Hello! As you can see this is my first time posting on this forum, although I have spent a lot of time browsing. I am not entirely sure this is the right forum to post it in, so I’ll beg for forgiveness after the thrashing of the moderators is over… 
Anywho, I don’t quite know what this classifies as, but I am absolutely in love with Ave Maria. And, I am wondering if there are any other “songs” that one would recommend in this genre. I would Google it, but it seems a tad bit difficult if you don’t know either Italian or French.
Hello and welcome!
Classical music is not my forte (ha!), but I can tell you that Ave Maria is not an opera. An opera tells a story in song, and the AM is something that stands alone.
I’m assuming you’ve been listening to the Schubert version. Schubert was known for writing Lieder (wiki link) or “art songs.” I think Ave Maria is more like this, and maybe looking at some of those composers (including Schubert himself) would be fruitful for you.
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No thrashing, but this really does belong in Cafe Society.
Welcome, Morath! Glad to have you here. Please read the forum descriptions so you know where things go. That way you won’t have to throw yourself on our mercy.
I’ll be more than happy to move it for you.
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I don’t really have an answer for you, but I can tell you that “Ave Maria” is not specific enough. There are many, many works of that name. You will need a composer to get more – and if you can get that, then you’ll get more help from people in general.
Hi Morath! You may also be listening to the Gounod “Ave Maria,” which is also pretty famous (and gorgeous).
If you like either one, you may enjoy lieder – as the rather appropriately named MerryMagdelen mentions. Schubert had a massive output for a guy with such a short life, so there’s lots to choose from. If you like something a bit heavier, Richard Strauss’s songs tend to be lusher and a bit more meaty than Schubert’s. Schumann is kind of on the cusp between the two.
But most of my favorite art songs are French, such those by Gabriel Fauré. Actually just about everything he wrote is achingly lovely. Look for “En Priere,” “Pie Jesu” (from his Requiem), or … hey, here’s a choral example: Cantique de Jean Racine performance, courtesy Wikipedia. Long intro via organ, then the chorus begins and … well, this piece never fails to make me cry. If you love either “Ave Maria,” you should like this.
If you’re looking to get into operas, I think the ideal gateway drug is Carmen, by Georges Bizet. Dramatic, romantic, sexy, and amazing music – what more could you ask for? Plus, you may be surprised at how much of the score you already know, since it’s one of the most ‘quoted’ operas in history.
Can share more about what you liked about “Ave Maria,” such as whether it was a male or female singer you heard? There’s so much wonderful music out there, it’s a joy to be able to share the love.
Two suggestions:
(1) Watch Amadeus (the movie). (Note: do NOT watch the “director’s cut”. It’s much worse than the shorter, but much better paced, theatrical cut.)
(2) Get a “greatest opera hits” CD of some sort. Sure, it’s a declasse thing to do. On the other hand, an hour of the best 7-or-8 minute opera clips is an hour of damn good music.
You know, I thought that Ave Maria wasn’t an opera, but I’ve always seen it portrayed (in I guess my mind’s eye… :dubious: ) as one. Thanks for the clarification. As you can tell, I have no clue when it comes to things of this nature.
As for the version, I definitely think it’s one of the many renditions in Schubert’s name (it’s in German if that helps…) It’s also sung by an amazingly crystal clear female voice. Unfortunately, the copy I have doesn’t say who, but it’s the one I have always heard in the mainstream media.
Anywho, I think what I like most about it are the notes/chords/whatever you want to call them. They’re so beautiful and graceful, and yet, at the same time, they’re also powerful and moving. Not too sure if that made a whole lot of sense.
I am also looking to break into operas, but it is very easy to get lost in both the names and the languages that compose those names… Thanks for the suggestions, I’ll make sure to look into them…
By the way, choie… that link you provided was freakin’ awesome. 
*Sorry to have posted this in the wrong forum, but I didn’t even see the Cafe Society… I have no idea how on Earth I missed it seeing how I had to read it to get to the other one. :smack:
I’m so very glad you liked it, Morath. I’ve heard it a hundred times, sung it many times, and yet just listening to it now I still started crying. Beautiful music like this speaks right to the heart.
I second, third and fourth the recommendation of Amadeus. Besides being a terrific, funny yet poignant film, it’s like a guided tour through Mozart’s musical genius. Through the directing and screenplay we not only hear the music but we understand why this man’s music is so sublime. And if you loved Cantique de Jean Racine, the Requiem selections in the film will be right up your alley.
Going back to Schubert’s “Ave Maria,” I wonder if you might have been thinking of the term “aria” instead of “opera”? Consider an opera like a play where all speech is expressed through sung melodies; an aria is basically a monologue within that play. It’s an extended solo sung by a character – sort of a solliloquy or speech.
