Mimi:

>But where is our profound musical 'home'?  Who are the composers we most
>turn to when we are feeling like we want to cleanse our tastebuds?  Which
>are the compositions we select when we need a good old pal, or want to
>renew ourselves after a very stressful time?  What is our own personal,
>guaranteed, tried-and-true feel-good music?  What are the pieces of music
>we have sought out more than five times in the last year?

Bach's Magnificat in D does it for me.  Similarly, Stravinsky's Pulcinella,
Dvorak's Symphony No. 8, Mendelssohn's Octet and Quintet in Bb, and
Schubert's Cello Quintet.  I could probably pare my CDs down to those
pieces, in a pinch.  Hopefully, however, I won't feel the pinch for a
while.

Steve Schwartz