I've been thinking, and feeling, about this and since I love music so much I find that I could probably do a top 100 easier than a top ten. What surprises me is that most of the music I love most is classical rather than R&R. I'm sorry I haven't gotten this back to you sooner but, the more I thought about it, the more uncertain I became about what really meant the most to me and why.
I find myself wondering things like, "how do I compare Sultans of Swing, by Dire Straits to Sumi Jo and Ah-Kyung Lee's Flower Duet from Delibe's Lakme? Impossible.
Anyway, It's been an interesting project, and here is some music that has meant a lot to me; some simple and some more complex. I put them in no particular order because I don't know how to rate them. I have, and do, enjoy them all and have for at least ten years; not much more recent which may not stay on my list. Thanks for suggesting the idea.
1. Beethoven's 9th Symphony, particularly the Chorale movement. Inspires me emotionally to remember and feel the greatness of God's plan for our progress and development individually and for the expansion of the orderly and organized universe. Wonderful.
2. Mozart's Requiem, which reminds me that mortal life is short and that we haven't time to dawdle, with beautiful music, thrills, chills, and everything else one would want. It turns my thoughts to those who have already died, and I feel the lose again as I remember them.
3. Just about any of Hayden's symphonies, with their wonderful, order and logic; a perfect expression of the Classical Period's music. It inspires me to put my thoughts and actions into a higher order than my usual haphazard manner. It makes me think of the beautiful estates and gardens of Europe and inspires in me a desire to live in such a way myself.
4. There are hundreds of beautiful pieces of "chamber music" by various composers, too many to name, that are necessary for a civilized life. I put them in as a category. They inspire many deep and poignant feelings, and a deep appreciation and enjoyment of the European civilization that produced them and seems to be disappearing at an astonishing rate.
5. The same with "lieder", German songs sung by tenors, like Fritz Wunderlicht, or baritones like Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, typically accompanied by pianists like Gerald Moore or Hubert Giesen. One piano, one voice. Heaven. One of the most beautiful aspects of our German heritage. Some of my favorite composers are Beethoven, Schubert and Schumann.
6. When it comes to the Opera I think I will list the performers that I enjoy most, rather than the composers or the various operas. The individual voices make or break the performance, no matter how great the material they sing.
Singers: Tenors: Pavarotti, Bjorling, Wunderlich; Soprano, Sumi Jo, Maria Callas, Cecillia Bartoli; Baritone, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
7. I love many other kinds of music; from the blues of B. B. King; to the Blue Grass of Allison Krause and Union Station; hundreds of Old Time R&R numbers, and some more recent stuff by such artists as Narls Barkley, and the Garza Brothers of Los Lonely Boys.
8. I love rip-offs of pop music by everyone from Spike Jones and the City Slickers to Weird Al Yankovic. (I've always wondered why they call him "Weird?")
9. The sound track for "Everything is Illuminated" has a variety of music that is good; from "Start Wearing Purple" by the Gogol Bordello Gypsy Punks to some very haunting and emotional music that of sources unknown to me but sounds like Jewish Central European material. I am crazy about a lot of European folk music; Irish, German, and futher East; from Slovenia, to Norway and Sweden into Russia and Ukraine.
10. The whole of Jazz is too much to go into. I love mountains of it, whole worlds of it. Too much, too much.
11. Here are a few tunes that may not be of quality but for various reasons have an emotional meaning to me.
A. "Harbor Lights," by the Sammy Kaye orchestra. This was a pop song from about 1950 that played on the juke box in the restaurant my Father cooked in. It was in a tiny village called Underwood, WA, on the North Bank of the Columbia River across from Hood River, Oregon. I was about 5 years old at the time and the song would play over and over on the Juke box. It has a saxophone section in the middle of the song and, audiophile that I was even then, I always wondered what instrument could make such sounds. I have a copy that I still play sometimes and, every time, I'm 5 and waiting for Dad to close up so we can go home. Who says there isn't time travel? That song moves me 60 years in an instant. Janna, James and I visited that little place last year, 2008, and just being in the area has much the same effect. All the buildings that were there are gone but the place is still the same for I see them in my mind. I look down the road and I think I see the ghosts of the cars of the 30's and 40's that traveled there all those years ago. The people too. And I'm a little boy of five who is safe with Mom and Dad.
B. "Pomp and Circumstance", the famous graduation march, by Edward Elgar. I never graduated from anything except Navy bootcamp and they played a different tune, but that piece explodes my emotions and imagination with all things British from earlier times; particularly military things. I am filled with pride till my eyes fill with tears that I am a Son of the Sceptered Isle, which is odd because that stuff means very little until I hear that song or similar material. An example of the great power of music to stir the soul.
C. Judy Garland's, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." Christmas is a melancholy time for me and no one comes close to her at expressing melancholy. Hearing that song could bring me back from the dead, just so I could feel the loneliness and sadness of the song and the season. Another Christmas dirge I love is, "I'll be home for Christmas," by anybody but Sinatra, who I cannot relate to at all. There are probably 100 nice versions of it.
D. Brahms' "Waltz in A." A beautiful, simple, perfect little tune; what music is meant to be. It caresses the emotions and fills me with joy. All in about 3 minutes. Wow.
E. Vera Lynn's, "We'll Meet Again." A wonderful World War Two song, who's meaning is obvious. It plays at the end of the end of the world epic; Dr. Strangelove. It has the same meaning in the movie as it did when first played in WW2; the fact is, many will never meet again because they won't make it. The irony is, no one knows for sure who won't make it so they all pretend that all is well and, as the song has it; "Please say hello, to some people I know, tell them I won't be long. They'll be happy to know, that as you saw me go, I was singing this song." All isn't well, which all know and ignore with a smile.
I think I'll stop there. I hope this isn't too far away from what you had in mind; I tried to pick a simple top-ten but found that hopeless: this is far more the real musical side of me and it's the best I can do for now. Thanks for the project; it's brought back a million memories and feelings that get lost in the day-to-day.
Love;
Dad
----- Original Message -----
From: Enoch Goodfellow <mailto:enochg1972@yahoo.com>
To: Enoch Seth Goodfellow <mailto:enochg1972@yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, May 25, 2009 9:16 PM
Subject: Music of a lifetime project.
Recently I was on Youtube looking up my old favorite songs and the thought occurred to me how cool it was to have this resource. One of the other things that I found was how many new songs or groups I had been exposed to and enjoyed while looking at videos and music I already knew about. Finally I thought how fun it would be to send out to all my friends, family co-workers etc. for a short list (3, 5, 10) of their most favorite songs. And then maybe throw in a most hated song; that song that always sends you screaming for the dial. Or any other music that has really made an impact on you in your life, maybe a song that always made you cry etc. Then, if you want to, it would be neat if you would include some story or memory that goes along with each one. It will take a little time, but I think it would be fascinating. If you like the idea, feel free to forward this to your list too.