Reading and Music

Do you listen to music when you read?  Usually soft jazz or classical music is played when I read.  You can listen to “Music for Reading” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc7UzQB8gtI.

On the topic of music, when I was researching Shakespeare and his influence on art for my blog entry of August 5, I came across a quiz about the songs in Shakespeare’s plays:  http://shakespeareandbeyond.folger.edu/2017/07/18/quiz-songs-shakespeare-plays/#more-6124. 

I try to read or re-read at least one Shakespeare play a year, and when I do, I often play two cds I own:

One is Sweet Airs That Give Delight; this recording is a celebration of the music which has been written for various productions of Shakespeare at the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario.

Cleo Laine Wordsongs has 30 tracks in which the singer performs songs inspired by Shakespeare and other poets.  My favourites are “Dunsinane Blues” and “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day” and “The Compleat Works”.  In this last piece, she sings the titles  of all of Shakespeare’s plays. 

If you like country music, this article pairing classic country songs with books might be of interest to you:  http://lithub.com/9-classic-country-songs-and-the-books-they-pair-with/.