I want to start listening to classical music, but I have no idea where to start. I know pretty much nothing about it. My favorite types of music are jazz and classic rock, but I really will listen to anything. I tend to look for the “musical” value of a song, not if it’s catchy or if the singer is good-looking. I’d take talent over popularity any day. I’m also not a bad trumpeter myself (I’m in the school Symphonic and Jazz bands).
I know very little about classical music besides Frank Zappa’s classical arrangements! If you could reccomend me some good composers to get started with and their good compositions, and even some particularly good recordings of them I’d greatly appreciate it.
This thread really belongs in Cafe Society, and I expect it will shortly be moved there…
However, you can start by checking out some of the biggies like Beethoven, Mozart, J. S. Bach, etc etc. If you’re in a school band surely there’s a teacher at your school who can recommend some listening. Additionally, there likely is a classical radio station in Baltimore you could tune in, and if not, there are a few webcast classical radio stations you can check out, eg WQXR. Lastly, try your local symphony or a local public library with a record collection or a record store that allows you to listen before you buy.
I find it easier to choose classical music based on the featured instrument rather than by composer. Since I played one for seven years, I gravitate towards violin-centered pieces. But because our school had a band and jazz ensemble, and because I had good friends in the youth symphony, I also got to hear other instruments. I’ve come to enjoy viola, cello, clarinet, piano, and classical guitar works as well.
Eventually, I got interested in specific composers. After hearing a couple of Bach concertos with violin solos, for example, I became interested in checking out his other works. At the store, I found a CD of his clarinet concertos. I bought it, and though I wasn’t able to listen to it right away, I wound up liking it a lot. And because I let my liking of both the composer and featured instrument guide my choice, I don’t think it was just luck that I ended up enjoying it.
Of course, if you haven’t heard many other instruments (or any you really like) you can’t choose this way. If that’s the case, I’d suggest finding a music store like Tower Records that has listening stations so you can listen to a sample or two before you buy. You could also try tuning in to your local classical station and listening for a couple hours. Those stations are pretty good about mentioning the composer and piece’s name; some even give a little background info.
I find I have trouble remembering which pieces are which. I like many classical pieces, but somehow the songs don’t distinguish themselves as well as the jazz, rock, and other music I listen to. Which is to say I know what classical music I like when I hear it, but I never know what to buy when I’m in the store.
It doesn’t help that the various composers have their work conducted and played by a plethora of artists whose interpretations make the same opus sound three ways different.
That said, listen to classical radio and write down the names of the ones you like!
Listening to clasical radio is excellent advice but I would suggest that you listen for an hour or so each day (or as often as you can) over a period of several weeks or longer. This will give you the opportunity to hear a wide range of selections by different composers performed by different artists. Stypticus makes a good point about writing down information about ones you really like.
My own preference is for symphonic works by Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Dvorak, Rimsky-Korsakov, just to name a few. You might decide to concentrate on a particular period or style. As AudreyK suggested you can get a pretty good idea by listening to selections at a good music store.
J. S. Bach: The Brandenburg Concertos - baroque era, chamber ensemble
Mozart: Clarinet Concerto - classical era, soloist with orchestra
Beethoven: Symphony #9 - early romantic era, orchestra with vocal soloists and chorus
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherezade - romantic era, large orchestra
Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) - early 20th century, large orchestra
Ravel: Concerto for the Left Hand - 20th century, soloist with orchestra
…and if you’re into Zappa, definitely track down Boulez’s Le Marteau Sans Maître and anything by Varèse.
I had a great reply written out going over the differences in the 4 eras and giving some pieces and composers for each but my browser crashed and now you get the credit Biffy, even to the point where you picked a lot of the same pieces i did. I might as well add my $.02 though.
A good place to start, odd as it may sound would be with the Fantasia Series by Disney. It gives a pretty good cross section from the different eras. Here’s a somewhat abbreviated version of my original post to help add a bit.
Baroque Era-Known for simple harmonies but multiple, very complex interweaving melodiy lines (counterpoint). Emphasis on small ensembles, string quartets, piano organ solos. A lot of sacred music but the beginning of prevalent secular compositions as well. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos are a good pick as s Handel’s Messiah.
Classical Era-More complex harmonic relationships than the Baroque era and a rather strict adherence to form and various “rules” of composition. There are nearly 100 pieces by Mozart to choose from in nearly every form and style. My favorites are the Clarinet Concerto and Don Giovanni. Haydn is another well-known composer from the era who wrote a number of excellent pieces.
Romantic Era- Began to stray from the strict form and style of the classical era. Music began to have a heavier emphasis on emotion. Comic Operas and music for large ensembles grew more popular. Beethoven’s 9th and 5th Symphonies, Verdi’s Aida and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and Nutcracker Suite are good pieces to look out for.
