A Sound of Music

Music has charms to soothe the savage beast.  That's the old saying.  There's a lot of wisdom passed down in the old saws.  The actual word here is 'saw' referring to a maxim or a proverb and derived from the word 'saga'.  Interesting ... but I had intended to write about music today and that was before I heard about the passing of Andy Williams.  I loved listening to him sing and had a collection of his albums which were unfortunately lost in a fire years ago.  It was definitely one of those situations when you are more concerned about the safety of those involved instead of the objects that might be lost.  And yes, listening to Andy could really soothe one's nerves.  He had that quality about his  voice.  While baking bread today, I was, in fact, thinking about  music and it's effect on people and pets, having heard a segment on the news the other evening in which a young couple was faced with the challenge of calming a screaming infant.  Nothing worked until they played the theme song from "Star Wars".  This song alone seemed to quiet the child.  It is strange the way music can calm or irritate us.  As I kneaded the dough and prepared the loaves to put in the pans I was watching one of my cats.  She was in my line of vision as she groomed herself  and then laid down for one of her naps.  Angel is an elderly tabby and like most of the pets in our family throughout the years, a foundling.  She has grown cranky and demanding in her latter years.  We put up with her.  She is family.  We love her.  Hubby had left to make calls and the radio station he has set up on his computer was playing a mix of easy listening and soft jazz instrumentals.  It was comical to watch Angel's sudden reaction to "Cast Your Fate to the Wind".  Her ear shot up.  She was obviously listening and enjoying the music as she more or less kept time with her tail.  We've had other pets who seem to enjoy a certain type of music or a specific entertainer over another and come from wherever to to entertained.  My favorite was Olav our big Maine Coon cat or Norwegian Forest cat (we were never quite certain of his breed).  Truly my cat, Olav loved classical music.  His favorite piece was Beethoven's 6th Symphony.  The opening strains would bring him from wherever he was in the house to the source of the music whether it was radio, stereo or television.  He would knead the carpet and lay down to listen kneading the air with his huge paws.  Babies, pets, animals and most people enjoy music.  Today we lost a wonderful performer.  Rest with God, Andy.  May you find that rainbow's end, waiting round the bend of Moon River ...