I like to have a piece of music that starts every game session, and divides game time from regular time, and eventually conjures the game to mind when people hear it a few years later.
SO... I'm wondering what might be cool or appropriate for an Ars Magica game.
Note, it doesn't have to be authentic medieval period music, though it can be...
Any ideas?
Vrylakos
Hrrrm, on Enya's original albumn (called "Enya" originally, reissued as "The Celts) there are a couple of 1 minute or 1:30 pieces that might work. Similiarly some short bits of Canto Gregoriano might be good.
Hm, thanks for the tip, Timothy.
Also, nice work on Criamon. I wish I had a player playing one... then again, once I train up a beta storyguide, I'll probably make one.
Vrylakos
Oooh! Asking this question is like asking me for the listing of my cd collection! 
Mainly, it's soundtracks, but ocassionally, something odd sneaks in...Mr. Tuura will be sure to add a few things to my meager list...
Conan the Barbarian
Once Upon a Time in the West
Hamlet
Henry V
Excalibur
Mishima
Passion
Passion Sources
Holzt : The Planets
Giant Robo I
Giant Robo VII
The Mahabarahta
The Lord of the Rings
Star Trek II, VI
The Dark Crystal
[i]El Greco/i
Akira
Various Celtic Collections
Various Medieval Collections
Various Renn. Collections
Several Mixed Music CD's...
There are many, many more, but I believe I've hit the common ones. What one finds appropriate for one's game depends greatly on the taste of the participants...
Steve
Nice idea. I play mood music in the background whenever I run Call of Cthulhu, but I have never tried it for ArM. My two suggestions would be...
Medieval Baebes
The Kingdom of Heaven soundtrack
Anything by Blackmore's Night
Ed
Pesonally, I play a lot of medieval, north African, Middle Eastern, and suchlike music for my Iberian saga. I like using "period" music whenever possible.
That and the Mediaeval Baebes, simply because they can actually make Latin sound sexy... 
In our current campaign we don't use mood music, but in other Ars Magica/Middle Ages campaigns I've used a lot of period music. My faves are The New London Consort's recordings of "The Pilgrimage to Santiago" and "The Feast of Fools". The vocal version of "Dum Pater Familias" from the first are probably my favorite to use as "theme song" for my campaigns. The Feast of Fools also have mockeries of Catholic Mass (which were used on the Feast) and fits great as an infernal theme.
I used the last track of Medieval Baebes' Salve Nos. It's theme seemed appropriate.
Going to track down others of their albums. Which ones are good?
Also, will have to watch Kingdom of Heaven and listen out for the music...
V
Umm...maybe I'm in the minority here, but I'd say listen to it, don't bother watching it. I had to go re-read Runciman to clean my mind of the misinformation in it. I made the mistake of watching it with the "historical" notes on. It was total garbage.
Gasp! Are you suggesting that Hollywood made a movie based on historical events that was not historically accurate? For shame.. 
The movie was an amusing action flick at best, but some of the music is really nice. I am especially fond of the track 'To Jerusalem'. I have been working on an adventure idea for somewhere down the road in our covenant time line that involves a trip to the holy land. This song is now firmly linked in my mind to one of the NPCs I have put together for the adventure.
Salva Nos and Undrentide are the best overall, IMHO. World's Blysse, The Rose, and Mirabilis are Ok - some tracks are Good, but the CD's are so-so overall.
Try some of Loreena McKennitt's CD's - To Drive the Cold Winter Away is a good source for period Christmas/Yuletide music and several of her other CD's are very good, even somewhat mystical/mythical. I'd have to go looking for specific tracks, though...
Steve
What about trying the german bands Schandmaul, FAUN, Schelmish, Streuner, In Extremo, Subway to Sally, Omnia (from Netherlands), Vivius Temporis ect?
Salvete!
Carol Thompson, Enchanted Isles (Celtic harp music) is exellent for settings in Arcadia (or Ireland).
Be careful, with most bands you can't use complete albums. In my experience non-instumental music (especially in one's native language) tends to distract from the concrete scene, even if the style fits perfectly, so stay mostly to instumental stuff, foreign languages (e.g. old Norse - in some songs In Extremo uses this language) or tracks with meaningless vocals.
Hope you will find the stuff that works for your troupe and have fun,
Alexios ex Miscellanea