Classical music?

[Atomic_Piggy]

What is everyone's opinion of so called "classical" music?

For me, I enjoy classical music in films or whatever, yet its not something I like to listen to casually. Even if I am stressed out, I mostly listen to new age music to calm me down, not classical.

What does everyone else think?

 

[Darkside55]

I like these calm little moments before the storm. It reminds me of Beethoven. Can you hear it? It's like when you put your head to the grass you can hear the crawling--you can hear the insects. Do you like Beethoven? Lemme play you some.

You don't like Beethoven. You don't know what you're missing. Overtures like that get my juices flowing. So powerful. But after his openings? To be honest, he does tend to get a little fucking boring. That's why I stopped!

You're a Mozart fan. I love him too. I LOVE Mozart. He was Austrian, you know. But for this kind of work, he's a little bit light, so I tend to go for the heavier guys.

Check out Brahms, he's good too.

 

[ericms]

I like pop.

I like carrots.

That felt right.

 

[Cavalry]

I like it occasionally, mostly in films.

 

[Sulkdodds]

I regularly listen to classical music, because it's relaxing, it's on the radio, and there are few lyrics to distract me.

 

[Hectic Glenn]

I've got a whole DVD of classical music, I love putting it on occasionally when I need lyricless music. It's excellent.

 

[evil^milk]

The problem is that it's less accessible and definitely not very well-known by most. The real stuff worth hearing, that is.

I'm sure that for every Albeniz or Chopin or Beethoven there was an underrated contender who never really got the limelight but actually put out thoughtful, well-made compositions and maybe even contributed something different to the now-lost trends that were romanticism, et al - thus never gaining momentum.

Nevertheless I really enjoy Albeniz's music. His music has a certain qualities I cannot attribute to a vast majority of composers, perhaps because of my small knowledge of classical music, or my cultural upbringing, or some other thing. Sometimes his music sounds hardcoringly Spanish but at other times he takes a surreal, beautifully sublime approach to music that it's hard to tell yourself if music had ever been made like he composed it.

I'm not a real big fan of Mozart, though. Granted, I've listened to very little of his music, but what I have heard seems to me like it was made under severe technical regimens, not actually allowing for anything to be expressed but a dull rehearsal of bland and uninspiring passages.

Chopin and Liszt are also some of my favorites. Liszt also has a very technical approach but he combines it with such an amazing expression of art that it's almost hilarious when you listen to something like this.

That said I cannot help but realize that I know very little classical music, specially ensembles or non-solo pieces. Anyone recommend something along the lines of Albeniz/Liszt/Chopin?

 

[Iron Kat]

The only 'classical' music I'll listen to is in films and TV programs, but I call that 'soundtrack' music anyway. My favourite 'soundtrack' music is (in this order): Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, Star Wars. It's also in that order that I like the composers: Howard Shore, Murray Gold, John Williams.
I do also like Holst's Planet Suite, but as far as classical music goes, THAT IS IT.

 

[dfc05]

I like soundtrack music. My favorite is James Horner's Land Before Time soundtrack. Also, the Gladiator soundtrack.

Other music that would count as more 'classical' that I enjoy:
Henryk Gorecki's Symphony No. 3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs)
Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique (I mostly like the 4th movement)
Philip Glass

 

[Que-Ever]

The amadeus soundtrack is excellent-awesome.

 

[soulslicer]

Classical Music is pretty horrible unless it's on movies or games imo. It's like butter, it needs some bread to go with it. Good Bread. New Age, Trance, Downtempo and post-rock are my choices when it comes to relaxing music, or music to be used in movies and games if at all..

 

[Bug-eyed Earl]

I'm to start playing Baroque and Renaissance lute soon! I Love Early music from the middle ages because it shares so much in common with the experimental and new music movements of the 20th century. I love lute and cello music.

snap-shot of Composer preferences:

Philip Glass
Weiss
Eric Satie'
Bach
Dowland
Monteverdi
All the unknown and forgotten composers of the middle ages.

 

[99.vikram]

The only classical that I listen to voluntarily is composed of Mozart, Beethoven, Bach etc. I don't think much of most classical music.

 

[Houndini]

i dont really like it at all :\

 

[Viperidae]

I'm sure that for every Albeniz or Chopin or Beethoven there was an underrated contender who never really got the limelight but actually put out thoughtful, well-made compositions and maybe even contributed something different to the now-lost trends that were romanticism, et al - thus never gaining momentum.

Sounds very familiar, don't it?

*waves hands around crystal ball*

A-ha! Just like music today!

 

[Steven]

It's the shit, the one genre that no one can truly dislike. Everything you listen to has influences from classical music.

 

[evil^milk]

Sounds very familiar, don't it?

*waves hands around crystal ball*

A-ha! Just like music today!

Obviously.

My point is yesteryear the internet/myspacemusic didn't exist. By today's standards it is much easier to get your music noticed. Simply make a loop on FL studio or Reason, make a music webpage, and advertise through forums or "online social networking" sites. Your popularity will ultimately be an indicator of whether you suck or not.

Back then? Wish you were from an upper class family, European, connected to the wealthy and powerful, and instructed at the earliest possible age. Then play in one-of-a-kind halls where only the most prestigious meet. You could only listen to Chopin back then by word of mouth... or musical scores.

 

[TheDude]

I listen to it when i do homework. it really is excellent for that sort of thing.

 

[sreeja]

I like classical music very much .It is the only music i listen too.

 

[Laivasse]

I really don't know how much I like classical music, tbh. I don't know enough about different composers and their styles to have been able to find much that I like, apart from some isolated flourishes within compositions. I hear classical music and too often I find it pompous, overwrought, too bright, too sentimental, or whatever. (btw I'mma check the samples you linked, evil)

On the other hand I tend to enjoy soundtrack music a lot, stuff like what Jeremy Soule composed for the countryside/night-time sections of Oblivion.

 

[Eejit]

It's the shit, the one genre that no one can truly dislike. Everything you listen to has influences from classical music.

Unless you're a big fan of tribal?

I listen to classical regularly. I think Tchaikovsky and Bach are probably my favourite composers.

 

[Mr Stabby]

I listen to it occasionally, but I know almost nothing about it.

 

[Jintor]

Regular listener.

 

[MattyDienhoff]

I listen to it occasionally, but I know almost nothing about it.

This.

I also listen to a fair bit of orchestral music, such as film scores. But that's not quite classical music... is it?

 

[jimbo118]

Arvo Part ftw.

 

[Qhartb]

I listen to it regularly. (And like several others, I don't particularly like Mozart. A few of his pieces are fun, but as a whole they don't "do it for me.") Of course, I like some periods and countries better than others.

It's unfortunate that anything from either the "popular" or "serious" music from any western country (and Russia) for around 600 years (and "serious" music up to the present) all gets lumped together under "classical." Looking at the '20s and the '60s, even 50 years in one country changes music hugely.

 

[Master_Yoda77]

Classical Music if fantastic. It is easily some of the most passionate and elegent music ever created. Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Bach, Haydn, Chopin, Wagner, and Handel are my favorites. Great stuff.

 

[Steven]

Unless you're a big fan of tribal?

It's technically classical, just not European classical which is what people usually associate classical music with.

 

[venturon]

I enjoy Classical music, especially the work of Camille Saint-Saens and Paul Dukas. If you are familiar with those two names you have probably realised that I particularly enjoy programme music.