"Beginning with a historical essay on the phenomenon of mysticism, Silent Music chronicles St. John's life story - from his humble birth in 1542, through his career as a professional religious, to his death in 1591 - placing the man and his spirituality squarely in their historical-cultural context. Herrera probes the saint's rigorous life of contemplation and his classic writings on such subjects as union with God and the "dark night of the soul," clarifying St. John's understanding of the mystical experience and paying particular attention to the notion of detachment and the recurring motifs of darkness, flame, and ascent in St. John's writings. His careful analysis of St. John's thought is enriched with examples from philosophy, psychology, literature, spirituality, and art - material not usually found in such a study.".

In this book, scientist Philip Callahan shows how "civilized" insanity is turning Ireland away from her naturally harmonious, aesthetically pleasing, sound practices. Why remove a thatched roof to replace it with galvanized tin, only to increase the heating bill? With insightful wisdom, Callahan also examines the mysterious power of round towers, "magic spots," and healers such as Biddy Early. Callahan's study of hedgerows, booley people and Ireland's traditional form of agriculture can teach everyone the value of the land and why not to carelessly destroy it with toxic chemicals.

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 a new, compact A5 edition of Jackie Morris's collection of short stories, The Quiet Music of Gently Falling Snow. A collection of twelve illustrated folk tales, or lullabies for grown-ups, set in a distant world of music, snow and magic. The stories are based around a series of musically-themed illustrations first created by Jackie for Help Musicians UK.

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.

The contributions in this volume focus on the ways in which silence and music relate, contemplate each other and provide new avenues for addressing and gaining understanding of various realms of human endeavour. The book maps out this little-explored aspect of the sonic arena with the intention of defining the breadth of scope and to introduce interdisciplinary paths of exploration as a way forward for future discourse. Topics addressed include the idea of 'silent music' in the work of English philosopher Peter Sterry and Spanish Jesuit St John of the Cross; the apparently paradoxical contemplation of silence through the medium of music by Messiaen and the relationship between silence and faith; the aesthetics of Susan Sontag applied to Cage's idea of silence; silence as a different means of understanding musical texture; ways of thinking about silences in music produced during therapy sessions as a form of communication; music and silence in film, including the idea that music can function as silence; and the function of silence in early chant. Perhaps the most all-pervasive theme of the book is that of silence and nothingness, music and spirituality: a theme that has appeared in writings on John Cage but not, in a broader sense, in scholarly writing. The book reveals that unexpected concepts and ways of thinking emerge from looking at sound in relation to its antithesis, encompassing not just Western art traditions, but the relationship between music, silence, the human psyche and sociological trends - ultimately, providing deeper understanding of the elemental places both music and silence hold within world philosophies and fundamental states of being. Silence, Music, Silent Music will appeal to those working in the fields of musicology, psychology of religion, gender studies, aesthetics and philosophy.

Sometimes, after lunchtime, after a family cook-out, or after playing, babies and toddlers need some quiet time to rest, relax and have some quality time with their parents. This book will be the perfect tool to allow children and their parents to have a calmer moment. Listen to the quiet music as you follow a band of little animals going down a river on a raft playing classics like Pachelbel's canon and other famous soothing music.