubular Bells/Incantations and Jean-Michel Jarre' Oxygene which are both more 'active listening' types of music.

I listen to music most days in varying amounts. Usually a minimin of 2 cds, sometimes up to 7-8. In fact its rare that I don't listen to something every day. So I don't take breaks from music per se but I do take breaks from certain types of music