# Classical tunes for my man **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 1, 2002, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-tunes-for-my-man/139704 "2002-12-01T01:21:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gingerbreadgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/71e660/32.png) [@gingerbreadgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gingerbreadgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-tunes-for-my-man/139704/1 "2002-12-01T01:21:03Z")
Hello all, My husband (who rarely expresses an intense interest in anything other than sports and sex) has recently mentioned TWICE that he would really like to figure out a way to determine what kind of classical music he likes. He seems to be fond of all dramatic clips for television commercials. (You may giggle and talk about the “dumbing down of music”, but remember that I love this man.) I’d like to help him develop this interest but am not quite sure how to do this. We have plenty of classical music floating around my house- he’s just not inclined to sift through everything we have or could bring home to find something that moves him. He tends to like the dramatic soft/loud up/down stuff that works well in movies and such. I am not at all well versed on the subject, thoug I recognize more popular pieces and composers. Any ideas about how I can feed this interest? I did buy a “classical music for dummies” book, but was hoping for other suggestions… ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-tunes-for-my-man/139704/2 "2002-12-01T01:45:30Z")
Tune in the classical music radio stations? See what he likes, and what he turns off? ---
**Author:** ![Forbin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Forbin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Forbin)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-tunes-for-my-man/139704/3 "2002-12-01T02:54:37Z")
Wagner: The Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla The Ride of the Valkyries Siegfried’s Death March The overture to “The Flying Dutchman” HTH ---
**Author:** ![Roadwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@Roadwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadwalker)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-tunes-for-my-man/139704/4 "2002-12-01T02:55:43Z")
Try Carmina Burana, Ride of the Valkeries, and The 1812 Overture. They don’t get much more many than that. ---
**Author:** ![CyberPundit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@CyberPundit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyberPundit)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-tunes-for-my-man/139704/5 "2002-12-01T03:03:09Z")
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=146315](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=146315) This thread should be useful. You might want to try Beehthovev’s 5th and 9th symphonies for “dramatic” classical music which is also familiar from TV commercials and the like. ---
**Author:** ![CyberPundit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@CyberPundit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyberPundit)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-tunes-for-my-man/139704/6 "2002-12-01T05:05:19Z")
That should of course be Beethoven’s 5th and 9th. The reason I mangled it so badly is that I was listening to Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony (also very famous) playing loudly in the background.😉 ---
**Author:** ![ninevah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/46a35a/32.png) [@ninevah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninevah)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-tunes-for-my-man/139704/7 "2002-12-01T11:14:48Z")
I highly recommend Gustav Holst’s _The Planets_ - it’s really good. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-tunes-for-my-man/139704/8 "2002-12-01T15:43:21Z")
I second the classical radio station suggestion, if you have a good one in your area. Also, try renting some movies about classical music so the listening is combined with movie watching. It might not seem like so much of a chore. Start with _Amadeus_. I haven’t seen _Immortal Beloved_, but it would be a good way to hear plenty of Beethoven. Also, of course, both of Disney’s _Fantasia_ movies, for a sampler. Public television sometimes broadcasts classical concerts, as well as operas. Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![kiffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/d78d45/32.png) [@kiffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiffa)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-tunes-for-my-man/139704/9 "2002-12-01T15:47:37Z")
I was going to suggest “My Girl” by the Temptations, but I see that we aren’t in that neighborhood of classics. My personal recommendation is Ode to Joy… knowing full well what the title is… play it loud. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-tunes-for-my-man/139704/10 "2002-12-01T16:05:45Z")
I have in my CD collection a disk called POWER CLASSICS. It is a decent collection of your hard hitting stuff. [I actually got out of my chair and got the disk] Let’s see Als Sprach Zarathustra\_Fanfare Mars Dies Irae Anvil Chorus (great to have sex to IMHO) Ritual Fire Dance Bolero March to the Scaffold Thunderstorm (from the LvB VI) Ein Heldenleben-Battle scene Ride of the Valkyries Gayne-Saber Dance Firebird-Infernal Dance Grand Canyon Suite-Cloudburst 1812 Overture-Finale He’d probably like most of that.