International Music Day 2025 – My Song Choices

Euterpe the muse of Music and Lyric Poetry

Today is International Music Day. I selected three songs from different time periods and genres. Cantigas do Maio by José Afonso, Der Erlkönig by Franz Schubert, and my favourite song Will You Love Me Tomorrow sung by the Shirelles.

Cantigas do Maio is from the fifth album by Portuguese musician, composer, singer, songwriter 1971 album Cantigas do Maio. A beautiful song, in which the voice starts gentle, develops a frantic tone, then quiets, then rises again, and ends quiet.

Cantigas do Maio:
Eu fui ver a minha amada
Lá p’rós baixos dum jardim
Eu fui ver a minha amada
Lá p’rós baixos dum jardim
Dei-lhe uma rosa encarnada
Para se lembrar de mim
Dei-lhe uma rosa encarnada
Para se lembrar de mim

Eu fui ver o meu benzinho
Lá p’rós lados dum passal
Eu fui ver o meu benzinho
Lá p’rós lados dum passalFeatures
Dei-lhe o meu lenço de linho
Que é do mais fino bragal
Dei-lhe o meu lenço de linho
Que é do mais fino bragal

Minha mãe, quando eu morrer
Minha mãe, quando eu morrer
Ai, chore por quem muito amargou
Ai, chore por quem muito amargou
Para então dizer ao mundo
Para então dizer ao mundo
Ai Deus m’o deu
Ai Deus m’o levou
Ai Deus m’o deu
Ai Deus m’o levou
Ai Deus m’o deu
Ai Deus m’o levou

Eu fui ver uma donzela
Numa barquinha a dormir
Eu fui ver uma donzela
Numa barquinha a dormir
Dei-lhe uma colcha de seda
Para nela se cobrir
Dei-lhe uma colcha de seda
Para nela se cobrir

Eu fui ver uma solteira
Numa salinha a fiar
Eu fui ver uma solteira
Numa salinha a fiar
Dei-lhe uma rosa vermelha
Para de mim se encantar
Dei-lhe uma rosa vermelha
Para de mim se encantar

Minha mãe, quando eu morrer
Minha mãe, quando eu morrer
Ai, chore por quem muito amargou
Ai, chore por quem muito amargou
Para então dizer ao mundo
Para então dizer ao mundo
Ai Deus m’o deu
Ai Deus m’o levou
Ai Deus m’o deu
Ai Deus m’o levou
Ai Deus m’o deu
Ai Deus m’o levou

Eu fui ver a minha amada
Lá nos campos, eu fui ver
Eu fui ver a minha amada
Lá nos campos, eu fui ver
Dei-lhe uma rosa encarnada
Para de mim se prender
Dei-lhe uma rosa encarnada
Para de mim se prender

Verdes prados, verdes campos
Onde está minha paixão?
Verdes prados, verdes campos
Onde está minha paixão?
As andorinhas não param
Umas voltam, outras não
As andorinhas não param
Umas voltam, outras não

Minha mãe, quando eu morrer
Minha mãe, quando eu morrer
Ai, chore por quem muito amargou
Ai, chore por quem muito amargou
Para então dizer ao mundo
Para então dizer ao mundo
Ai Deus m’o deu
Ai Deus m’o levou
Ai Deus m’o deu
Ai Deus m’o levou
Ai Deus m’o deu
Ai Deus m’o levou

My favourite song Will You Love Me Tomorrow, also known as Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, first recorded by The Shirelles in 1960.

Will You Love Me Tomorrow:
Tonight you’re mine completely
You give your love so sweetly
Tonight the light of love is in your eyes
But will you love me tomorrow?
Is this a lasting treasure
Or just a moment’s pleasure?
Can I believe the magic of your sighs?
Will you still love me tomorrow?
Tonight with words unspoken
You say that I’m the only one
But will my heart be broken
When the night (when the night)
Meets the morning (meets the morning) sun?
I’d like to know that your love
Is a love I can be sure of
So tell me now, and I won’t ask again
Will you still love me tomorrow?
So tell me now, and I won’t ask again
Will you still love me tomorrow?
Will you still love me tomorrow?
Will you still love me?

And Der Erlkönig by Franz Schubert, with a ballade written by Johann Wolfgang in 1782. Here sung by baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau accompanied by pianist Gerald Moore. Haunting, chilling, Dietrich sings the three voices, child, father, Erlkönig with deep emotion and such tonal variation it leaves you mesmerized. And the final line, In seinen Armen das Kind war tot (In your arms the child is lies dead) is arrowing.

Der Erlkönig:
Wer reitet so spät durch Nacht und Wind?
Es ist der Vater mit seinem Kind;
Er hat den Knaben wohl in dem Arm,
Er fasst ihn sicher, er hält ihn warm.

Mein Sohn, was birgst du so bang dein Gesicht? –
Siehst, Vater, du den Erlkönig nicht?
Den Erlenkönig mit Kron’ und Schweif? –
Mein Sohn, es ist ein Nebelstreif. –

„Du liebes Kind, komm, geh mit mir!
Gar schöne Spiele spiel’ ich mit dir;
Manch’ bunte Blumen sind an dem Strand,
Meine Mutter hat manch gülden Gewand.“ –

Mein Vater, mein Vater, und hörest du nicht,
Was Erlenkönig mir leise verspricht? –
Sei ruhig, bleibe ruhig, mein Kind;
In dürren Blättern säuselt der Wind. –

„Willst, feiner Knabe, du mit mir gehn?
Meine Töchter sollen dich warten schön;
Meine Töchter führen den nächtlichen Reihn
Und wiegen und tanzen und singen dich ein.“ –

Mein Vater, mein Vater, und siehst du nicht dort
Erlkönigs Töchter am düstern Ort? –
Mein Sohn, mein Sohn, ich seh’ es genau:
Es scheinen die alten Weiden so grau. –

„Ich liebe dich, mich reizt deine schöne Gestalt;
Und bist du nicht willig, so brauch’ ich Gewalt.“ –
Mein Vater, mein Vater, jetzt fasst er mich an!
Erlkönig hat mir ein Leids getan! –

Dem Vater grauset’s; er reitet geschwind,
Er hält in Armen das ächzende Kind,
Erreicht den Hof mit Mühe und Not;
In seinen Armen das Kind war tot.

