Thread: Ask my about classical music

I'm here for you... anything you'd like to know about history, composers, theory, orchestration, counterpoint, artists past and present, conductors, 12-tone rows, analysis, any style from early chant to Minimalism, how orchestras work, transpositions, instrument sound production, traditional recording techniques, musical forms, controversial premieres, changes in tuning over the years, instrument construction... or anything else you can come up with. I will do my best!

Who was Johannes Brahms married to?

Originally Posted by M-Cat

Who was Johannes Brahms married to?

I'm not sure if you're testing me here, or if you're actually curious. But here you go...

Brahms never married. However, he did lust after Clara Schumann for a number of years. Clara was a famous pianist of her time, but today is more famous for having been married to composer Robert Schumann.

Was Mozart really as amazing child genious as the legend says?

Originally Posted by Snooze

Was Mozard really as amazing child genious as the legend says?

Pretty much so, it would seem. He wrote his first symphony at age 8, which I'd have to say is pretty astounding. It's not a fantastic work, mind you, but it's an amazing accomplishment. He has an amazingly large catalog of works considering how young he was when he died.

My take on the level of his genious:
Mozart was a fantastic craftsman and wrote very accomplished works at great speed. My only problem with a lot of the material he wrote is that so much of it sounds the same. Over the years, his style changed very little, and he often repeated himself. I used to play French horn and learned his concertos. While practicing them, I often found myself starting with one concerto, and accidentally slipping into another one! They were that similar!

Mozart fans will disagree, I'm sure.

Did Bach really Thrash his students if they gave bad performances?

Originally Posted by skysaw

I'm not sure if you're testing me here, or if you're actually curious. But here you go...

Brahms never married. However, he did lust after Clara Schumann for a number of years. Clara was a famous pianist of her time, but today is more famous for having been married to composer Robert Schumann.

Damn, you're good. Yes it was a test. If you didn't look that up, I'm impressed.

Are they still composing classical music?

I took an art appreciation class once for a credit and actually enjoyed it and still remember a lot of the old artists and recognize their work. Do you think I should listen to classical music and learn enough to tell one from another? The most famous stuff I mean. I feel somewhat under-educated because I can't recognize anything except for like a fifth of Beethoven.

I'm looking for recommendations for classical music. This seems like a good opportunity to ask somebody!

I'm very interested in classical music with strong a folk influence. I'm talking about the prominent use of such instruments as lutes and harps, for example. I very much enjoy medieval minstrel type music, ala Stella Fortuna. Would you be able to recommend any such tradition composers for this kind of stuff?

I'm also very big on 20th century classical music. I'm aware of Stravinsky, Bartok, Varese (my favourite), Zorn, Zappa, Schnittke, Shostakovich, Adams, Cage, Glass.... My request is more focused on current composers though. Are you familiar with any current classical copmosers, and who would you recommend? I don't mind how avant-garde they are really, i'm just interested in current "scenes".

Originally Posted by Moonbeam

Are they still composing classical music?

I took an art appreciation class once for a credit and actually enjoyed it and still remember a lot of the old artists and recognize their work. Do you think I should listen to classical music and learn enough to tell one from another? The most famous stuff I mean. I feel somewhat under-educated because I can't recognize anything except for like a fifth of Beethoven.

Yes, they are still composing classical music. In fact, I am one of the "they" you speak of! I have been writing music for over 30 years, and I'm actually having an orchestral piece premiered at the Kennedy Center this Sunday.

The problem is with our terminology. "Classical Music" tends to cover all Western "serious art" music written between 1400-present. But there is also the "Classical Period," which is usually considered anything written between 1750 and around 1820. Usually when we say Classical Music, we are using the first meaning.

The problem with listening to classical music these days is that it is very hard to get good exposure to it, unless you know what you're looking for. If you are lucky enough to have a classical music radio station in your area, chances are their playlist represents a tiny fraction of the repertory. Most of them play a whole lotta Mozart followed by a whole lotta Beethoven, followed by a whole lotta more Mozart. Jeez... no WONDER people think Classical music is boring!

If you do get such a station, try listening late at night, when they get a bit more adventurous, and actually play something written within the last two hundred years. If you're very lucky, you may even get something written in *gasp* the 1900s! How modern!!