Robert Peters wrote:

>But today my intellectual and puritan mind tortures me with feelings
>of guilt ;-): is it right to use classical music as a kind of musical
>tranquilizer? Is something wrong with me that I acutally LIKED this
>Beethoven for the teethless? Or is this approach altogether wrong and it
>was good music arranged well for a special occasion? Is Meditation and New
>Age Music a product of heaven or of hell? Anyone out there to help my
>worried brains? (By the way, the massage was fantastic.)

If I were you Robert, I would tell my intellectual and puritan mind to go
to hell.  I have always been of the belief that music and art and poetry
and all other things beautiful have but one purpose: that is to uplift
the spirit and soul, specifically, my spirit and soul.  No music, be it new
age, rock and roll or even (and I shudder when I say this because I find it
so distasteful) contemporary Christian music is from Hell.  In the right
context, music of any style or genre serves a purpose.  Brian Eno wrote his
ambient music and left instructions that it should be as inobtrusive as
possible.  Something to soothe the subconscious.  If your altered Beethoven
brought you pleasure, I can't imagine the Ole Ludwig van would have any
objection.  If he does, well, take it up with him in the afterlife!

Kevin