20th Century-Music began to grow a little weird and shot off in almost as many different directions as there were composers. In addition to **Biffy’s[/] suggestions let me add Stravinslky’s Firebird Suite, Holst’s The Planets and Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring as a shorter piece. If you want something a little less traditional you could check out Hindemith’s Symphonie fur Klarinette, Schwantner’s(sp?) Concerto for Percussion , and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.
The 20th century is where the Broadway Musical began, and some have some pretty good music. Don’t forget movie scores as well…One of my favorite composers of all time is John Williams. Sit back and listen to some of his works some time without the distraction of the movie and you may be amazed and some of the subtlties of his work (I know I was)
It probably goes without saying but always make sure to check out your local orchestra. As amazing as some of this music is recorded nothing can compare to hearing it (and sometimes feeling it) live.
Check out The Classical Music Archives. You can get free downloads every day or subscribe for a very reasonable fee and download all you want. The Archives are HUGE and well worth the subscription.
I’m going to recommend radio, as well. Most classical stations provide commentary on the pieces they are playing, at least for some portion of the day.
Baltimore, itself, has WBJC 95.1 FM for both internet and when you’re away from the internet.
From my neck of the woods, Kent State University provides classical on WKSU (available on the internet) from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily, 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and all day Sunday. The daily 9 - 3 program plays mostly shorter selections (individual movements, and such) but accompanies those with good commentary. The Sunday and overnight programs provide a little less commentary, but tend to play entire symphonies.
Oh! One reason I pointed out WKSU: they have a continuing scroll list of the pieces they are playing, including the composer, the conductor, and the orchestra, so if you hear a good piece and miss the DJs commentary, you can look it up right away. WBJC, as several other stations, posts the play list on the following day.
I came to the conclusion while performing Schwantner’s Percussion Concerto (I’m a clarinetist and was spared having to be the soloist thank goodness) that a lot of modern day music was written more as a challenge for the performers than as something for the audience to enjoy. It is an exceptionally difficult piece to play being almost entirely in nonstandard times with the signatures changing after a maximum of maybe 8 measures. It is also almost as difficult to listen to as it is to perform.
That being said there are a lot of wonderful modern day compositions if you look through the past few decades, especially if you look at concert and symphonic band which is a relatively new ensemble type. Frank Tichelli, David Holsinger, and Robert W. Smith write some beautiful music. A little older and you get DeMeij (listen to his Lord of the Rings Suite) and a few others who’s names escape me but I will post should I recall them
Also in the realm of modern-day music that is not to be missed would be PDQ Bach. There is a bit of explanation into this as the aforementioned composer does not exist but is a Pseudonym for one Peter Schickele (who has a number of wonderful “serious pieces”). He is what could be called the “Weird Al” of the classical world. His pieces as PDQ are spoofs on various styles of classical music. Sometimes he parodies a particular piece (Eine Kleine Nichtmusik is hilarious) and sometimes he writes his own pieces as parodies of a style. Some noteable pieces by him are Sonata for Two Unfriendly Groups of Instruments, March of the Cute Little Woodsprites, The Unbegun Symphony, and Tocatta et Fuga Obnoxia. One of his common themes is to invent instruments (google “tromboon” “left handed sewage flute” and “double-reed slide music stand”) and pieces that are comedic in their performance. Of the last style there is a piece wrth looking up…I do not recall the name of it but it is a basson concerto in which the accompanist is late for the performance…the performer is required to play both his part and the piano accompaniment (quite a sight to see as well :D)
At least at first. I love Classical music and know it well, but to be honest half the stuff on the Classical stations is either dull or annoying. The problem is that “Classical” music comprises several centuries, multiple cultures, and extremely varied styles. Some is attractive immediately, some takes time to appreciate, and some will never appeal to your taste.
If you draw an analogy to Popular music - just think of differences between Doris Day, The Ramones and Bluegrass!
Meros’s summary is very important - it’s a guide to where your tastes might initially lie. Pick up some “Greatest Hits” cd’s as well as the “Biggies”, e.g. Beethoven’s Fifth, Dvorak’s “New World” symphony, Mozart Piano Concertos, etc. All the suggestions in previous posts are excellent.
You have to be open minded, and give all these pieces a few listens. There is a reason why they have survived over hundreds of years!
That depends on the station, entirely. When I moved to Cleveland, I seriously missed Detroit’s Classical station (since destroyed to be one more top 40s filler) because Cleveland’s WCLV was exactly as you have described. In recent years, however, WCLV has brightened up quite a bit–and there are a lot of stations that have never been dull or annoying. With the internet available, one need not put up with dull or annoying radio–simply surf to another provider. I still hold that the commentary on the good stations provides a decent introduction for someone who has not been listening for a long time.
