Favorite classical music

[ghostrunner]

I'm not an expert in the genre, but here's a short list for me. Youtube videos in the same order at the bottom.


Erik Satie - Gnossiene #1 Really creeps into you. Just discovered it a few months ago and I think it's my new favorite.

Bach - Prelude from Cello Suite #1. I put this on a mix CD that my son listens to every night along with some Cowboy Junkies and mellower pop stuff.

Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata. Also on the same CD.

Debussy - Clair De Lune (Been used in a few movies. Notably the end of Oceans Eleven, at the fountain.)

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[Radbird]

Classical banjo, anyone?

"Prelude from Bach Violin Partitia #3" by Béla Fleck

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[MrSaigon]

Classical banjo, anyone?

I once heard a classical radio d.j. apologize profusely for playing Bela Fleck's classical stuff to his 'purists.'

I'm also a very casual Classical fan.

Gymnopodies is another great one by Satie, also check it out as a sample in one of the versions of Sometimes by Michael Franti (the version on the Mystery Men OST).

I love Sheep May Safely Graze and Sleepers Awake by Bach.

Lately I've been listening to cello music (I begin lessons soon) including a lot of Yo-Yo Ma which is real nice, but I don't know the names of any of it.

Can anyone recommend a classical collection that goes beyond the primary basics like Canon in D and the 1812 Overture?

There is just so much classical music, it's intimidating to me to try to figure out where to begin.

[clement]

I love the cello. Been wanting to buy one, but I know it would just end up gathering dust...

My favorite classical piece is Chopin's Sonata No. 3. I used to go to the Morrison Reading Room on the campus of UC-Berkeley, check out the CD and listen to it at the end of a long day of studying. Nothing relaxed me like that. Then I saw that Ivo Pogorelich was coming to campus to play the Sonata, so I went to see him. It was so gorgeous that I literally had tears. Now this thread has reminded me of this and not only that, I found a youtube of Ivo Pogorelich playing it! (there are 4 movements)

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[Tarver]

Excellent selections so far. Guess I'll be the first to dumb it down.

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[jim]

Classical banjo, anyone?

I once heard a classical radio d.j. apologize profusely for playing Bela Fleck's classical stuff to his 'purists.'

I'm also a very casual Classical fan.

Gymnopodies is another great one by Satie, also check it out as a sample in one of the versions of Sometimes by Michael Franti (the version on the Mystery Men OST).

I love Sheep May Safely Graze and Sleepers Awake by Bach.

Lately I've been listening to cello music (I begin lessons soon) including a lot of Yo-Yo Ma which is real nice, but I don't know the names of any of it.

Can anyone recommend a classical collection that goes beyond the primary basics like Canon in D and the 1812 Overture?

There is just so much classical music, it's intimidating to me to try to figure out where to begin.

Any classical music I recommend will absolutely not include Canon in D. God I hate that piece of music...

I'm a fairly big fan, started when I was a kid playing piano and my interests tend to lean toward music featuring that instrument. It is intimidating, there is so much. First you have to understand the period a little bit to fully appreciate the music I think. The Baroque period was alot of music written for churces and royalty, therefore it's not going to be very expressive. Major composers of this period include Handel, Vivaldi, J.S. Bach etc...

Bach was arguably the greatest musical genius ever to live. Do yourself a favor and get a copy of either of the two Well Tempered Clavier by Bach and listen to the fugues. This is my first recommendation. A fugue starts with the first "voice" singing a tune (it's done on a keyboard but they were still referred to as voices). May 10, 15, ... 20 notes or so. Then the second voice comes in, playing a derivative of the first while the first repeats what it played. Then the third voices comes in with yet another twist on the same theme while the first two repeat. This continues until there are four or five voices doing this dance. Example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Lf73M3DWtg

Freaking amazing that all of those individual voices come together like they do. If you try really hard you can sometimes pick out one individual voice, but it's not easy. Just listen, pick the voices out, and be in awe at how they fit like a jigsaw puzzle.


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The classical period contains my personal favorite Mozart, as well as Beethoven and Brahms who are among my favorites. The symphony was important during this period, and to properly understand this you have to know what the composer was trying to do.

It was thought a good sympony stimulated the brain, the heart, the body, and the soul. Often symphonies were split into four movements, each of which focused on one of these. Typically the first movement makes you think, it's going to set the stage for the other movements. The most famous first movement is Beethoven's Fifth which is written in a minor key with the rythmatic DA_DA_DA_DUUUUH. It repeats that over and over and over, and becomes very symbolic through the entire piece.

The second movement is something usually very slow and soft - perhaps to rest your mind or in Beethoven's case above to kind of give you the creeps. Either way, your brain is left to do the work and the music is generally not something you are ever going to be able to hum or tap.

The third movement was often a dance type piece - usually a 3 count waltz type deal. Got you up and dancing, some exercise. The body got involved.

The fourth and final movement usually was good for the soul, really stimulating feelings. In Beethoven's 5th, it's an epic struggle between good (symoblized by C Major) and evil (symbolized by C Minor). Listen to the struggle between the two, you can hear theme fighting. Sometimes you hear the dark evil winning, then good gets the edge, then evil, then good. In the end, good triumphs, and the piece ends on these triumpant C major chords that sends chills down your back. By the way, evil sucker punches good once toward the end. It pretty much sounds like evil is down for the count, but he gets up for one last punch before good sends him to his grave. Remember how good Rocky made you feel? He ain't got nothing on Beethoven.

Also I suggest anything by Franz Liszt - the guy was Elvis of his time. Women threw panties up on stage when he played, and he would fake passing out after playing a difficult piece. But he is really one of the most underappreciated classical musicians.

I love all things Mozart, get anything. He was a great improvisor, and we can only imagine what he did to some of his pieces where there called for improvisation. Check out what he did to this familiar piece:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcGThde7X2I


So there is your start.

[JL21]

I saw this thread title and got really excited. "Awesome, I can tell everyone about my new love for Erik Satie. I bet nobody has mentioned him".

And then I opened it and two of you beat me to the punch. I concur with Satie 100%. The two that you folks mentioned, especially, are really beautiful and haunting.

[thrill]

The fourth and final movement usually was good for the soul, really stimulating feelings.

I'm a huge sucker for Beethoven's most famous 4th. I listen to Ode To Joy almost every night before I fall asleep.

[jim]

If you are really serious about learning, I can't recommend this series of lectures enough:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Listen-Unders ... B00103XBXO

I listened to them on casette, maybe they are more reasonably priced in that form. Or, better yet, check out your local library. Trust me, you will love this guy. Great speaker with a great sense of humor. He tells the stories that bring life to the music.

[jim]

The fourth and final movement usually was good for the soul, really stimulating feelings.

I'm a huge sucker for Beethoven's most famous 4th. I listen to Ode To Joy almost every night before I fall asleep.

His 9th makes you proud to be a human being, and makes you wonder how the same species could compose "Go Cubs Go".