World Smile Day is the one day of the year when your face gets to flex its happiest muscles and flash those pearly whites like you’re auditioning for a toothpaste commercial. A smile, after all, is contagious and a good excuse to beam like you’ve just found some extra money in your pocket.
National Smile Day is observed annually on 31 May, and you don’t have to guess who is behind this special anniversary. Of course, it was established by dentists, specifically by Dr. Tim Stirneman and Dr. Jim Wojdyla at a compassionate dental care centre in Illinois. The aim was to “share with the world what the power of a healthy smile can do.”
How about we feature some classical music for National Smile Day, filling the air with joyful melodies that will perfectly amplify the infectious grins and cheerful spirit of the celebration.
Igor Stravinsky: Circus Polka “For a Young Elephant”
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: “Waltz of the Flowers” (Nutcracker)
If the picture of a baby elephant tripping over its trunk to the brassy chaos of Stravinsky’s “Circus Polka” didn’t raise a smile, maybe some dancing flowers will do the trick? Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers” is a proud example of a graceful and blooming melody that evokes twirling happiness.
This graceful and blooming waltz dances with a sugary sweetness that surely puts a smile on your face. It’s the equivalent of a barista scribbling smiley faces on every cup of coffee. Tchaikovsky’s music certainly inspired a gang of sunflowers to sway enthusiastically enough to knock over a picnic table.
Jaques Offenbach: “Can-Can”
If you are looking for a high-energy and rollicking piece to celebrate the spirit of National Smile Day, don’t look further than Jacques Offenbach. The dance tune from “Orpheus in the Underworld” is pure and over-the-top fun. It’s like an endless parade of laughing partygoers.
With its brassy flourish and a galloping rhythm that feels like a party in full swing, the “Can-Can” is seriously infectious. The frenzied tempo might even inspire your grandma to twirl her cane like a showgirl.
Frédéric Chopin: “Minute Waltz”
The “Minute Waltz” by Chopin feels like a quick and joyful spin, with a charm that sparks instant smiles. That spinning and sparkling melody feels like a whirlwind of fun. What’s really funny, even though it is called the “Minute Waltz,” it still takes about 2 minutes to play.
The piece is perfectly suited for the bustling, laugh-out-loud energy of National Smile Day, evoking scenes of smile-sparking mishaps. And with Lang Lang at the piano, we never know if we should take him seriously or if he is having a laugh.
Leroy Anderson: “The Typewriter”
Does anybody still know what a typewriter is? It’s that ancient world-slinger where every key is a mini hammer, pounding ink onto a piece of paper. It was the noisiest way to write a love letter, and of course, it didn’t have spellcheck. It was a pretty unforgiving beast when it came to making mistakes, or if you needed a bit of silence.
But as you can hear in Leroy Anderson’s “The Typewriter,” this mechanical dinosaur could be used to make music. And what better way to celebrate National Smile Day than to listen to the clatter of a typewriter? It’s a quirky percussive piece, complete with a cheeky bell, making it a musical joke that’s sure to prompt chuckles and grins.
National Smile Day, thanks to dentists around the world, reminds us to flash those pearly whites and spread joy with a simple grin. So, grab a typewriter, if you can still find one, and hammer out a cheerful note; or better yet, make somebody’s day with a smile that’s louder than the clack of the keys.
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