Let me start by saying that I know very little about classical music outside of the big names, and their major works. I'm not sure why I never took more time to learn about it.
Today, I caught a good friend sitting near a pond at my school listening to "Soave Sia Il Vento" from Mozart's opera "Cosi Fan Tutte." I wasn't going to disturb her, but she invited me to listen along with her. Honestly, I've never been more entranced by something (We listened to some more music, but I didn't dare break the silence to ask what each song was). After I finished classes I had work soon after, but when I got home I started combing the internet for classical music, and opera (I've actually become quite fond of opera pieces like "Habanera"). After maybe an hour of doing some reading and compiling an OK list of music I realized I hadn't even begun to scratch the surface. I'm here asking you wonderful human beings to give me literally all of the recommendations you possibly can, and maybe some resources on where to really learn more about the music. Anything you like, love, or feel is a necessity I want it. I think next semester I'm going to try to take a class focused on classical music or opera(Not to perform, but to learn the history and stuff).
EDIT: Ok so I have a 50 hour 17 minute long playlist. I'm gonna work my way through this over the next month or so. I want it to be a gradual process rather than just listening to one after another. I'm gonna report back in a month or so about my experience, the research I've done, and what I learned along the way.
You should look up a brief history of 'classical' music, because what is colloquially termed 'classical' includes a broad range of eras and styles. Mozart is true classical music (later, as opposed to Bach who pretty much started classical music, as opposed to early and Renaissance music, although it is really more of gradual shift). Beethoven on the other hand, the latest of the big three, is a Romantic composer. I think the best way to describe the difference is that Romantic pieces are 'showier.' Romanticism developed into various styles and substyles, which has continued to today. If you want a good guide to the technical aspects, Aaron Copeland wrote a book titled How to Listen to Music. Included is one of the best guides to the essential pieces. Here's a list of my personal recommendations as they come to mind: 1. Aaron Copeland -Appalachian Spring 2. Aaron Copeland- Lincoln Portrait 3. Dvorak-Symphony From the New World 4. Leonard Bernstein-Candid (whole opera, hilarious. On a side note, watch him conduct it. He doesn't really conduct, he just stands on the podium and dances. He's a genius.) 5. Shostakovich-Leningrad Symphony 6. Stravinsky- Firebird 7. Stravinsky-Rite of Spring 8. Mussorgsky-Pictures at an Exhibition 9. Handel-Water Music 10. Holst-The Planets 11. Vivaldi-The Seasons 12. Mussorgsky-Night on Bald Mountain 13. Gershwin-Symphony in Blue 14. Beethoven-Moonlight Sonata 15. Ives-Variations on America 16. Grieg-Peer Gynt 17. Sibelius-Finlandia 18. Tchaikovsky-1812 Overture (preferably with cannons) 19. Tchaikovsky-Swan Lake 20. Tchaikovsky-Sleeping Beauty 21. Tchaikovsky-The Nutcracker 22. Tchaikovsky-Symphony No. 6 23. Wagner- Entire Ring Cycle 24. Wagner-Siegfried Idyll 25. Schubert-Unfinished Symphony 26. Handel-Messiah 27. Stravinsky-Mass 28. Mozart-Requiem 29. Haydn-Symphony No. 94 (not a typo, he wrote a ton) 30. Debussy-Syrinx 31. Debussy-Claire de Lund 32. Debussy-La Mer 33. William Schuman-New England Triptych 34. All of Sousa's marches 35. Dukas-The Sorcerer's Apprentice 36. Strauss-Waltz Danube 37. Strauss-Also Sprach Zarathustra I run out of steam there. The problem with remembering the amazing pieces is that they may have number names, and then it's just not going to happen for me. Obviously, I have a bias. Syrinx is only on there because I play flute. Russians are e extremely over-represented. I don't love the Big Three, and I detest Chopin, so they're pretty absent. But, hopefully based on some of these, you can find what you like. Given more time, I could triple this list pretty easily, but it's late, and bed is calling. Enjoy!
Late to the game here but... everyone listens to and knows classical music to some extent even if they do not realize it. Beethovens 5th and Also Sprach Zarathustra are prime examples. I have noticed that newbies often find Baroque tunes most easily accessible. Go for Baroque! BTW I find it interesting that you listed 2 Copland's but not Fanfare for the Commom Man.
That was an oversight on my part. It wasn't a comprehensive list by any means (I didn't even start on modern symphonic band pieces, which are what I know best). I'm a little biased against Fanfare because they played it the year before I joined the upper level band at my school, and so I missed it. I did get to play Lincoln Portrait though. Anyone of those three (plus Rodeo) really cement Copeland as one of the top American composers. I'd say Sousa and him are tied for first in my opinion.
