In the early 1400s, English composer John Cooke composed 'Stella celi', referencing the Black Plague which wiped out half of Europe, NPR wrote in an article about classical compositions inspired by epidemics throughout history. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote 'Cantata No. 25' in 1723, just a year after the great plague of Marseille, France ended, leaving over 100,000 people dead. American composer John Corigliano wrote his 'Symphony No. 1', sometimes referred to as the 'AIDS Symphony', as a heart-on-sleeve elegy for the many friends Corigliano lost to HIV/AIDS in the 1980s; the disease took 32 million lives by now. Coronavirus is deadly but inspirational as well - composer Lisa Bielawa is writing a choral work 'Broadcast from Home', built on testimonials the composer is collecting via social media from individuals in self-isolation or self-quarantine; a "virtual" orchestra and chorus of about 25 musicians from around the country are recording their own parts at home and sending them to Bielawa to stitch together.

A recent study showed how different types of music - metal, classical, pop and hip-hop - affect drivers, with the results suggesting that metal could push motorists to the extremes (they tried with Slipknot's '(sic)'). Classical music was no better - it relaxes the driver to the point of sleepiness (it was Bach). Meanwhile, pop […]