A Classical Music Playlist for Winter Listening

I’m confess, I have a bad attitude about winter. I know I’m supposed to slow down and lean in but at the same time…new year, new me. Let’s plan some goals.

I don’t love that the days are shorter. The house is quieter or louder, depending on the hour. There is less margin for excess noise, both literal and internal.Honestly, my kids are stir crazy and I don’t have enough wool to deal with the weather sometimes.

This is a season that benefits from music that does not demand attention but rewards it.

Classical music is well suited to winter because it does not insist on cheer. It allows for stillness, strain, and endurance. The pieces below have the ability to draw you in and relax you. This is music for morning lessons, late afternoons, or evenings when the work is finished but the mind is not.

The Playlist

1. J.S. Bach – Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, Prelude

2. Arvo Pärt – Spiegel im Spiegel

3. Franz Schubert – Piano Sonata No. 20 in A Major, D. 959, Andantino

4. Jean Sibelius – Symphony No. 2, II. Tempo Andante

5. Erik Satie – Gnossienne No. 1

6. Frédéric Chopin – Nocturne in C-sharp minor

7. Ralph Vaughan Williams – The Lark Ascending

8. Claude Debussy – La cathédrale engloutie

9. Max Richter – On the Nature of Daylight

10. Ludwig van Beethoven – String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132, Heiliger Dankgesang

11. Gustav Mahler – Adagietto from Symphony No. 5

12. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – January (By the Fireside), from The Seasons

How to Use This Music

This playlist does not need to be consumed all at once. One piece a day is enough. Let it accompany lessons, handwork, reading, or quiet thought. For children, this kind of listening forms habits of attention without explanation or reward. For mothers, just have it on in the background.

Winter does not require constant brightness, in fact, it might feel hard to be bright during the season of darkness. Music like this isn’t going to fix everything about the season, but bringing beauty into our homes is a worthy thing in any season.

If you are shaping a home atmosphere, this is a place to begin.