After silence is a blog for sampling and getting to know some fine music (in fine performances), drawing on our rich European cultural heritage. It is intended particularly for those who want to explore Western music and broaden their appreciation and understanding of it, and those who are searching for music that aids reflection in their daily lives or music that connects with their existing interests in history, art, literature, religion and other fields. To enjoy the selected music, you do not need to have studied music before and you do not need to be a musician yourself or be able to read music notation. You need only an open mind and a desire to explore.

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The selection of pieces will sometimes be topical or follow a theme (for example, some choices in March-April 2020 concern springtime, the virus crisis, Holy Week and Easter) but may otherwise seem random with the objective of sampling various kinds of music from across several centuries and several countries and diverse artistic traditions. The only factor that all the choices of music have in common is their aesthetic beauty. Where possible the recordings will be performances (preferably live ones) available on YouTube, selected for their high artistic quality.

While the main blog-posts are accessible by anyone, the online discussion forum is a special place for registered users only. Here you may share your own thoughts and reactions and read what others are saying. To use the forum you must first create a user-account by registering.

The site and its contents are curated by Paul Everett, a musicologist who lectured at University College Cork from 1981 to his retirement in 2015.