I like to lisen to music while I study my Bible or write, but I find most vocal music distracting. This week I downloaded Sacred Songs of Russia by Gloriae Dei Cantores from Itunes. The music provides a gloriously worshipful atmosphere, but since the words are Russian (and I don't understand Russian) they don't distract me. I can also play this downstairs the next time my kids are upstairs listening to one of those educational CDs that is great for memorizing math facts as well as driving Mama crazy.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0
The samples make that a very tempting album to buy. I listen to Gregorian Chant while studying and reading for much the same reasons you describe -- any words that are in English, are more or less lost in the rhythms of the chant, and don't distract.
ReplyDeleteI have a birthday coming up, perhaps it's time to update my Amazon wishlist.
Gregorian Chant is great too! I have a chant album from the Monks of Glenstal Abbey. I like to listen to it while getting ready for church.
ReplyDeleteI've got a few Gregorian Chant albums, but I don't think any of them are from Glenstal Abbey. I'll have to dig them out and check, usually listen to them on an mp3 player.
ReplyDeleteSomething else to look out for, if you haven't seen it, is music from the Abbess Hildegard of Bingen -- here's a good example, Vision
I just added a Bingen CD to my collection: The Origin of Fire. I haven't listened to it without distractions yet, but I think I'm going to like it.
ReplyDeleteAs you like that Russia Sacred Songs, I'm sure you'll like Bingen.
ReplyDeleteWe're so lucky, aren't we; we don't need to understand the words for the music to touch our souls. And yet we can use the same music as background or to lose ourselves in for an hour, because we don't necessarily understand the words.
Great advice! My hubby majored in Russian, so he might even be able to translate them for me!
ReplyDeleteI love having music playing, especially when I'm doing the dishes.
Ooo, smart! I rarely play music in the house. Should do that more.
ReplyDelete