Even though Mark was not a musician, he loved music. We put together a playlist of songs he liked that you can listen to on Apple Music. Some songs we just associate with him because he liked to listen to them, and other songs had special meaning or relate to specific memories of him.
- “You’re so Vain” by Carly Simon
- “Let It Be” by The Beatles
- “Top Gun Anthem” from Top Gun. Mark loved this movie.
- “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” by Stevie Wonder. Elizabeth and Mark danced to this one at Elizabeth’s wedding. From Matthew: “My relationship with Mom and Dad had gotten pretty tense when I came out to them before college, and Dad sent me this on CD as reminder to me that he still loved me.”
- “Forever in Blue Jeans” and “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond. Mark was a big Neil Diamond fan.
- Overture to The Barber of Seville by Giaocchino Rossini. Mark knew a surprising amount of classical music thanks to his love of Bugs Bunny cartoons. From Matthew: “Dad took me to a ‘Bugs on Broadway’ concert where a live orchestra played music in front of a screen showing Warner Brothers cartoons. So fun.”
- “Because You Loved Me” by Celine Dion. Katie and Mark danced to this one at Katie’s wedding.
- “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey. From Matthew: “I distinctly remember Dad jumping up on on the couch at Christmas to dance to this one.”
- Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 “Pathétique”: II. Adagio cantabile by Ludwig van Beethoven. Karl Haas hosted a radio show called “Adventures in Good Music” that we would often listen to, and this was the theme music. From Elizabeth: “I remember pausing at dinner after the theme played to hear Karl Haas say, ‘Hello, Everyone.'”
- Horn Concerto No. 3 in E-flat Major, K. 447: III. Allegro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This was one of the first horn concertos Matthew ever learned, and Mark took Matthew to hear Dale Clevinger play it. From Susan: “He always knew it when he heard it.”
- Egmont, Op. 84: Overture by Ludwig van Beethoven. From Susan: “He loved Egmont, but in a different way from the Mozart horn concerto. When you asked him if he knew what was playing, his first guess–no matter what classical piece was playing–was, ‘Is this Egmont?'”
- “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” by Diana Krall
- “Sweet Home Chicago” by The Blues Brothers. Mark loved the movie starring John Belushi and Dan Akroyd.
- Andante for Flute and Orchestra in C Major, K. 315 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77: II. Adagio by Johannes Brahms. From Susan: “Mark loved Joshua Bell’s playing. The last concert we attended together was Joshua Bell in recital.”
- “The Stars and Stripes Forever” by John Philip Sousa. From Susan: “Mark loved it when I played Stars and Stripes and stood for the piccolo part.”
- “Gabriel’s Oboe” by Ennio Morricone
- Andante and Rondo Ungarese for Bassoon and Orchestra, Op. 35 by Carl Maria von Weber. From Katie: “In my mind, this was Dad’s favorite piece that I played. I included it on my master’s recital for him, and I think of him every time I hear it.”
Mark E. Phelps Virtual Memorial 