It seems like every person writing about personal finance thinks that cable is the worst waste of money, ever. (Well, except for a new car, maybe.)
It is true that cable is expensive–my father in law calls the companies “bandits” for a reason–and watching too much TV does use time that could be used elsewhere. Like for reading. Or blogging.
In the PiN household, however, we feel we get such enjoyment–and education!–from the cable-provided music stations, that the price is worth it. Especially since, once we account for the fact that we need a reliable internet source anyway–cutting cable would save us $2 a day. We totally feel we enjoy $2 worth of music daily, not counting the actual news, sports, or drama we can watch if we chose.
This is totally a personal choice, and I understand if people don’t agree with me.
As a present to you, though, I wanted to offer up some of the new favorites Mr. PiN and I have found through the classical stations.
These are the top 10 pieces we had never heard before we started our home education, and which now merit a call to come and listen if one of us is out of the room.
- Grieg, Solvieg’s Song.
- Fibich, Impressions from the Countryside, Village Dance (advance to 19:05).
- Granados,Orientale (played by the composer!).
- Maxwell Davies, Farewell to Stromness.
- Albinoni, Adagio in G minor.
- Scarlatti, Sonata in C major, K 527.
- Tchaikovsky, “June” Barcarolle.
- Zavateri, Concerto 1 in G major.
- Chopin, Mazurka in B-flat Op. 7 No. 1.
- Satie, Gymnopedie No. 3.
I will add a personal favorite, which I play sometimes when I need to get energized before writing notes. One minute 22 seconds of joy:
Purcell’s Rondeau from Abdelazar, performed by Wynton Marsalis.
I hope someone else enjoys listening to these pieces; if so, let me know which you like best.