Music is a universal language that has been bringing cultures, ideas, and peoples together since the beginning of time. We as human beings first learned to dance, before deciding that something was missing, and then --- knock on wood --- and quite literally --- there was percussion music.

Then comes tonality, the alphabets of this universal language that differed by region and the resources in it. There was immediacy in things that we could create with our body parts, and to some of us, this immediacy is a good break from the hustle and bustle of the life at Wake Forest.

Here are two pieces of classical music from the 20th century that have inspired me, and hopefully you too:

1. "Java Suite," by Leopold Godowsky

Composed in 1925, this is a very experimental work inspired by a trip to Java, where Godowsky was mesmerized by the authenticity of gamelan music in the area. There are four parts to this piece and each part contain movements with descriptive titles that tell the story of a place or the things that he might have seen in his Southeastern Asian journey.

The ornate contrapuntal devices within each movement is so worth listening and re-listening to on a day when work is piling up because they are not obvious enough for you to begin analyzing when you don't want to be distracted.

2. "Piano Concerto in F Major," by George Gershwin

Written in 1925, this piece adheres to the traditional concerto form, which contains three movements that follow the sequence of fast-slow-fast. What distinguishes this piece from many others is that it carries a heavy jazz influence, with seamless references to ragtime, blues, and the Charleston rhythm. If you feel like a walk down tin pan alley on a rainy day, this is the piece for you!

These are two of the many pieces that I would recommend listening to in order to broaden your scope for 20th-century classical music! Don't forget to keep an open mind when defining what classical music as a genre truly entails.