Some advice about classical music needed

Originally posted by Melusine: quote: Originally posted by Aviendha: This is where you need Melusine. She's the classical music expert of IW.

Erm... no. Not at all actually. [/QUOTE]Sorry Mel, I thought you were up on these things. Well you sure know more than the average person! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Epona]

Originally posted by Melusine: Carl Orff's Carmina Burana Shostakovich's Fifth or Seventh Symphony (Leningrad) Mussorgsky's Night on the Bare Mountain

Good call Melusine, I love those too!

[Melusine]

Originally posted by Aviendha: Sorry Mel, I thought you were up on these things. Well you sure know more than the average person! [img]smile.gif[/img]

No problem! I just wouldn't call myself an expert

[Staralfur]

Thankyou for all the suggestions. My university has quite a good CD library, so I will have a browse next week and pick a few out.

Originally posted by Melusine: If you're just getting into classical music, I could name some 'easy listening' - more accessible music.

'easy listening' would be good, so if you have some more suggestions I'd be glad to see them.

[Moiraine]

Many good ideas have already been said here. Maybe a little chronology would help you choose as well :

The oldest classical composers already mentionned are : Bach, Haëndel, Haydn, Vivaldi, Purcell, ... (Before that, we have almost no written music). That would be roughly 17th century - beginning of the 18th century. That's what's called truly "classical" music.

Mozart is at a turn (2nd part of the 18th century) because he was a precursor, his music prefigures already the next century. He was a genius - though, as he was constantly running for money, not all of his work is top standard - I wouldn't advise listening to many of his symphonies in a row. [img]smile.gif[/img] But his Requiem is a gem.

The 19th century is the century of "romantic music". Started with Beethoven - his 9 symphonies are all gems. After, you have, in no particular order, Chopin and Liszt (piano music), Schubert, Brahms, Rachmaninov, Tchaïkowski, Mendelssohn, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaïkovski, Grieg, Mussorgsky, Wagner, ...

First half of the 20th century has a lot of what I would call "expressionist music" (it's no the real word, but that kind of music always reminds me of the expressionist paintings of Monet, Manet, ...). Here you have : Debussy, Ravel, Fauré, ...

You also have the Eastern-european music, inspired from folklore, with composers like Bartok.

Gershwin is also a must, he is a world all by himself. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I have a fondness for Schubert, Chopin, Bartok and Debussy. But that's just me ... [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 05-10-2002, 02:57 PM: Message edited by: Moiraine ]

[Staralfur]

Originally posted by Moiraine: Many good ideas have already been said here. Maybe a little chronology would help you choose as well : The oldest classical composers already mentionned are : Bach, Haëndel, Haydn, Vivaldi, Purcell, ... (Before that, we have almost no written music). That would be roughly 17th century - beginning of the 18th century. That's what's called truly "classical" music. Mozart is at a turn (2nd part of the 18th century) because he was a precursor, his music prefigures already the next century. He was a genius - though, as he was constantly running for money, not all of his work is top standard - I wouldn't advise listening to many of his symphonies in a row. [img]smile.gif[/img] But his Requiem is a gem. The 19th century is the century of "romantic music". Started with Beethoven - his 9 symphonies are all gems. After, you have, in no particular order, Chopin and Liszt (piano music), Schubert, Brahms, Rachmaninov, Tchaïkowski, Mendelssohn, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaïkovski, Grieg, Mussorgsky, Wagner, ... First half of the 20th century has a lot of what I would call "expressionist music" (it's no the real word, but that kind of music always reminds me of the expressionist paintings of Monet, Manet, ...). Here you have : Debussy, Ravel, Fauré, ... You also have the Eastern-european music, inspired from folklore, with composers like Bartok. Gershwin is also a must, he is a world all by himself. [img]smile.gif[/img] I have a fondness for Schubert, Chopin, Bartok and Debussy. But that's just me ... [img]smile.gif[/img]

Wow!!! Thanks, I am hopeless at rememebering what happened when, so this has made the history of it a whole lot clearer.

I've got my hands on some Bach; mainly because I've played some of his pieces, so I knew what to expect. I might have another browse later in the week.

[Moiraine]

[/QB]Originally posted by Staralfur: Wow!!! Thanks, I am hopeless at rememebering what happened when, so this has made the history of it a whole lot clearer. I've got my hands on some Bach; mainly because I've played some of his pieces, so I knew what to expect. I might have another browse later in the week.[/QB]

You are welcome ! [img]smile.gif[/img] That was just a sketchy history line, anyway. If you want precisions about specific composers, just ask. [img]smile.gif[/img]