Following on from my previous post which was about why we need peace, this is all about what makes me feel peaceful.
There are hundreds of songs I can listen to for a peaceful moment – from laid back R&B to Gregorian chanting to folk songs.
My first choice for this post was ‘What a Wonderful World’ by Louis Armstrong – the sentiments of love, understanding and beauty are the perfect alternative to my last post. But I really wanted an instrumental piece, because it is only instrumental music that allows me to sit and listen and imagine my own peaceful scene.
I went through some natural sounds – birdsong, whale song, waves crashing on a beach – but although they are a type of music, it’s not quite what I wanted.
I listened to some glorious meditation music but the pieces lasted for up to two hours of continuous music – great, but impractical for this!
And finally I decided on a piece that has stood the test of time:
Grieg – Peer Gynt
This is the ‘morning’ section of the music and it really does feel like waking up to a new day. It’s not tranquil, but it’s like watching the flowers open, the sun rise, and the birds start to sing. It’s nature, put to music – and as I’ve said many times before, nature and peace are related for me.
I only started listening to classical music a few years ago when I was changing channels on the radio near Christmas and the classics channel was playing a beautiful piece of seasonal music – I don’t know what it was, but it got me listening to things I’d never heard before. Since then, I’ve begun listening to classical music to remove myself from my surroundings – to relax, to write, to sketch. Generally I can’t tell you the name of a piece, or of its composer, but to be honest, I’m like that about nearly all music!
In the future I might post some more tranquil songs but for now I just hope you enjoy this. It is music to lift your spirits, music for writing about nature and seasons, music to take a step back from the world and just let yourself be.
Happy listening
EJ
🙂
Please check back to my previous post for links to some other great music choices from peace bloggers!
Becoming a writer 
I agree with oyu that classical music gives you more space, in a way, to think peaceful thoughts, and I love this piece. The other one I like is Dvorak – better known as the Hovis advert! It’s from the New World symphony and is about sunrise over the prairie. If you can manage to get that annoying advert out of your head and the intended image in its place, it’s marvellous! So many pieces – looking forward to any others you share 🙂
Funnily enough, I almost chose that – I don’t mind thinking about fresh bread though…!! 🙂