"Thanksgiving Day is a time for both introspection and jubilation. Here's a sampling of CDs that honor both moods."

1. "Simple Gifts": William Coulter, guitar, Barry Philips, cello (Gourd Music 106)
Instrumental arrangements of Shaker Songs, including the emblematic Thanksgiving song, "Simple Gifts." The cello sings the solemn hymns, while the guitar evokes the dancing rhythms of life so beloved by the Shakers.

2. John Tavener: Akathist of Thanksgiving
BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus/ Martin Neary ( Sony 64446)
An Akathist is a hymn of thanksgiving. The text for this example was written by a priest in a Stalinist prison camp in Siberia, shortly before his death. It's a great statement of faith and gratitude, all the more powerful considering the desperate circumstances under which it was written. Tavener's music is transcendent.

3. Brahms: Serenade No. 1
London Symphony Orchestra/ Istvan Kertesz (London/Decca 448197)
This is youthful Brahms, and while it has no literal connection to the holiday, I listen to it every Thanksgiving. It's music that expresses the crisp atmosphere of autumn almost as well as a freshly picked Macintosh apple. There are many fine recordings of this piece, none better than Istvan Kertesz, and you get two Brahms symphonies in the bargain.

4. The Bach Album: Kathleen Battle, soprano; Itzhak Perlman, violin
( DG 429737)
Listen to this collaboration, and you'll have reason to give thanks. Battle's voice is ideal for these Bach arias, each with violin obbligato provided by Perlman. Bach, ever the good Lutheran, provides Thanksgiving food for thought in arias like "I am satisfied with my lot" and "With joy I eat my meager bread."

5. Beethoven: Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral"
Lots of great recordings to choose from for this popular title. Take your pick of Bernstein or Solti, Karajan or Szell. Beethoven's ode to Nature culminates with a song of thanksgiving that will move even the most cynical among us.