Classical Music

[hectorberlioz]

For those of you who do not listen to this genre of music i have decided to try and give a history lesson.

Johann Sebastian Bach is basically the father of classical music. there were other guys before him, but not as important. Bach also was the father of a ton of kids, five or six whom were also composers later on. his eldest son: Johannn Christian, later tutored Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart tutored Beethoven for a slight while(and Beethoven was also tutored by Antonio Salieri, the supposed rival and murderer of Mozart-but the chances of his bieng murdered by salieri are slight- Salieri also tutored Franz Schubert.
Hector Berlioz. this guy is french and was his music was persecuted in his home city of paris in his best years. he also was a part time friend/rival of Richard Wagner. however, Berlioz was an influence on the "great five" of Russia who were the fathers of music in Russia.
John Cage. this guy decided that piano music should be written through some complicated mathematical method of his. not many followed his footsteps.
Igor Stravinsky. this guy decided that all classical music should sound superflous monotonous and boring. many did follow his footsteps, thats why no modern classical music composer to date is good or famous.
i hope my history lesson has been helpful and fun. there is a ton more interesting history to give if any body wants to know.
i hope there is a lot of classical music fans out there that are willing to discuss this subject.


Contributed by hectorberlioz
There is a funny story about josquin de prez. de prez had been under the service of a king for some time and he wanted a raise. the king promises him one. after a while though he still has not given it and de prez really needs it. one day the king commissions a cantata(a piece for the church to be sung as a praise to god) and de prez writes it and calls it "remember thy promise unto thy servant oh lord"(subtly reminding the king of his promise of a raise) the king gives him his raise and de prez writes a cantata entitled "we gives thanks oh lord" . I love that story.


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Contributed by Elfhelm
Do you know the one about Mozart and Palestrina? The Pope was not allowing Palestrina's music to leave the Vatican. I guess he wanted people to have to visit there in order to hear it. When Mozart was a child his father took him to the Vatican. They performed a mass by Palestrina. He went back to the hotel room and wrote it down! Then his father took it back to the Vatican and showed it to them. This got them invited to meet the Pope, who asked him never to do it again!
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Contributed by hectorberlioz
have you heard that while...
a concert of berlioz' requiem was bieng performed. the conductor took a break right at a crucial moment to take a snuff. berlioz grabbed the baton and finished conducting himself.
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Contributed by hectorberlioz
"before he became a student at the conservatory,Hector(Berlioz) discovered that he might go to the library to study his beloved Gluck scores. He came into conflict with the school's teacher "Czar" cherubini, because he broke rules heedlessly, and helped himself to all the privileges to which he was not entitled, such as entering by doors forbidden to students, and taking home scores to study. He was in constant conflict with Cherubini, who once chased the boy around the tables in an effort to get him out of the building,probably after hours."
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Contributed by B.Banner
i just discovered a new composer.his name is william vincent wallace he was irish.anyone heard of him ?well if you dont here is information he was born march 11th 1812 . he became a professional violintist at age 15 his most well known operas are maritana and lurline. his other famous music where piano stuff there names where la gondolo and tarantelle. well thats all i know.
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Contributed by Silme Christian
one thing I hate about Rusian composers is the fact that I can never pronounce their names!
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Contributed by Elfhelm
Goethe felt that only Mozart could have done justice to it, but he died too young. Beethoven expressed an interest in setting it. It was Mephistopheles who they liked. He had that anti-heroic appeal that was similar to Milton's Satan. I guess they thought it took a lot of nerve to wager with God himself. This romantic figure, if I may turn into Commander Data (RIP), recurs in Byron's Childe Harold who less malicious, and Shaw's Devil. Mephisto also inspired some piano pieces and possibly even inspired the diablo violin tuning. (Enough Mr. Data!).
The ending of Goethe's Faust, as opposed to Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, is one of hope in salvation. And the second part of Mahler's 8th is a setting of that ending. So, it's the closest thing we have to a Mahler opera.
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Contributed by hectorberlioz
someone once said: "The Magic Flute is the only opera that i've heard that could have concievably been composed by God."
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Contributed by hectorberlioz
"Berlioz was reproached with the monumentalism of his "Grand Messe des Morts" (1837) calling for a main orchestra of 300 musicians, 4 side orchestras, and a big choir. At its first performance at Les Invalides in Paris 25 choir members fainted or had nervous breakdowns when choir, the main orchestra, and the side orchestras together with 16 drums and 10 cymbals striked in simultaneously to bring up a sound portrait of the end of the world."
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Contributed by Last Child of Ungoliant
My anecdote for the week:
Gustav Holst is often described as being one
of Sweden's greatest composers, despite
being born in Cheltenham!!

