Music of Silence shows how to incorporate the sacred meaning of monastic living into everyday life by following the natural rhythm of the hours of the day. The book tells how mindfulness and prayer can reconnect us with the sources of joy. “An invitation to join in quiet ecstasy, to rediscover sacred rhythms.” — Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart

This is the story of a young English lutenist named Peter Claire who, in 1629, arrives at the Danish Court to join King Christian IV's Royal Orchestra.

John Cage is the outstanding composer of avant-garde music today. The Saturday Review said of him: "Cage possesses one of the rarest qualities of the true creator- that of an original mind- and whether that originality pleases, irritates, amuses or outrages is irrelevant." "He refuses to sermonize or pontificate. What John Cage offers is more refreshing, more spirited, much more fun-a kind of carefree skinny-dipping in the infinite. It's what's happening now." –The American Record Guide "There is no such thing as an empty space or an empty time. There is always something to see, something to hear. In fact, try as we may to make a silence, we cannot. Sounds occur whether intended or not; the psychological turning in direction of those not intended seems at first to be a giving up of everything that belongs to humanity. But one must see that humanity and nature, not separate, are in this world together, that nothing was lost when everything was given away."

This beautifully packaged edition offers the chart-topping CD by the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos with a series of inspiring meditations by Brother David Steindl-Rast. Arranged according to the eight hours of the Divine Office that the monks chant, these meditations will transport readers to a sacred place, adding a new dimension of spiritual insight to the listening experience.

An illuminating investigation into the interdisciplinary impact of the beloved modern classical composer. Few composers have enjoyed such critical acclaim—or longevity—as Jean Sibelius, who died in 1957 aged ninety-one. Always more than simply a Finnish national figure, an “apparition from the woods” as he ironically described himself, Sibelius’s life spanned turbulent and tumultuous events, and his work is central to the story of late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century music. This book situates Sibelius within a rich interdisciplinary environment, paying attention to his relationship with architecture, literature, politics, and the visual arts. Drawing on the latest developments in Sibelius research, it is intended as an accessible and rewarding introduction for the general reader, and it also offers a fresh and provocative interpretation for those more familiar with his music.

(Amadeus). Few singers have touched as many hearts as has Andrea Bocelli. This golden-voiced tenor has sung to sold-out audiences all over the world, and his legions of admirers have included popes, presidents, and monarchs as well as some of the greatest stars of classical and popular music. In The Music of Silence , Bocelli tells his own story in the form of an autobiographical novel, naming his alter ego "Amos Bardi." He writes of a loving family that encouraged his musical gifts from an early age, and of the dedication that led to his professional breakthrough and his meteoric rise to stardom. The first edition of Bocelli's memoir was published in 1999 and focused on the success and difficulties at the beginnings of his astonishing career. This newly revised and updated edition is an even deeper and more intimate analysis of his life, loves, and losses the result of wisdom gained from the increased personal and artistic maturity gained in the subsequent decade of his life. This book will touch and captivate all Bocelli fans and those who admire perseverance in the face of great challenges.

An essential exploration of Nordic composers and musicians, and the distinctive culture that continues to shape them Once considered a musical backwater, the Nordic region is now a musical powerhouse. Conductors from Denmark and Finland dominate the British and American orchestral scene. Interest in the old masters Sibelius and Grieg is soaring and progressive pop artists like Björk continue to fascinate as much as they entertain. Andrew Mellor journeys to the heart of the Nordic cultural psyche. From Reykjavik to Rovaniemi, he examines the success of Nordic music’s performers, the attitude of its audiences, and the sound of its composers past and present—celebrating some of the most remarkable music ever written along the way. Mellor peers into the dark side of the Scandinavian utopia, from xenophobia and alcoholism to parochialism and the twilight of the social democratic dream. Drawing on a range of genres and firsthand encounters, he reveals that our fascination with Nordic societies and our love for Nordic music might be more intertwined than first thought.