# Is 'classical' music relevant to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 26, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217 "2011-08-26T20:30:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/21 "2011-08-27T00:12:33Z")
My iPod, too, is chock full of Vivaldi, Strauss, Gottschalk, Gilbert & Sullivan, Bach . . . . . as well as Eddie Cantor, Spike Jones, Helen Kane, and Dorothy Shay, The Park Avenue Hillbilly . . . ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/22 "2011-08-27T00:17:16Z")
Yes. I occasionally pull out my classical CDs, but I do have them and they do get the odd listen. Plus, I have this… > [@Peremensoe](#): > > How about [KDFC 90.3 FM](http://www.kdfc.com/pages/9298684.php)? …programmed on my car radio and it gets the occasional listen as well during commutes. I’d say it is about a relevant to me as, say, Bluegrass or Cajun. I don’t listen to it often, but I do listen to it and appreciate it when I do. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/23 "2011-08-27T01:06:58Z")
Classical music is one type of music I like, especially when I want to listen something complex. ---
**Author:** ![ecoaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/85e7bf/32.png) [@ecoaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ecoaster)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/24 "2011-08-27T03:02:16Z")
Listen to J. P. Rameau if you want to see the evocative and stunningly mesmerizing beauty of French Baroque. If [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2QfGSIRZFc&feature=related) doesn’t do anything for you or [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ0x2RSExYI)or [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMHqb_LDdNc&feature=related), then what else can? ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/25 "2011-08-27T03:07:21Z")
I am listening to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony right now (First Movement). I have a Beethoven selection on Grooveshark. I love that old Ludwig Van. ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/26 "2011-08-27T04:11:56Z")
It’s very relevant to me. I grew up in a musical family although different members had different preferences. I grew to love jazz, blues and rock through my mother and grandfather who was a piano player and swing band leader and grew to love classical just as much from my father. I listen to classical radio all day at work ([CBC Radio 2](http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/) or [Classical 94.5](http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wned/arts.artsmain)) and often on my own time. I’m currently working my way through Schubert’s piano sonatas, trios, quartets, etc. Much of it is achingly beautiful but often with mournful undertones and punctuated by sometimes clamorous passages. I’ve also recently been obsessed with Ravel’s solo piano works, particularly Les Mirroirs. And, of course, Beethoven is a god. I spent last sunday aft. watching a DVD of Herbert Von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic playing Beethoven’s 9th (1968). The direction was stark and minimalist with many, many closeups only pulling back to a somewhat wider view in the last half of the 4th mvt to show just how large the chorus was. The camera work really pulled me in quite effectively and I was enthralled for the entire length of the piece. Although part of that might have been due to the nifty soundtrack. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/27 "2011-08-27T04:15:16Z")
> [@ecoaster](#): > > Listen to J. P. Rameau if you want to see the evocative and stunningly mesmerizing beauty of French Baroque. Rameau’s _Pièces de Clavecin_ (for solo harpsichord) is one of my very favorite non-JS Bach pieces. I especially like Albert Fuller’s 60’s recording, long out of print. . ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/28 "2011-08-27T07:39:13Z")
Is there a difference between music being “relevant to me” and my liking a type or piece of music? I’m not sure I understand your terms. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/29 "2011-08-27T08:28:57Z")
Apart from movie scores, I had a friend who was a clarinettist for a small orchestra, and he used to play, both in real life and on CD, lots of classical music which until then I had never heard, as well as a few familiar pieces. Though I’m far from anything of an aficionado, I did gain an appreciation for it from that exposure. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/30 "2011-08-27T10:46:15Z")