those of you who don't know, Cheltenham is a
large Town in Gloucestershire, England, a short
walk (11 miles) from its sister-town of Gloucester.
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Contributed by Grey Wolf
Despite the fact his father was a rich man, Wolfgang Amade Mozart died a pauper and thus got a pauper's funeral.
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Contributed by Mercutio
There was a famous guy (lets call him A). A was going to direct another famous guy's (B) orchestra piece. A got to the stand, and on it was not B's work, but C's. The two (B's and C's) looked exactly the same from the outside. A directed the entire piece with no mistakes from memory . Impressive, huh?
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Contributed by hectorberlioz
When the soprano Francesa Cussoni absolutely refused to sing a certain aria in the way it was supposed to be sung
-in a certain opera-the composer, Handel took her aside to a window(I imagine it was several stories up) and told her :
"Madam, if you do not sing this aria the way I want you to, I will throw you out this window".
she sang it the way wanted by the composer.
singers back then were infamous for adding and changing parts from the way the composer had set them.
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[azalea]

I love classical, I listen to it a lot, but I can't always identify the composer by listening to a piece of music (but sometimes I make a game out fo trying!), or identify what the peice is when listening (thank goodness modern songs don't have names like "Fugue in G major" -- names like this NEVER stick in my brain, I must have something to call it that has some meaning in my brain. I CAN identify pieces of music that are called something, because then I have something to call it. Sadly, I suffered from a poor music education courtesy of my local public schools , so I'm not very musically talented). IOW, I am not a classical music "scholar," but I appreciate and enjoy listening to it frequently. (And I don't think Stravinsky is boring and monotonous. )

[Arien the Maia]

Actualyly I like Stravinsky...of course I love ballet so I love the Firebird!!!! I also thin kthat Edvard Grieg is awesome too! I don't know, I like all classical music!!!!

[galadriel]

Classical music rocks!

Luckily, I didn't have to rely on public schools for my classical music knowledge - I'd be screwed if I had. Instead, a upbringing, including piano lessons since the age of seven, did the job for me. Of course, I *still* can't remember song names with any degree of accuracy, unless it's something very obvious.

That's the good thing about Stravinsky: you're not going to forget a title like "The Rite of Spring"! I agree that he can be boring at times, but overall I like him. I can't imagine emulation of his style would come out any good, though. It's too uniquely... weird.

[Arien the Maia]

Originally posted by galadriel
Classical music rocks!

Luckily, I didn't have to rely on public schools for my classical music knowledge - I'd be screwed if I had. Instead, a upbringing, including piano lessons since the age of seven, did the job for me. Of course, I *still* can't remember song names with any degree of accuracy, unless it's something very obvious.

I took piano lessons for 3 years and before that I took organ lessons for a few years too. I briefly tried to play the flute but to no such avail I would love though to be able to play the Viola and the Classical Guitar!!!! the viola rocks!!! does anyone knoe if it's possible to teach it to youself from out of a book?

[galadriel]

I don't play strings myself, but I think it would be very hard to teach yourself viola, since it's such a complicated instrument. Unless you have a real knack for instruments, technique would have to be learned from a teacher.

Classical guitar would be more doable... I learned guitar in a school class that was pretty much self-directed. It's pretty easy to pick up if you practice enough. Of course, I *haven't* practiced regularly and now I can hardly play....

Well, whatever you try, it's never to late to start!

[HOBBIT]

Its hard to learn any instrument - and its very very hard work to become very good at it - practice, patience, time, brains, actual skill (sometimes doenst matter if you practice for hours a day - you can still suck).

I don't like it when people say that one instrument is easier to learn or play than any other - all of them have their advantages and disadvantages and hard things to do on each.


I play brass instruments (euphonium and trombone mainly) and don't particularly like stringed instruments, but I recognize that to be able to play them WELL requires loads of time and skill.

[Hasty Ent]

Composing music is a creative process, and like all such endeavors, open to a multitude of expressions. I believe in keeping an open mind and enjoy new forms as much as the old.

I love Bach, and I love John Cage. I adore Richard Wagner, and Stravinsky too. I listen to Beethoven and Philip Glass. I own CDs of work by Mozart and Steve Reich. Once you begin closing the doors to innovation you start to kill all creative expression. Why do symphonies and opera companies complain about the 'greying' of their audiences? Because they don't take the time to introduce the work of new, living composers. I don't wish to support the mummification of an art form.