I assumed so. Understandable. One of the embarrassing stories my Mother tells about me is about when she walked into the living room and I was lying on the floor with Tchaikovsky blaring when I was about 5. She turned it down and asked me what I was doing. I said I was listening to God. I still believe that. Assume list. I certain did not mean to be critical.
Nobody here is leading you wrong. nathank rightly points out that classical music is execution-dependent. I'll go one further: Classical music is intended to be experienced live, within an acoustic environment where each instrument is its own emitter, arranged in physical space to provide an immersive, memorable event. You will find a symphony orchestra in your town, or near it. They will have been rehearsing whatever it is you're paying them to play for weeks and weeks, and they will all of them be having a ripping good time. And the simple act of showing up under the age of 70 will be regarded as mind-blowingly cool by them (so long as you don't hold up a lighter or hoot at the top of your lungs). You should go. Don't be afraid to go alone, because, as mentioned, people under 70 who like to go to the symphony are kind of a rare breed. But what you'll find, if you hang out after the reception, is A) they eat gourmet food B) they let wine flow freely C) They're rich AF and if you get to know them you just leap-frogged several social classes as far as hiring prospects are concerned The above also applies to opera. Although opera is more expensive to go to. You may find that they give discounted tickets to dress rehearsals. This is how I'd managed to watch over a dozen performances by the time I was sixteen. By all means - listen. Listen on headphones, listen in your car, listen on your phone, listen wherever. But if you're looking for recommendations, I recommend you go see the stuff live.
I've collected a large playlist, but at the very same time i've also got in touch with my friends who study opera, and my friends who are classically trained musicians. I'm very excite to engross myself in the music and the culture. Thanks for the recommendation of a different kind i didn't know about how accessible the opera might be. Gonna spend the next month learning and hopefully seeing a few performances.
I completely agree. I've mostly given up on buying/collecting recorded pieces and save my classical music money for live performances. They are infinitely better than virtually any recorded piece. And you are also right about the age thing, I usually feel like I'm visiting an old folks home when I go to the concerts. I hope local orchestras find a financially viable way to continue to have live performances in the next 20-30 years.
But be careful what you wish for. It was only one week, but VNV Nation was #4 for that one week.
There is a lot to dislike about VNV, but I have to say, every time I have seen them they have been exactly what you would expect a VNV Nation show to be like having only heard an album. It would have been next to impossible for them to let me down, but all the same, they did not let me down.
VNV played a club I installed. I showed up to see them and showed Ronan some pictures I got of him at a previous show (they're pretty good; I may dig them up). Ronan was appreciative and asked for copies. Then it was revealed that VNV's monitor mixer was sick; could I mix monitors? Well, sure. It's been a long day (I was on a deadline at work, had probably put in 12 hours of AutoCAD) but it's my rig, why not. Fortunately VNV had a "helper" who could help wrangle the stage. Unfortunately "helping" meant the mutherfucker disconnected every single cable and rearranged them so they'd look better. Yeah. We did a soundcheck and VNV's "helper" essentially reset everything to zero. Here, figure out a monitor mix, live, on the fly, in front of 700 people. Guess who Ronan yelled at, all night, over the PA, to the audience? Was it the "helper" that completely fucked their show? Or was it the guy who showed up as a fan on 4 hours of sleep and was working for free to do them a favor? Best part is I had it all on Minidisc. I kept it for a long time. Then I realized nobody cared but me, myself and I and I let it go. But I would still happily punch Ronan Harris in the face again and again and again.
Since you dig Opera (which I'll grab from the famous ones), and since you started with Mozart, which is considered "High Classical" music (late 18th early 19th century), I'm gonna give you some recommendations based on those two things. Mozart's other famous Operas are a great place to start: Don Giovanni - Mozart Le Nozzi Di Figaro - Mozart Die Zauberflöte - Mozart --- Otello - Giuseppe Verdi Aida - Verdi Messiah - G.F Handel (this is technically an Oratorio, but Handel desperately wanted to compose opera) Symphonies no. 100-104 - Haydn Symphonies no. 3,5,7,8,9 - Beethoven (love 6 as I do, it's not as accessible as the others. 9 is on this list exclusively for the last movement - It's a long-ass symphony so start there) Turandot - Puccini Madame Butterfly - Puccini Carmen - Bizet Sinfonia Concertante for Viola and Double Bass - Carl Dittersdorf Bass Concerto - J.B. Vanhal Check some of that stuff out. I love earlier (Baroque) and Later (Romantic) more than High Classical, but It's all great. Enjoy.
Thanks for the recommendations in regards to the opera. My interest in it really came out of nowhere. I've always had the deepest respect for the art, but it wasn't until recently that I've really begun to take more of an active interest in it. Thanks for the rest of the recommendations I will be spending my entire weekend assembling a very long playlist to begin my journey.
