I do. Most of what I listen to in my car is Byzantine or Gregorian chant--lots of Ensemble Organum in there--or Latin/Slavonic polyphony... and very little of it is in English.

But I'll listen to classical, ambient, and jazz too... and popular music that people give to me. I have to say I've probably listened to more chant than anything else, though, in the past few years.

I listen to almost anything other than rap, hip-hop, or Barry Manilow. My iPod has a mix of chant, polyphony, October Project, learn french in your car, disco, Grateful Dead, and a touch of Israeli techno pop. I just hit shuffle. And yes, I spend a lot of time on the road.

In the house, I listen to the music that's playing in my head - no need for amplification.

I'm with CtB, I pretty much listen to sportstalk. If really stressed I might put on Brian Eno's MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS. Now that's soothing.
CtL

I have a secret love for bluegrass and Irish traditional. Ok, so its probably not much of a surprise to some of you. We play classical, incl. some opera, polyphony, and (good) jazz during homeschool and mealtimes. EWTN radio fills the house for some programs.

Both my husband Bill and I are musicians, and we do find ourselves loving silence more and more. I need some time to entangle all the music I've heard through the day, and discover melodies of my own.

The only genre that makes me really want to tear my hair out is techno. I've had enough metronomes, thanks!!!

MJ, I share your feelings for Barry. I OD'd on him and John Denver as a kid in a musically challenged home. :) Guess that helps explain my distaste for soft rock and pop folk in the Sacred Liturgy...

I'll throw chant into a themed playlist (mostly listen to music by season or week) if I'm listening to church music, which is often. Other than that, no, it certainly is not my favorite type of music, nor my favorite type of church music, nor is Gregorian even close to my favorite type of chant (Byzantine chant with an ison wins that one). I will say that somehow my involvement in chant has really broadened my appreciation of other music, and I enjoy pretty much everything except country and "Christian" "music". I even like to play rap really loud when I pull into the church parking lot... Still, my enjoyment music is mostly French Romantic organ music and German Romantic orchestral.

Somehow I always figured Francis for a techno fan.. something about his music just screams techno... The Great Fugue made me want to put on gaudy clothes, drink a gin & soda, and dance.

As far as chant is concerned - only sing it. And than only vespers, compline and matins (office repertoire). Seldom sing a gregorian chant mass. Never listen to chant except very occasionally if someone asks me on my opinion on the style of how a certain schola performs. Other singing activity includes Anglican church music for evensong (weekly - enjoy that very much) and the odd RC mass (once a month - boring, too much lingua franca music. Regard singing masses (in Dutch - I live in Holland) as a sort of penitence for my not inconsiderable sins). My listening is probably 90 percent vocal church music - from early organum to the Renaissance to the more modern era. Some organ music. The other 10 percent is music from my youth - the Beach Boys, some Beatles and Rolling Stones but also Queen and the occasional jazz and blues.

The Music Director at he Cathedral in my Diocese often tells a rather funny story of how their young child will either grow up to love or hate chant as he and his wife often sing Gregorian chant while putting him/her to bed, bathing him/her, etc...

I smirk whenever I consider someone loudly chanting Credo III while tucking a child in, the child looking horrified.

These days I listen to a lot of NPR programs in the car, but at home I prefer music. I can "background" -- yes it can be a verb - anything that does not have text. In particular my guilty pleasure is Impressionism and works to borrow from it, like English string music in folk-song tradition. I have found that Ravel's Le tombeau de Couperin (orchestral version) can make me feel better no matter how bad things are going. I do hate Bolero, though.. I can do about 30 minutes of polyphony before my ears get tired, but I can listen to instrumental music from about 1680 to the present for hours. My one exception is violin solo music. The way that violin concertos and sonatas are recorded just drives me crazy. Why does the violin have to be so forward in the mix? It's shrill enough acoustically! There are also times that I love jazz, salsa, Irish traditional, and older pop music. I can still rock out on occasion.

Charles, I agree with you - a little chant goes a long way on the car radio. And also about Sowerby-whatever made you think of him, anyway? I remember when Gloria Dei came to our little town a few years ago, and devoted half their program to him. Irritating.
Currennly, I am listening to a CD of VW choral music, which includes 'Lord Thou hast been our Refuge for SATB and solo quartet, the Mass in G, O vos Omnes, Down Ampney, O taste and see. Another of my favs for travelling is his Sea Symphony. As a singer, I like things with words. I used to make my violinist daughter annoyed by saying if it doesn't have words, it doesn't count. LOL
But When I'm home I tune in to Dr Bill Bennett. Love him.

Donna

Patricia,

I have the Dutoit - Montreal recording and it is one of my most prized possessions and most played CDs. I recall that Ravel hated Bolero too. It was a musical experiment that he never intended to have performed. Debussy's La Mer is a close second that can send "waves of peace" over me.

Donna, I remember that Gloria Dei concert. It was mostly Sowerby. I think the reason I thought of him, was that his choral compositions remind me of what I would describe as eerie wailing. Chant can have that quality, too, after a while.

I am attached to the Stainer, as well. If you do it in the evening, I could even come and hear it. I did one selection from it for Good Friday last year.