When at work, Spotify has become my new best friend, and I’ve had a lot of fun putting together my own playlists. And, because I’m an egotistical jerk, I thought perhaps these lists should be shared. So, if you use Spotify and would like a little new music, may I present:

La Belle Époque (link)
37 tracks, 2 hours

I took a class in college that focused on a particular social era in French history called La Belle Époque. It stretched from the late 19th century up to World War I, and was characterized by some pretty incredible art, literature, and—of course—music.

And here is some of that awesome music. Gabriel Fauré, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Erik Satie are some of my favorite composers ever, and these are a selection of their works that I absolutely love. Plus one song by Jules Massenet which may be one of the loveliest things ever created.

The ordering of this list is somewhat erratic, as it’s diplayed in “chunks.” I frankly prefer to play it straight through, but if you want to shuffle, go right ahead. I think Saint-Saëns’s Symphony in C maj is best listened to as a whole, though. Otherwise, you’ll never get the proper closure to the opening chords of the first movement (wow, I really sound like a pretentious ass. But if you listen, you’ll see what I mean). I suppose this list would really be better served if I were to break it up into its component composers/works, but I sort of like the jumble of it. I hope you will too.