To stir and to soothe

It’s Valentine’s Day again. Just a year ago, I wrote about Valentine’s Day gifts and love-inspired music. So why is it that this year, I want to write about music for a broken heart?

First, I think sweetness can sometimes lead to bitterness. Everything has its natural ending, and nothing really endures forever. Indeed it is a very rare love that lasts till ‘death us do part’.

This article is for my friend M, who was betrayed, rejected and humiliated by the man she loved and trusted most. Though nasty breakups are all too common, it was terrible that her dreams and passion were reduced to a nightmarish vaudeville.

Very few people know how to fall out of love with elegance. But take heart – not everyone is a monster out there. So, to my dear M, you must remain confident that life is beautiful and that there are good people with genuine integrity who know how to love with honesty and respect.

As luminaries throughout the ages will tell you, music is of great help and consolation during hardship. It is proof of how wonderful this world is. And as I compiled my list of music for a broken heart, I realised with some irony that it was almost identical to the one I did for Valentine’s Day last year.

I guess the wonder of beautiful music is that it is a balm of equal strength for both endings and new beginnings. Like a wise old friend, it cheers me up whether I am happy or sad. It stirs gratitude in me for what I have and eases regrets for what I have lost.

I won’t repeat my entire Valentine’s Day list from last year, though I would like to dedicate Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto once again to those with a Valentine this year. I’ve chosen the Second Movement, followed by a thought:

Mozart: Clarinet Concerto, Second Movement

Time decides whom you meet in life…
Your heart decides whom you want in life…
But your behaviour decides
Who will stay in your life.

And to those without a Valentine, here’s the beautiful Schubert Piano Trio no. 2 by Beaux Arts Trio, followed by a quote from Maharishi Ramana:

Schubert Piano Trio No 2 in E flat major D929 Andante – Beaux Arts Trio

Never search your happiness in others, which will make you feel alone. Search it in yourself; you will feel happy even when you are left alone.


Photo credit: http://psychcentral.com/