I like it and listen to it about as often as I do any other sort of music. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/31 "2011-08-27T11:42:51Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Just this week I was trying to identify a classical melody so I went through all 250 at [Top 250 Classical Music Songs 250 - 241](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHZ4e_5S1iI) and following until I located the one I was after. Next time, save yourself the trouble and use [Musipedia](http://www.musipedia.org/). You can search for a melody by whistling it into your microphone, tapping the rhythm on your keyboard, typing in the musical countour of rising and falling pitches, and many other very simple ways. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/32 "2011-08-27T15:31:41Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > > [@Zeldar](#): > > > > Just this week I was trying to identify a classical melody so I went through all 250 at Top 250 Classical Music Songs 250 - 241 and following until I located the one I was after. I was amazed how many (and also how few) I know by name. But I can honestly say there’s not a one that I dislike. > > Next time, save yourself the trouble and use [Musipedia](http://www.musipedia.org/). You can search for a melody by whistling it into your microphone, tapping the rhythm on your keyboard, typing in the musical countour of rising and falling pitches, and many other very simple ways. That’s a nice link to have for the next time I need to find something that I know well enough to whistle or hum. I’ve tried others like that one with poor results, based, I must assume, on a pretty weak catalog of tunes I would be interested in. In this particular case, I couldn’t remember enough of the tune to whistle it, but I did know its overall sound and mood. If it makes any difference, it turned out to be [Egyptian Triumphal march . Verdi - Aida Opera - HD](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_NRazjCiG4) and all I really had in my mind’s ear were graduation melodies, and I knew it wasn’t “Pomp and Circumstance.” ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/33 "2011-08-27T16:08:09Z")
Definitely relevant, although I don’t listen to it very often and don’t know as much about it as I should. As a youngster I struggled through quite a few years of classical piano instruction…hated it at the time, and this may have turned me off to something that I should have appreciated more. It is interesting that quite often when I delve into the personal history of my favorite musicians of any genre…rock, pop, folk or whatever…the ones that I like the best usually turn out to have had an early background in classical music. This tells me that a contemporary musician is probably better for having studied classical, even if he/she never actually plays it. The same could be said of any artist. A painter will paint better pictures if he/she has studied the masters. A writer will write better for having some knowledge of classical literature. SS ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/34 "2011-08-27T16:47:43Z")
If “relevant” means near-daily listening (mostly at work), then sure classical is relevant (though it’s a bit less than a third of my overall music collection). If it’s got a good beat and you can dance to it, doesn’t matter where it came from. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/35 "2011-08-27T17:41:16Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > How about [KDFC 90.3 FM](http://www.kdfc.com/pages/9298684.php)? KDFC is effectively dead. They moved their signal from 102.1 to 90.3 as part of their transition for a commercial station to a public station and now they can’t be heard south of San Francisco/Oakland. It doesn’t reach at all into Silicon Valley anymore. I used to listen to it on my commute to work, but I can’t now. See the details here: [http://www.kdfc.com/pages/9075228.php](http://www.kdfc.com/pages/9075228.php) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/36 "2011-08-27T17:49:00Z")
Yes, pieces by Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven, Rossinni, Wagner, and Shostakovich are as relevant as anyting done today. I love to see live opera. My default station at home is WFIU-FM, 103.7, the station of Indiana University. ---
**Author:** ![monkeylucifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@monkeylucifer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monkeylucifer)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/37 "2011-08-27T17:50:15Z")
When I read I need to have some type of music playing in the background. Half the time it is classical, but sometimes it is Ambient/Electronica. [Grooveshark](http://grooveshark.com/#/) is great for free classical music. I use it a lot for background music when reading digital comics. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/38 "2011-08-27T18:03:17Z")
Not only do I like classical music all by itself (Bach especially), I’m also very aware of how it’s used by and has influenced many rock and metal bands. If you can appreciate Opeth, for instance, it’s nearly impossible to not be able to like classical music. ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/39 "2011-08-27T21:57:07Z")
Yes, I’m a musicology student. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217/40 "2011-08-28T14:24:54Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > Is there a difference between music being “relevant to me” and my liking a type or piece of music? > I’m not sure I understand your terms. I also think ‘relevant’ is an odd way to describe music. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-classical-music-relevant-to-you/594217.md?page=3)