Relax

Some great music has been inspired by literature. Here are five of Youa Vang's favorite book-related pieces.

I'm hard-pressed to think of a more relaxing piece of music than Gabriel Faure's Pavane. The orchestral arrangement, taken at a slow, deliberate but delicate tempo, always puts me in a pleasingly melancholy mood, its gently swooning main melody being perfect for a quiet rainy day or an afternoon free of classes.

On the morning I was to leave the hospital, I developed a complication that delayed my discharge for two days. I was devastated. I asked my nurse for soothing music. What music have I used for healing my mind and heart?

Our staff list some of the slowest musical compositions of all time.

As he drove to the bedside of his dying grandmother, Taylor Brorby found comfort in the contemplative third movement of Beethoven's final symphony.

It's just 7:00 on a Tuesday night and I haven't done my (two hours of) homework yet. It looks like we'll be stuck in traffic for another half an hour at the very least. Not that I'm stressed or anything.

You don't have to go to a resort or a spa to relax: classical music can help you take the stress out of everyday chores and routines. Here are ten times when music by your favorite composer can help you breathe a little more easily.

Recently, in a first-year composition course I teach, our discussion veered into the timely topic of Ferguson, Missouri. The room was graveyard silent. None of us dared tread out into the world of deep conversation. We listened to the silence. After a moment, I rose and turned on Franz Biebl's 'Ave Maria.'

Classical host Andrea Blain has spent most of the past 34 years living in Northern Ireland, presenting and performing music. Starting at midnight, Andrea features an hour of Irish and Irish-influenced music. Join her on Music Through the Night for this fitting and relaxing conclusion to St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

Bach in the Subways founder Dale Henderson describes how his volunteer network seeks to spread the beauty and calm of classical music around the globe on Bach's birthday, which is coming up on Saturday, March 21.