Classical Music

Could not find a thread for one of the oldest musical genres in the world, so I'm remedying the situation. And yes, I do mean classical music as a genre, not just the period from 1750-1820 for which certain composers are particularly well known. Although I suppose if I really wanted to be specific, I could just call the thread Western Art Music and be done with it.

So have at it. Have a favorite composer? Favorite piece? Prefer opera to all this symphonic stuff? Think Schoenberg was right? Or maybe you prefer the Romantic period like most normal people...

I'm working on it.

I personally like Rhapsody in Blue, but then again it may be because it's jazzier than most classical pieces.

Rhapsody in Blue is a favorite.

Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D minor is probably my favorite classical piece, although my It Just Awes Me thread for it didn't get much response. Hrm.

I also like a lot of Chopin.

no one will notice that I changed this

I know nil about Classical. Are we talking about the actual genre or using it as an umbrella term for "anything that exists outside the canon of popular music"?

I like Phil Glass.

I spread my wings and I learn how to fly....

I was thinking of a genre, but I guess it depends on what you think is outside the canon of popular music. As far as I'm aware there are 3 types of music really: Popular, Folk, and Classical/Western Art Music. The difference between classical and the rest, is that classical is usually commissioned by the upper class and is a written tradition. As compared to folk and popular which are usually oral traditions. Is there anything you can think of that you're wondering is considered classical or not? I'm open for the discussion, afterall.

Bach's my favorite composer myself, and I agree that the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is awesome (though there's actually some debate over whether it was really written by Bach, or a kind of Bach cover-band). Some of my favorites from his works are the Bach Double, the Chaconne from his D Minor Partita No. 2 for Solo Violin, and the Prelude from his E Major Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin... can you guess that I'm a violinist by the way?

And I agree on Philip Glass as well. Love his symphonies, though Einstein on the Beach kinda makes me wanna laugh.

I'm working on it.

Baroque music is superior! *shakes fist*

I like Tchaikovsky's "Marche Slave" and Saint-Säens' "Carnival of the Animals", though.

Glass is cool but I can't listen to him for terribly long all at once. A bit repetitive.

edited 5th Nov '10 10:40:56 AM by Tzetze

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I'm a massive fanboy for Choral Music, especially that of the Rennaissance, the Romantic period (Faure, Verdi and Bruckner especially) and the 'Holy Minimalism' movement (Part, Gorecki, Tavener). I also like Impressionism, Olivier Messiaen and Leonard Bernstein.

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Bach? Bach bores me to death. As do most other baroque composers.

I like the romantic period, as well as impressionism and early modern. Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel, Schönberg, etc.

I've listened to most of the Requiem Mass in D Minor, and a couple of songs by Pierre Boulez, and not much else.

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I think that Western music  ^*

could be more accurately divided into four categories: classical, folk, popular and OST (film, TV and video game score). OST music sometimes gets lumped in with popular or classical music, but it has elements of both and isn't really either.

I'll admit, I'm not a huge classical listener, and my experience of the tradition is mostly limited to the Classical period through to the present day. With the exception of Vivaldi, who I like, the older stuff sounds pretty samey to my ears, although I've no doubt I'd like it more if I were more accustomed to it.

Favourite composers in or related to the tradition: Mozart, Saint-Saëns, Beethoven, Cage, Gershwin, Tchaikovsky, Glass, Ligeti, Grieg, Adams, Mussorgsky, Satie, Chopin, Emilie Autumn, Roger Waters (last two probably don't count but whatever, they are in the tradition).

edited 5th Nov '10 11:22:25 PM by BobbyG

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Some of Swan Lake, The Planets, Saint-Saens in general, Scheherazade, Gymnopedies and Gnossiennes, Liebestraum No.3, the Knight's dance in Prokofiev's version of Romeo and Juliet, Dvorak's Symphony No.9, Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor, some of the Nutcracker.

That's all I've got.

Tumblr here.

I keep meaning to check out more by Prokofiev; I've generally liked what I've heard of his.

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A lot of "classical" music was OSTs, at the time, of course... the modern stuff has more variety of influences, but you could contrast different time periods in the classical tradition the same way. As You Know

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Well, I think the distinction is how it's published. Broadly speaking, classical music is scored, popular music is recorded. OST is the latter, and it's usually targeted at a popular audience, and it tends to take on board popular influences as well as classical ones. Furthermore, classical music is usually sold on the strength of the composer, popular music on the strength of the performer, and OST on the strength of the work.

Of course, a lot of classical music is recorded nowadays and popular music does influence classical music, so the distinction is pretty murky, but I think it can be made.

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Those differences are due entirely to time, though. If they could have used recordings instead of scores and performers back then, they woulda. Cheaper. And of course the composers get credit back then, that's always how we judge old stuff compared to new stuff.

Which is not to say that there isn't a distinction in how they're observed. And of course as I said there's obviously even some distinction in what they're like. No way you could pull off 'Growing Wings' in 1838

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When you say observed... I think the biggest distinction nowadays is probably how they're typically consumed. Is that what you mean? Like, old play soundtracks tend to be consumed as a piece of classical music, whereas modern OSTs are primarily consumed in conjunction with a film, TV show or video game.

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Right, exactly.

Nobody listened to opera music by itself back in the day, is what I mean.

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No, fair point.

Although, you would still go to an opera for the music. Opera is basically the high brow equivalent to the stage musical, rather than film/TV/game score, where the music is a secondary attraction to the work itself and in the background.

They're fairly artificial distinctions, so it's not like it matters very much.

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uhhuh

And I'm listening to video game music from a game I've never played right now anyway. ^_^

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I may not be the biggest fan of classical music. But thanks to Neon Genesis Evangelion, I greatly enjoy Beethooven's Ode To Joy.

Other pieces I like are Air On AG String by Bach and some of Mozart's music.

There's also this Russian guy called Giorgi Sivridov if I remember correctly, whose music inspired what is now known as the Metal Gear Solid Main Theme

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When it comes to classical my favourites are Stravinsky and Bartók, though I'm also a big fan of Bach's cello suites, anything Chopin and Beethoven ever did and Saint-Saëns' "Danse Macabre". The "Death Waltz by John Stump has been amusing me for awhile now too.

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I'm recently obsessed with New World Symphony.

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.

I like Holst's The Planets suite, and a lot of Wagner's stuff too.

But classical music generally lacks the strong percussion I like in my music.

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NWS has awesome drums (or whatever you call it).

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.

www.NWS.edu - great band!

percussion? we've got concertos!