The Fredösphere

If I was given a super-powerful source of energy that was practically unlimited, I sure know what I would do with it!  I'd use it to enhance my ability to fly around Canada hectoring its citizens on their need to stop wasting energy and eating unapproved foods!  (Found via Cosh.)

Eagle-eyed Alan, ambassador from the choral-crazed, wintry northern plains, spotted Paradigm Vocal Ensemble from the far-off, sun-baked, weather-cliché-saturated land of Texas.  They're generous with their sound files, and their live rendition of Pilgrim's Hymn rises above the usual performance disappointments.  (It's a strangely difficult piece to pull off.)

But now ... fans demand I answer the question posted a week ago:  what piece of music most deserves the label "timeless," in the sense of "freed from the idioms of its time"?  I wished a few more of you had given your guesses, but I was quite pleased that Robert Gable pinned the tail on the bullseye:  his answer, and mine, is Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber.  (Sorry to anyone thrown off track by the post's title, which appeared to be a hint in the direction of Messiaen.  Maaaaybe someone would argue the Quartet for the End of Time is timeless, but I wouldn't.)

Robert earns bonus points for nominating the piece while admitting he's not quite the fan that so many of the rest of us are.  Robert, your Fredösphere-autographed set of the complete works of Johann Joseph Fux recorded on handy eight-track tapes is being shipped directly to your home as I write.

Shipped C.O.D., that is.