Classical Music

[Mercutio]

Yes. For a good while when I first joined here I would automatically write Mercution. And Horation instead of Horation, too.

own compositions? No...well...I haven't ever written anything. If my brother let's me borrow his recording equipment I might record some stuff though (voice/piano, I'll have to make oboe and organ audition tapes for some colleges anyway).


EDIT: Horation. Hummph.

[Janny]

"And Horation instead of Horation, too."

Ahhh ha!

Is writing something you'd like to do? Or have to do when you get to college?

[Mercutio]

What kind of writing? Papers? Essays? Stories? On books? Compositions? Poetry? Song lyric type stuff?

to keep this on topic...is anyone here familiar with Carl Nielsen (Danish composer)?

[Fat middle]

Originally Posted by Mercutio

What kind of writing? Papers? Essays? Stories? On books? Compositions? Poetry? Song lyric type stuff?

to keep this on topic...is anyone here familiar with Carl Nielsen (Danish composer)?

I've listened some time ago to a couple of his symphonies and liked them, but I'm not familiar with them. I think that HB said he's listening to them lately.

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by The Witch-King of Angmar

I think to introduce someone to classical music you need to show someone the works of John Williams, you gotta love it.

I love John Williams' music

I have the soundtracks to...

Jurassic Park

Home Alone

All six Star Wars

Indy and the Raiders of ther lost ark, Last crusade

E.T.

Fiddler on the Roof (where he conducts, though there is a bit by him on there)

and I have the album "Yo Yo Ma plays the music of John Williams" that features a very good Cello Concerto. I dont listen to the soundtracks as much as I used to, mostly because it used to be all that I owned in the way of music, and I've listened to them a thousand times over plus. On occasion, I like to re-listen to all of "The Empire Strikes Back".
John Williams was my intro to classical music.

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by Fat middle

I've listened some time ago to a couple of his symphonies and liked them, but I'm not familiar with them. I think that HB said he's listening to them lately.

Yes, I checked out the first four of his symphonies from the library. I liked them so much it was torture to return them (and I'd rather not check them out again... I'm really bad at returning things on time, so I might as well buy them).
I do own his opera "Saul and David"

[Fat middle]

I'm engrossing my collection of CDs by Anne-Sophie von Otter. This time, Purcell's Dido & Aeneas and Mahler's Das Knaben Wundenhorn (this one with Thomas Quasthof and under Claudio Abbado) Both wonderful music and she's as splendid as ever

Who is John Rutter? I tried a search on edonkey and downloaded four little pieces, some of them from his Requiem. I liked them very much.

[Mercutio]

He's an English, Anglican, 20th century composer.

I just ordered a cd of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra with Isaac Stern and that other famous violinist guy, and an oboist, doing Back & Vivaldi violin/oboe conertos.

And I ordered "Instruments of Classical Music: The Oboe" for US$2.50 + SH. It's orchestral oboe excerpts.

[Mercutio]

More info on John Rutter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rutter

He's mainly a choral composer.

We saw him conduct a choir around Philadelphia (somewhere at a little church in Chester County.) Impressive vocalists at that tiny church

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by Mercutio

He's an English, Anglican, 20th century composer.

I just ordered a cd of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra with Isaac Stern and that other famous violinist guy, and an oboist, doing Back & Vivaldi violin/oboe conertos.

And I ordered "Instruments of Classical Music: The Oboe" for US$2.50 + SH. It's orchestral oboe excerpts.

It has Saint-Saens on it.

I just can't stop listening to Sibelius' first Symphony. All day snippets of it run through my head...
And Monteverdi's vespers too!

I'm going to order the Saint Matthew Passion with Herreweghe conducting...it's expensive, but I know it'll be worth it. Also need to ge more organ music! More Bach organ. And I'm going to look into Liszt's organ music, as well as Reger's, Widor's, and Mendelssohn's.

[Fat middle]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

I'm going to order the Saint Matthew Passion with Herreweghe conducting...it's expensive, but I know it'll be worth it.

Herreweghe is sooooo boring

I don't know his St. Matthews, but his St. John is absolutely boring.

Well, you'll tell me

Mercutio: thanks for the info about Rutter.

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by Fat middle

Herreweghe is sooooo boring

I don't know his St. Matthews, but his St. John is absolutely boring.

Well, you'll tell me

Mercutio: thanks for the info about Rutter.

Really? All the reviews said he gets it right...you cant always listen to thme though, I guess.

[hectorberlioz]

I listened to the first movement of Mahler's Third last night (it's thirty mins long!) and the other half of Brian's "Gothic" Symphony".

The previous night I listened to the second half of Mahler 3, the first half of Brian's "Gothic", all of Bruckner's fourth, and the first disc of Berlioz's Romeo et Juliette Symphony, and Sibelius' third

Making some hard decisions on Amazon.com...

[hectorberlioz]

*sigh*
Fat Middle, Merc, Troll's Bane, and anyone else who posts here,
I want to put together a pretty sharp, smart and convincing primer for introducing someone to classical music. I have that part that I had Merc edit, but the rest of it just seems like an advertisement. I need to write something convincing.
If you guys would help me flesh out some questions (and the questions) that would actually be asked by people who don't listen to or like classical, it would be a big help.
All I seem to be able to do is write about what I like about it, and of course not everyone is going to relate to that...help!


btw: where's Chrys?

[trolls' bane]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

btw: where's Chrys when you need him?

Well, it's true.
I'd like to help! I'm not as knowlegeable as most of you, but compared to all of my RL acquaintences, well, I'm a Super-Classical God-Playing Genius . And I mean it. My dad thinks everything is popular because I listen to it, and my friend Alden thinks the exact opposite (but he knows some of the best: Night on Bald Mountain)

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by trolls' bane

Well, it's true.
I'd like to help! I'm not as knowlegeable as most of you, but compared to all of my RL acquaintences, well, I'm a Super-Classical God-Playing Genius . And I mean it. My dad thinks everything is popular because I listen to it, and my friend Alden thinks the exact opposite (but he knows some of the best: Night on Bald Mountain)

Hey, I didnt say that

I feel the same around other people too TB, except my dad (read my vent?)
I really do know alot about classical, especially histories of the musicians themselves. And a pretty decent general history about theory...
anyways, I just can't seem to write anything that is really relevant.

TB, if you'd give three of your most ignorant (excuse the term!) friends a questionerre, it would help.
Ask them, what would you like to know about classical?
Why is classical hard to listen to for you?
Why do you not like/listen to it?

Stuff along those lines, and post their individual answers
...if you would.

[trolls' bane]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

Hey, I didnt say that

I feel the same around other people too TB, except my dad (read my vent?)
I really do know alot about classical, especially histories of the musicians themselves. And a pretty decent general history about theory...
anyways, I just can't seem to write anything that is really relevant.

TB, if you'd give three of your most ignorant (excuse the term!) friends a questionerre, it would help.
Ask them, what would you like to know about classical?
Why is classical hard to listen to for you?
Why do you not like/listen to it?

Stuff along those lines, and post their individual answers
...if you would.

My three most classical-ignorant friends a questionerre?
Hmm...difficult choice .
Maybe my dad, my friend Alden, and his brother Taylor.

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by trolls' bane

My three most classical-ignorant friends a questionerre?
Hmm...difficult choice .
Maybe my dad, my friend Alden, and his brother Taylor.

do it
but don't get mean

[trolls' bane]

I don't need to bother with question 2. The obvious answer from those three people would be "It puts me to sleep."
It's never put me to sleep, even though I didn't really like it up to about a year and a half ago. (I did like it, but didn't give Dr. Zaius's orange fur about it .)
Dr. Zaius:

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by trolls' bane

I don't need to bother with question 2. The obvious answer from those three people would be "It puts me to sleep."
It's never put me to sleep, even though I didn't really like it up to about a year and a half ago. (I did like it, but didn't give Dr. Zaius's orange fur about it .)
Dr. Zaius:

Thats the most common complaint I think. And the reason its so common is because they don't listen to music for any other reason than the aural massage it gives. (If you want it for that: NEVER listen to Bach's organ works!)
They like it as a background, or a soundtrack for their life...
There has to be a reason ot listen to music beyond: it sounds good. (and classical is not lacking in that area either).