Thought for the feast day of the Patron Saint of Musicians

Many people of my generation will have read "The Screwtape Letters" by C S Lewis. The book is written in the form of imagined letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, who writes from headquarters to his nephew, Wormwood, who is a tempter on active service on earth. On this feast day of St Cecilia, I have been remembering this vivid passage in which Screwtape tells us how much the forces of darkness detest music and silence, and love noise. I think it has a lot to teach us today...

“My dear Wormwood: Music and silence–how I detest them both! How thankful we should be that ever since our Father entered Hell–though longer ago than humans, reckoning in light years, could express, no square inch of infernal space and no moment of infernal time has been surrendered to either of those abominable forces, but all has been occupied by Noise–Noise, the grand dynamism, the audible expression of all that is exultant, ruthless, and virile–Noise which alone defends us from silly qualms, despairing scruples, and impossible desires. We will make the whole universe a noise in the end. We have already made great strides in this direction as regards the Earth. The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shouted down in the end. But I admit we are not yet loud enough, or anything like it. Research is in progress.”

I can't post any silence. You'll have to find that yourself! But as we pray for all musicians today, here are two contrasting pieces of music for this day, both by English composers: