From Silence to a Feast of Music

Here's an interesting idea: No Music Day. The idea is to not listen to any music at all for entire day, specifically tomorrow, Wednesday, November 21. Musician and writer Bill Drummond began No Music Day in 2005, the thought behind it being that people are so over-exposed to recorded music these days that they can't appreciate music the way it deserves to be appreciated. Drummond chose November 21 because it is the day before the feast day of the Roman martyr St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music. His current five-year plan for No Music Day includes having the BBC Scotland not air any music during its usual afternoon music program on Wednesday; they will instead offer discussions about music. Next year Drummond hopes to show films stripped of their music soundtracks.

The next day, St. Cecilia's Day (also Thanksgiving!), is an opportunity to really celebrate music. In Europe St. Cecilia has been the center of festivities since the 15th and 16th centuries. (The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome has been turning out great musicians -- like Cecilia Bartoli and Daniel Barenboim -- since 1585.) Listening to and making no music the day before would make those festivities all that much sweeter. If you decide to go a whole day without music (good luck, you'll probably find it harder than you think!), here's a list of works written in honor of St. Cecilia that you may want to use to relieve the silence afterwards:

Henry Purcell: Hail, Bright Cecilia
Alessandro Scarlatti: Messa di Santa Cecilia - Gloria
George Frideric Handel: Alexander's Feast, an Ode for St. Cecilia's Day - Revenge, Timotheus cries

Fanny Mendelssohn: Zum Fest der heiligen Cäcilia
Charles Gounod: Messe solennelle de Sainte Cécile - Sanctus
Benjamin Britten: Hymn to St. Cecilia