The main difference between an aria and a work like “Ave Maria” is simply that “AM” isn’t from an opera. It’s a song written on its own. Schubert did write a few operas but they’re not performed very often. BTW, other than Carmen, I think in general the most accessible operas are those by Giaccomo Puccini, especially La Boheme, which is also one helluva gorgeous score. And if you’d like a teaser of it, rent Moonstruck. The music’s sprinkled throughout the movie.
Anyway, as I said, if you enjoyed that song link, you’ll probably like much of the rest of Faure’s music. Try to find a recording with “Apres un Reve” and “En Priere,” they’re both so lovely. I know there are recordings of his Requiem coupled with the “Cantique de Jean Racine,” so you can own it (and maybe a better version than the somewhat tinny recording at that Wikipedia link). For an instrumental work, look for his Pavane.
Finally, here’s a sampler from a recording of religious-themed songs sung by the wonderful soprano Renee Fleming. You can sample the Gounod “Ave Maria” I mentioned in my first post (which is mostly based on a piano piece by Bach) – along with the Schubert version, plus some other moving pieces, including my favorites “Panis Angelicus,” “Abends will ich schlaben gehn” (from the opera Hansel und Gretel – yes, like the fairy tale – by Humperdink), and especially Faure’s “Pie Jesu,” from his Requiem. Lots of different styles represented here. And Fleming’s voice is effortless, sweet but rich.
Hope you like what you hear! 
Edited too late to add: in that sampler, the Gounod “Ave Maria” is the first clip, and the Schubert version is fourth. Just so you can tell which is which!
Morath, operetas and comic operas are often translated, as they’ve got a great deal of humor and that’s lost if you have to be reading it from the libretto. CDs and DVDs come with the libretto (not if you rent through netflix), usually in several languages.
You should be able to find versions of Strauss’ Der Fliedermaus (the bat) or Lehar’s Lustige Witwe (the Merry Widow) in English.
Both Carmen and The Merry Widow have movie versions (Carmen, with Rita Hayworth). While not " la Callas at La Scala," it’s a good introduction to the genre.
Back again!
You might like choral music - music that sort of tells a story in song, but without the sets and so much narrative.
Try Handel’s “Messiah” or the Christmas Oratorio by Heinrich Schutz which has got some beautiful examples of those chords/notes/harmonies you love but can’t quite explain.
Agreed that seeing a good movie version is a great intro, but I’m not sure the Rita Hayworth version is actually the best example – it’s more a translation of the original play without music (or at least without singing). Maybe go with the Francesco Rosi-directed Carmen from 1984, which has two powerhouse performances by Placido Domingo and Julia Migenes-Johnson. Both can sing, act and are sexy, too, which is important for this particular opera.
And there are lots of English-language operas or operettas (shorter, usually comic light operas) to try. Susannah by Carlisle Floyd and ]The Ballad of Baby Doe by Douglas Moore are both 20th century American operas with a traditional (i.e. melodic, not atonal or especially modern) operatic music style. But they’re still a bit far from Schubert’s “Ave Maria” so you might wait a bit before checking 'em out.
You left out the quintessential American opera, Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess.
Well, I was going for stuff that sounds more traditional classical music-inspired, rather than the blues/jazz/musical theater-influenced style that Gershwin uses. But P&B is a great and important work, so you’re certainly right, it should be included in any list of American operas.
Welcome, Morath! Lots of great suggestions for you already, so I’ll offer something more general.
It sounds like you’re at the “I’ve just realized I like classical vocal music and maybe opera” stage of the game. Since you’re not familiar with the usual suspects among the composers and musical works yet, I’d recommend that you just start seeking out concerts to attend, keeping in mind that you are bound to like some things and not others. After all, music is like film…there’s a huge variety, and fans of (in the case of film) “28 Days Later” won’t necessarily also like “Sophie’s Choice.” Find out who presents concerts and operas in your local area and check them out.
When you hear something you like, take note of what it is and then learn a little bit about it on the internet. Pretty soon you’ll be feeling much more comfortable and finding new things that you enjoy every day.
Also, there are loads of The Three Tenors albums.
There are the original Three tenors, the Irish Tenors, the Three Sopranos, the three tenors and a baby, etc. etc.
Did you like Moulin Rouge? It’s based on the Opera La Boheme. So you might like that.
As well as Mozart’s Requiem already referred to, you might try to find Verdi’s Requiem too – same words, but a very different musical setting, which is many ways is like grand opera rather than church music.
If you do have netflix, I highly recommend Zeffirelli’s version of La Traviata. It is beautiful and with the subtitles you will follow it fine. It’s got some fun group numbers as well as beautiful arias but best of all it’s accessible in this format. It’s just gorgeous.
As is Rent.
–They call me Mimi, er, gigi
What cold hands you have