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“Music has charms to soothe a savage breast,
To soften rocks, or bend a knotted tree.”
William Congreve, “The Mourning Bride”
During the dark days of World War II, I remember that my parents had an old 78 rpm phonograph and about a dozen classical albums. My mother played her treasured recordings almost constantly, so at a very early age I was well-versed in the first movement of Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony,” Handel’s “Messiah,”, and a very scratchy recording of Boccherini’s “Minuet.”
Today we have high-tech CDs -- no scratchy sounds -- but the music remains the same. And a young child’s capacity to appreciate classical music has not diminished one iota over the years.
My parents weren’t rich, but they were generous with what they had. My mother, who longed for a career in opera, married my father, the electrician, instead. Unfortunately he was so tone deaf that he couldn’t tell “the key of M from the key of J,” as he put it. Whether the house was filled with music made no difference to him. It did, however, make quite a bit of difference to me. I was hooked on classics -- long before the album of the same name was released -- and my mother couldn’t have been happier.
I am told that by the time I was five or six, I knew most of “Messiah” by heart. I’m certain that my exposure to music at that young age not only helped my memory, but also boosted my mental development, which was fortunate. Since I suffer from dyslexia, I needed all the help I could get.
As I groped through my teen years, I “dug” rock and roll because that was what my friends listened to. But I also had classical albums and frequently played them on my portable Webcor phonograph in my room. My mother had given me the lasting gift of classical music and I can never thank her enough for it. So I passed the gift on to my own children.
Introducing your children to classical music at a very early age will also give them an invaluable gift. These days children are assaulted on all sides by contemporary sounds. Commercials on television, film music, music videos, the music they learn in school, are all products of a society that tends to look down on the classics as hopelessly old fashioned and “un-kewl”. New is in and old is out.
But I believe that the old is still new. The music of Mozart and Tchaikovsky is just as fresh today as when it was written centuries ago. Not only that, but there is a proven physiological effect from this music as well. Harvard University Medical School neurobiologist Mark Jude Tramo is quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying, “Undeniably, there is a biology of music. There is no question that there is specialization within the human brain for the processing of music. Music is biologically part of human life, just as music is anesthetically part of human life.”
Studies have shown that introducing the very young child to classical music, especially to that of Mozart and his contemporaries in the last half of the eighteenth century, can actually heighten a child’s mental skills. You don’t have to be a musician to make the introduction. A simple tape or CD player is all you need.
Don’t lead your child to music, you let the music come to him. Many a potential music lover has been forever lost due to forced listening. Simply have music playing in the house when the child is present. Play it in the background during meals, during playtimes, or even when the child is doing small chores. There is no age limit to begin. Some say that music even has a positive effect on a baby in the womb.
Music educator Sharlene Habermeyer writes, “Listening to classical music... can aid in the acquisition of early language and motor skills, strengthen the emotional bond between parent and toddler, increase listening skills. memory and concentration, and accelerate learning in math and reading.”
Although the child may appear to reject classical music when a teenager, the exposure that a parent provides early on will remain with him for the rest of his life. As he grows older and matures, the appreciation will return. The child, now an adult, will remember his early musical experiences with pleasure and will begin listening again.
Here are some of the selections that I played for my girls when they were young, and that I recommend that you play for your children. Note that these are all basically orchestral pieces, which I found works best.
Any of the Mozart contradances, marches, or minuets head the list. Mozart wrote a slew of these short pieces late in his career. They are nice and lively with a definite rhythm, and a collection of fifteen or twenty are usually included on a single CD. Try to find a collection with the contradance called “The Sleigh Ride” included. And if the kid starts dancing in the middle of the floor, join in the reverie.
If I hear Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” one more time, I think I’m going to scream. It was nice the first 1000 times I listened to it, but... At any rate, this simple little piece seems to appeal to very young children and I would recommend it. And I guess if I still had young children in the house, I would listen to it 1000 more times. It was one of my kid’s favorites.
Since Wolfgang eclipsed his father, Leopold Mozart, in the musical firmament, a lot of folks have neglected Leopold’s music. However, the old man was no slacker when it came to composition. Leopold wrote a lot of novelty pieces that children enjoy. I would recommend his “Toy Symphony” (the one that was once attributed to Haydn), “The Peasant Wedding,” and “The Musical Sleigh Ride.” The elder Mozart’s music is bright, happy, melodic, and a lot of fun.
George Frederick Handel, of course, is best known for his oratorio, “Messiah” and his various Baroque operas. But he also wrote a great deal of instrumental music. “The Water Music” and “Music For The Royal Fireworks” are good choices for children. You may also want to try his set of 12 concerto grossi as well. Likewise, the 12 concerto grossi of Archangelo Corelli will also catch your child’s ear. Like all concerto grossi, Corelli’s pieces are collections of short dance music -- gigues, hornpipes, etc.
Overtures are a good bet, especially those from the light operas of Rossini, Mozart, and Weber. Also try the overtures to Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. A collection of these can usually be found on a single CD.
Don’t forget our friend John Phillip Sousa. Children love march music and Sousa wrote some of the best. And, too, there are the “Pomp and Circumstance” marches of Sir Edward Elgar. The first one of the famous Elgar set has become rather a cliché, but the kids should delight in it.
There are certain pieces that are called “Children’s classics.” and I would recommend these as well. They include Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf,” Ravel’s “Mother Goose Suite,” and Saint-Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals.” The best version of “Carnival of the Animals” is the reissue narrated by Ogden Nash.
Other possibilities include Mussorgsky’s “Night On Bald Mountain,” Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” any of the Tchaikovsky ballets, Edvard Grieg’s incidental music to “Peer Gynt,” and Bach’s six “Brandenburg Concertos.”
As the child’s listening skills improve, you will want to add some vocal selections like “The Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s “Messiah.” “Old American Songs” arranged by Aaron Copland, and the Humperdinck opera “Hansel and Gretel” (sung in English, if you please).
The listening possibilities are endless. And the benefits of early exposure to classical music for your child, likewise, are endless. And who knows, you might even gain your own appreciation of one of the great gifts of life -- the gift of fine music.
Good listening -- to both of you.
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