[MovieGuruJeff]

I have started getting into some Classical music which I never really had before. Mainly, I prefer Classic Rock, Pop sort of music like Bruce Springstein, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, etc. But I need to relax for my health and so I have been listening to some Classical music but feel totally lost. Can someone help tell me where maybe I should start? I like piano, harp and cello type best. One person I like a lot is Yo-Yo Ma and some Trachovski (spelling?) type. I really don't care much for Opera or vocals, mainly instrumental. Also, while I like some to be relaxing, I don't want that all the time or else I will fall asleep.


Thanks for any tips or advice.

 

[FendersRule]

Watch A Clockwork Orange to get a taste of Beethoven.

 

[Kal Rubinson]



Quote:
Originally Posted by MovieGuruJeff /forum/post/20877269


I have started getting into some Classical music which I never really had before. Mainly, I prefer Classic Rock, Pop sort of music like Bruce Springstein, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, etc. But I need to relax for my health and so I have been listening to some Classical music but feel totally lost. Can someone help tell me where maybe I should start? I like piano, harp and cello type best. One person I like a lot is Yo-Yo Ma and some Trachovski (spelling?) type. I really don't care much for Opera or vocals, mainly instrumental. Also, while I like some to be relaxing, I don't want that all the time or else I will fall asleep.


Thanks for any tips or advice.

First, it is usually transliterated as Tchaikovsky. Second, do you have access to Rhapsody, Pandora or Internet radio? If so, these are great resources for sampling any genre of music and its sub-genres. Enter Tchaikovsky at Pandora and it will select that and similar music. You can decide what you like for yourself, even skipping what you don't like. It's a start.

 

[oink]

Here is a recent thread we had on Classical Music:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...lassical+music


There is much, much more stuff on the web.


Classical music styles have traditionally been labeled by the time periods in which a particular type was most popular.

The most well-known are these:

Baroque 1700-1750
"Classical" (aka Rococo) 1760-1800
Romantic 1830-1895
Modern 1895-1945


These are roughly the dates involved.

Of course, there are transition periods between these dates as well.


Check out Wikipedia for more info.

Also Classical music radio stations are a good source to learn from.

Additionally, You Tube has many video performances to peruse.


I would be happy to share my rudimentary knowledge on the subject.

Feel free to post questions here or PM.

 

[oink]

Update:


I see Kal has joined the discussion.

He is an authority on the subject.


I bow to superior knowledge.

 

[smudge981]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Kal Rubinson /forum/post/20877330


First, it is usually transliterated as Tchaikovsky. Second, do you have access to Rhapsody, Pandora or Internet radio? If so, these are great resources for sampling any genre of music and its sub-genres. Enter Tchaikovsky at Pandora and it will select that and similar music. You can decide what you like for yourself, even skipping what you don't like. It's a start.

As my high school orchestra director liked to say, "It's not the destination but the journey you should appreciate." Kal's recommendation is spot on. If you're willing to invest on the cheap, Amazon offers some stellar sampler deals on occassion. My advice is, go nuts and listen to everything you can get your hands on. Only then will you be able to gravitate to what you personally like.

 

[oink]



Quote:
Originally Posted by smudge981 /forum/post/20877422


As my high school orchestra director liked to say, "It's not the destination but the journey you should appreciate." Kal's recommendation is spot on. If you're willing to invest on the cheap, Amazon offers some stellar sampler deals on occassion. My advice is, go nuts and listen to everything you can get your hands on. Only then will you be able to gravitate to what you personally like.

Truth.

 

[gwsat]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Kal Rubinson /forum/post/20877330


[D]o you have access to Rhapsody, Pandora or Internet radio? If so, these are great resources for sampling any genre of music and its sub-genres. Enter Tchaikovsky at Pandora and it will select that and similar music. You can decide what you like for yourself, even skipping what you don't like. It's a start.

