This essay first appeared in the NPR Music newsletter. Sign up for early access to articles like this one, Tiny Desk exclusives, listening recommendations and more. Last week, something unexpected ...

Renowned Scottish composer and conductor Sir James MacMillan stated that, in the modern world, “Silence is almost extinct.” Echoing Cardinal Robert Sarah’s warning that Western materialistic culture ...

If you are like me, you intensely dislike being subjected to background music everywhere – banks, supermarkets, restaurants, elevators, drugstores, the list is endless. You find the continuous siege ...

Life today rarely gives us a break from noise. The constant notification sound from phones, endless conversations, and the ...