The Well-Tempered Ear

Classical music: What piece of romantic music would you play for your beloved to mark Valentine’s Day?

By Jacob Stockinger

Today is Valentine’s Day, 2015.

Traditionally, a Valentine’s Day tribute is written out and comes in a greeting card or a love letter.

But The Ear has always found music a more suitable vehicle than words to express love.

So I using today’s holiday to post a link to a piece that celebrates love.

And I invite all readers of this blog to do the same.

Just use the Comments section to say what the piece is, who the composer is, and, if possible, what is the link to a YouTube video of the piece.

There are so many choices — with Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Schubert, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Frederic Chopin, Giacomo Puccini, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Antonin Dvorak and Sergei Rachmaninoff   ranking at the top — that I look forward to hearing what you choose. I am sure some of them will be new to me.

As for myself, an avid amateur pianist, I will include a link from five years ago in which I posted three short solo piano romances by Robert Schumann — who was the most romantic of the Romantics — Johannes Brahms and Gabriel Faure.

https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2010/02/14/classical-music-survey-what-is-the-best-classical-music-for-valentine’s-day/

For good measure, this year I want to include a lovely violin piece -– “Salut d’amour” or “Love’s Greeting” by Sir Edward Elgar — as played by Sarah Chang in the popular YouTube video below.

That is my choice to mark today.

Now tell me yours.

Happy Valentine’s Day!