Because I prefer classical music, I can't contribute to song writers or lyric writers, so this is for those people who like other stuff.
Ten I'd take to a desert island:

. the love duet from Madama Butterfly
. Satie's Gymnopodies
. a collection of arias by Maria Callas at her peak
. a collection of the best of baroque music, including Vivaldi
. a collection of Mozart symphonies, and
. The Magic Flute
. Beethoven's piano sonatas
. good performance of Messsiah
. Elgar's cello concerto by Jacqueline du Pres
. Domingo in Aida

I think I could manmage with these.

I wouldn't be without music... don't know much about it but I sure like the noise it makes . I also appreciate and value the way it can put you in touch with your emotions so quickly and heighten your awareness across the board..
playing in any sort of ensemble is a fantastic collaborative experience and seems to recharge so many batteries at once it is wonderful.

With regard to Christams music etc, living far away in the depths of the South of France I once asked my mother to send out to me a cassette of Christam music to remind me of home during the festive season. She sent to me a cssette by someone called (I think) Bryn Yamm. The cassette contained Christmas gems such as "Little Donkey", "Winter Wonderland" and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" At the end Bryn told everyone who had bought the cassette how grateful he was and how much he loved Christmas. There was even a child's choir accompanying some of the songs. The whole thing was a hoot and the cassette became a great favourite in the house. As soon as Bryn began to warble out his Chritmas favourites, accompanied hilmself on his organ which made all sorts of weird and wonderful sounds everyone would collapse in paroxysms of laughter and we knew Christams had begun. The sad part of the story is that this year after seasons of faithful service the tape was chewed beyond repair in our ancient cassette recorder. So here's your Christmas quiz. Does anyone know who Bryn Yamm is, and secondly can anyone suggest where I might find a replacement cassette?

Are you sure you have got his name right? Google suggests that no one with that name exists. You can't buy anything at Amazon with his name on either.

Without a doubt !!!!!!!!!!

Handel's Messiah
Every piece of music writen by Lennon and McCartney!!!!!

Mike

My favorite composer is Mozart; next Mahler, Beethoven and Wagner. However, recently, intuition directed me to a consignment store where I sighted a CD at the checkout counter (used) that seemed to be calling to me. I popped it into my auto CD player and found on it a piece I had heard when I was quite little and had never heard again. It was the Richard Aldinsell "Warsaw Concerto". What a great, swirling, though overblown, Romantic piece. I am delighted that it has found me, and now also have the piano sheet music to learn.

So, for today, it is definitely my favorite piece.

Pamela

I think that's the name, although having lost the cover it's now difficult to tell, as the cassette itself is so well worn. I think my mother bought it from WH Smiths and it must be just about 20 years old. I have asuspicion that some enterprising and slightly dotty individual may just have slipped in his own home-made cassette in among the Christmas offerings in the usual standard stuff. I'll try to confirm the name. Frankly if you've never heard Bryn's "Rudolph" complete with Bert Weedon licks you don't know what Christmas is!

I've found him! The name is Bryn YEMM and his web site is as good as the cassette. This man takes banality to new heights. What a find. Thanks for the prompt John, but now I've just got to track down a copy of "The Bryn Yemm Christmas Collection"

Song D'Automne (slow waltz), Archibald Joyce

A new day, a new favorite.

For today: "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most," Ella Fitzgerald, from the Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie LP.