More or my favourite songs can be read about here Amazing Songs & Other Delights #80 – The These Are a Few of My Favourite Songs edition and listened to here.

I have also written about this three songs plus Daddy’s Spending by Suede on The Polymath

From The Listening Room HQ – Adrenaline Cycles and the Crash

Tullio Crali, Le forze della curva, 1930

I conclude the The Listening Room HQ triad exploring the hidden physiology behind men’s patterns, choices, and resilience. The third post, Adrenaline Cycles and the Crash, looks at how high-intensity states and the following recovery shape the nervous system, emotional patterns, and capacity for integration.

This note follows the first two posts in the series on the magazine:

And it completes the triad of posts on The Listening Room HQ:

For more articles and ongoing notes from the practice, visit The Listening Room HQ.

Brett Anderson – Mayan Soul Map Synthesis at The Polymath

Brett Anderson © Iorgis Matyassy

I’m sometimes asked what a Mayan Soul Map looks like, or what to expect from a reading that includes Mayan. I’m a member of The Mild Ones, a Suede fan community. Today, is Brett Anderson’s birthday, and I share a Mayan Soul Map Synthesis, exploring his Birth Kin, current cycle, Venus phase, and more on The Polymath’s site.

Here’s an excerpt of my Brett Anderson Mayan Soul Map Synthesis: “Brett’s birth essence holds a deep, crystalline clarity: the need to question, to refuse easy answers, and to stand as a voice of integrity for the collective. His life path is not solitary. Warrior at Crystal tone suggests that his strength is found in weaving himself into group purpose, holding vision within a wider band of seekers. Brett’s full Mayan Soul Map Synthesis can be read here.

untitled fragment – Raquel Pinheiro, 2025

Presence, Listening, Creation – A Polymath Manifesto | Listening Beyond the Noise – Twin Posts at The Polymath & The Listening Room HQ

Wassily Kandinsky – Points, 1920

Alongside the interview with Juliana Ferreira, we invite you to visit, read and explore The Polymath and The Listening Room HQ, me two new vessels that live on another frequency, and to read their recent twin posts.

Presence, Listening, Creation – A Polymath Manifesto where I write in The Polymath about being a Polymath in this time and age, creating a Polymath Manifesto.

And Listening Beyond the Noise, on The Listening Room HQ, that unveils the currents behind and beyond the relentless noise we are surrounded with. Here on a men’s practice vision, but that is transposable for everyone.

From the Listening to HQ – Sound and Tempo as Environment

Suzanne Holtom, Force Majeure, 2024

From The Listening Room HQ – Sound and Tempo as Environment

The Listening Room HQ continues its new triad exploring the hidden physiology behind men’s patterns, choices, and resilience. The second post, Sound and Tempo as Environment, looks at how rhythm — from music BPM to daily routines — shapes the nervous system and emotional expression.

This note follows the first post in the series on the magazine:

And sets the stage for the final post in the triad:

For more articles and ongoing notes from the practice, visit The Listening Room HQ.

From The Listening Room HQ – Epigenetics: How the Environment Writes on Body and Brain

Stuart Sutcliffe – Untitled, 1962

On The Listening Room HQ I continue the triad exploring the hidden physiology behind men’s patterns, choices, and resilience. The second post, Sound and Tempo as Environment, looks at how rhythm — from music BPM to daily routines — shapes the nervous system and emotional expression.

This note follows the first post in the series on the magazine:

And it sets the stage for the final post in the triad:

For more articles and ongoing notes from the practice, visit The Listening Room HQ.

On Polymath – Hildegard von Bingen as a Source of Continuous Inspiration

Hildegard von Bingen – Visions

Hildegard von Bingen has been a source of wonder for me – and for countless others – across the centuries. Her life and work span theology, music, natural science, and creative practice, and her integrated approach to knowledge still resonates deeply today. For example on Hildegard von Blingin’ s cover of Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club.

On my second post on The Polymath I explore how her visionary thinking continues to inspire ways of living and working as a polymath, and how her example invites us to connect the threads of our own diverse interests. Read more about Hildegard von Bingen as a Source of Continuous Inspiration here:

From the Listening Room – Mapping Midlife: A Practical Diagram of the Male Midlife Crisis

Vincent van Gogh, Green Wheat Fields, Auvers, 1890

I close my four-part series on male midlife thresholds and midlife crisis with a practical, diagram-style guide
in The Listening Room HQ : Mapping Midlife: A Practical Diagram of the Male Midlife Crisis.

This final note gathers the series’ language and tools into an easy-to-scan map of stages and fork points — intended as a practical aid for noticing where you are, what choices appear, and how to move through midlife with clearer intention and integrity.

Earlier Mondo Bizarre Magazine notes in this series:

The full series as published on The Listening Room HQ:

For the complete set and ongoing notes from the practice, visit The Listening Room HQ.