I cancelled a subscription to my local opera company after being a loyal attendee for 10+ years because they stopped introducing the work of new, living composers into their program. Instead, I am now a subscriber to my local symphony, since they have started a series called Music Now. The concerts are always something I haven't heard before, and often are world premieres. During the performance there is an introduction to the work and the composer. Often the composers are there and there is a reception afterwards where the audience can meet with the musicians and discuss the music.

I love classical music, and believe in the relevance of new work being created as much as I believe in the preservation and importance of the old.

[hectorberlioz]

I have heard stravinsky's "spring sacrifice" recently (after i started this thread) and i thought it was at least better than the other stuff i've heard of his.
i find it important to post my favorite composers. and i'd love to know anyone else's.

Dvorak is no.1 on my list, his music (even when slow) is never boring. i'm one of those people who will be paying complete attention to the music, even if i'm doing something thats more important. dvorak, i always want more of his music.
mozart is no.2
berlioz is no.3, he became one of my top favs when i heard his requiem mass, and later his famous symphonie fantastique.
tchaikovsky and beethoven, schubert, rachmaninov,richard strauss, cherubini and mahler round off my top list.

[Khamûl]

Hmmm... my favorite classical composers....

Let's see, there's Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky and more that I'm sure I'm leaving out. I also like Mussorgsky.

[galadriel]

I ADORE Dvorak. I could listen to the New World Symphony again and again; it's just so gorgeous and fluid. I usually listen to music while doing something else, but, as you said, you can't not pay attention to his music.

Along with Dvorak, I listen to pretty standard names: Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Chopin, Bach, Vivaldi, some Handel.... Mussorsky is pretty cool.

[Elvedans]

Seeing as i do a lot of ballet and my dad loves classical music, i've been brought up listening to a lot of it. I like quite few individual pieces. Barber's adagio for strings, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Music from ballets like Swan Lake and The nutcracker, Polovstian Dances from prince igor and Khachaturian. Stuff that makes your spine tingle.

[hectorberlioz]

i have so far not had the chance to listen to any mousorgsky. but i can suggest rachmaninov's piano concerto no.3. it is absolutely awsome, in all sense of the word. another composer i suggest is an englishman named William Walton.

[Khamûl]

Originally posted by Elvedans
Barber's adagio for strings, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Music from ballets like Swan Lake and The nutcracker, Polovstian Dances from prince igor and Khachaturian. Stuff that makes your spine tingle.

You have very good taste, especially with the Four Seasons and the Adagio for Strings. It surprised me to learn that Adagio for Strings wasn't written until the 20th century.

[hectorberlioz]

somehow i always hear that aaron copland is the greatest american composer of classical, but then thats always contradicted by someone saying that samuel barber is.
i heard barber's symphony 2 on NPR a couple of nights ago. its strange that he thought it terrible music. i've heard worse symphonies that the composers thought were ingenious.

[Bombadillo]

I had the chance to see Yngwei Malmstien (sp) perdorm in Austria, but I didn't. I would have liked that very much.

I'm not really a fanatic of classical music, but I listen to it occasionally. I couldn't name symphonies or overtures or compositions, or diffrentiate wihich was which, but they're all good IMO. Either way, I'll agree too much more easily than most people will.

[Khamûl]

Adagio for Strings is the only piece I've ever heard by Samuel Barber, but until I hear some more, Aaron Copland is tops in my book.

[Sween]

I often watch Classic FM tv some of its pretty good. Of course so of its utter c**p but then the same could be said for all the music channel. Ill admit the stuff i like is the stuff from films like star wars and last of the mohechians and the kinda angry woohooo lets go to war kinda music i dont know any of the name for the song really but you know the ones i mean the real uplifting stuff and the chill out. A lot of classical music could be remixed real well like Barber Adagio for strings was by old William Orbit

[hectorberlioz]

well, my favorite genre in classical is definitely the sacred music. i just lover the vocal use of choir. and the "requiems" can get angry like and are really rowdy and dramatic.

[IronParrot]

I'm very wary of using the term "classical" as it does refer to a very distinct compositional paradigm in the years from Hadyn to Beethoven.

I've been listening to a lot of Chopin lately. I was rediscovering a lot of his pieces on the piano over the summer so I thought it was worth it to stock up on some records where the professionals show me how it's supposed to be done.