I think I am going to be a little sneaky about this topic. Honestly speaking, I do not really have a song that I would put on endless repeat although those from Ghibli movies never stop going around in your head anyway…So, to get back on track,  maybe some of you know I was/am a professional violinist as well as English teacher.  In this capacity, I write a lot of columns and letters for the biggest violin oriented web-site on the internet. This is called violinist.com.  In recent years,  many of the beginners and amateur players have started calling ‘violin music’ ‘songs.’ So, for example, they will post a question such as ‘Can you help me learn this song?’ This may seem like a trivial point, but the fact is only a song which comes from the mouth is a song.  Instrumental music is not a song.  Not only me, but many of the professionals on the site get annoyed about this and sometimes even scold the writer who uses this word incorrectly. However, in spite of our best efforts it now seems the new norm to call instrumental music ‘songs’ even though they are not songs.  We pros are not just being small-minded and petty.  The world of the violin requires hard-work and a serious attitude.  Doing things such as using language  in a thoughtless and sloppy way pulls down the level of what we are trying to do, which is to create a beautiful world.  In essence, it disrespects our profession to say we are singing songs when in fact we are playing the violin.  

Having said that,  I am now going to cheat!  Since I have no ‘song’ I would put on repeat I will tell you the violin music I would have on repeat.  That is the Chaconne from the unaccompanied Bach Partita in D minor for violin.  I would choose a recording by Yehudi Menuhin or Ivry Gitlis.

Have a great week,

Buri