Welcome to the incredibly diverse and actually “unscratchable” world of classical music. Seriously, there’s just so much that you will never run out of something new to listen to! One thing to realize when you start out is that different conductors/musicians can greatly change the overall experience of a song due to things like the way it’s played or the speed it’s played at. Beethoven’s 5th symphony sounds very different from these two conductors and orchestras Karajan vs Klemperer. So if you find yourself greatly disliking a particular piece, try listening to it with a different musician, or conductor, or orchestra, etc it can make a HUGE difference. I’ve thrown together a quick list of some of my favorites from the “big 3” plus a few others to get you started. There’s just so much out there, that these kinds of lists could go on and on depending on what you like. Any of these pieces could lead you to additional pieces by the same composer or to composers from the same era of which there are many in both cases. Mozart Clarinet concerto Gran Partida Marriage of Figaro Opera Great mass in C Flute and harp concerto Beethoven 6th symphony 7th symphony 5th piano Bach cello suites The Well-Tempered Clavier Chopin nocturnes Dvorak 9th symphony Glass The Hours Here’s another interesting webpage with a tiny bit of background and some suggestion lists I found useful in my early days of classical music discovery. Have fun!
My favs are the composers of tone poems....even tho I mention particular pieces go for the name, see what they wrote ...in all cases read the story the music tells then listen. Some stories are obvious just in the title of what they wrote.: Richard Strauss (fuggidabout Johann) Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition (he was a banker during the day) Respighi Ravel Debussy ...and many other tone poem composers
Very late to the party here, but this is done my American Public Media. Pick a mood or genera and they will generate a playlist for you. I've been impressed with it so far.
I only have a few classical pieces on my iPod, but this one has to be one of my favourites - L. M. Gottschalk's "The Banjo" :
https://open.spotify.com/user/saintcanice/playlist/4E8YTUuAosoBJ2P6JzOLpj Here's a little shorty for ya (Bach's Partita no.2 has already been linked here, but I prefer this recording).
I particularly enjoy Dvorak's symphonies, my favorite being 7 and 8. I also enjoy Prokofiev specifically Lt. Kije, and his Suite for 3 Oranges. I second all recommendations to break down the very broad category "classical music" into its component eras, explore each, and start to figure out which ones you like. I am not very big on Mozart for instance. That doesn't mean I don't think he is brilliant but I kind of find Mozart boring. If you are attending a university odds are very good that uni has a music school or department. If so, then odds are extremely favorable that the uni music department hosts regular music performances, maybe as frequently as on a weekly basis or more. (When I was a music major we were required to attend x many concerts every semester. To help us achieve this the uni had weekly performances/master classes/etc for free every Friday. I learned the most I've ever known about jazz, and gained a lot of respect for it, during one of those sessions. Every session was free.) Besides those performances (visiting musicians etc), you will have bands (symphonic, drum, brass, etc) that music students at the uni are a part of, which will put on their own performances throughout the year. In addition you will have junior and senior recitals (usually at the end of the school year) which are always free, open to the public, and have refreshments (sometimes free wine!) afterwards. On top of all that don't forget the chorus and vocalist performances. I think that if you sought out these experiences it could be a fun and cheap way to start listening to a lot of broadly considered "classical" music. Usually junior and senior recitals try to showcase each musicians' abilities and talents across genres so they will probably include pieces from multiple different eras or centuries. Keep the programs, draw stars next to the pieces you particularly like. I heartily encourage you to take a class on the history of classical music, I think you may find it really educating and satisfying for some of the questions and curiosity you seem to have.
You were spot on about the masters classes and performances. The music department is a whole other school, so I wasn't aware of just how many events they jave. To my delight I've found out they are actually performing "Cosi Fan Tutte" at the end of January which so far is a real favorite of mine. The only thing that really makes me sad is I graduate next semester and I feel like I've really missed so much. Working two jobs and going to school full-time robbed me a bit of these experiences. Well thank you for the recommendations, and I will hopefully use what time I have left to take advantage of these opportunities.
You may be able to attend for free as a local community member (depends on your uni) but that would be impacted by any work schedule you have. Yeah, since I was once a music major I get to know about a lot of cool resources generally available to those programs :) They should definitely have a class on the History of Western Music or something which would cover Classical, Baroque, Romantic, etc. Good luck, I am pleased that serendipity won the day and you will be able to see Cos Fan Tutte in person.
Hey? Does anyone know where the coffeesp00ns signal is? I could have sworn it was right next to the Bat Symbol, but for the life of me, I can't find it.
It's the purple phone in the top left drawer. It's behind the bubble wrap.
Please see Hubski user Owl's badges. You will find some fantastic classical music references. PS, you are welcome :-)