I have used Rhapsody, Pandora, and Internet radio, all three, and agree that they are excellent resources for sampling music. Although Rhapsody costs $9.99 a month, I prefer it because I have never failed to find any piece of recorded music I was looking for. Also, Rhapsody does not require a contract and can be cancelled at any time. If there is an album that is not included in Rhapsody's database, I don't know what it is.

 

[theob]

Thats (A Clockwork Orange) what got me started in classical music some 30 odd years ago. Bravo. Try those magazines with free cd's like FM Classic and bbc music.

 

[Rammitinski]

I had the 30 day free trial from Rhapsody, and I went ape**** with it, trying to think of everything I could, and I came across quite a few things they didn't have. Granted, many were somewhat obscure (as my tastes can run that way sometimes), but not all (and I wasn't particularly researching the Classical genre, which I would expect is very well-covered). I think it's still well worth the price, though.


Anyway, if he doesn't already have a device that can stream Rhapsody and/or Pandora, something like a Squeezebox might be a worthwhile investment. He'd get even many, many more "free" services and stations to choose from.


If he doesn't want to spend that much, there are cheaper (under $100.) Blu-ray players and video streaming boxes which have one or both of those services, and often a couple of other worthwhile ones.

 

[Morpheo]



Quote:
Originally Posted by FendersRule /forum/post/20877316


Watch A Clockwork Orange to get a taste of Beethoven.

...And Purcell, with Wendy at the Moog

...This version/arrangement is haunting by the way.

 

[citizen arcane]

My cable co. delivers numerous commercial free music channels of which a few are classical - maybe your provider (cable or other) does the same.


I play "light classical" for my dog when left alone and sometimes it will stay there for a while when I return. Can't comment on any composers but there are pieces I truly like.

 

[MovieGuruJeff]

Thanks for the great replies. I currently have "MOG" for streaming and have an iPad and iPhone too. Does anyone know if MOG is any good for classical or is Rhapsody better?


Mainly, I am trying not to be too overwhelmed in the beginning or else I am afraid it will be a turn off. I just want to listen to a variety and some things I already tend to know what I like more of. For example, I enjoy piano, chello and more upbeat type of classical arrangements. Not that it has to be lively all the time, I do like relaxing type of instrument choices but that puts me to sleep to much.

I think maybe it is "light classical" that I enjoy more, but not sure how to describe them since just starting out.


I have found I enjoy Yo-Yo Ma and some others over vocal or opera type. What about samples on iTunes you can try for about 1 minute now free? Do you think I should try some there and then buy a CD of the really good ones I enjoy or is something like MOG better? Also, I have a good CD/SACD player and was wondering what I should look for the best sound if I buy? A lot of stuff is not on SACD but should I look for "remastered" or newer CDs?


Thanks again for the advice.

 

[rezzy]

Since you have iTunes, have you tried any of the streaming stations within it?

 

[Kal Rubinson]



Quote:
Originally Posted by MovieGuruJeff /forum/post/20877927


I have found I enjoy Yo-Yo Ma and some others over vocal or opera type. What about samples on iTunes you can try for about 1 minute now free? Do you think I should try some there and then buy a CD of the really good ones I enjoy or is something like MOG better? Also, I have a good CD/SACD player and was wondering what I should look for the best sound if I buy? A lot of stuff is not on SACD but should I look for "remastered" or newer CDs?


Thanks again for the advice.

I think that 1 minute is too short to appreciate most classical music so some streaming source might be better. IMHO, better sound is always appreciated and prefer, in most cases, newer recordings, especially mch SACDs.

 

[smudge981]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Kal Rubinson /forum/post/20878175


I think that 1 minute is too short to appreciate most classical music so some streaming source might be better. IMHO, better sound is always appreciated and prefer, in most cases, newer recordings, especially mch SACDs.

Kal is correct. Classical is not pop. It's like a fine wine, it needs to "breathe." You need to play all of it and let it wash over you to fully appreciate what the the composer is trying to convey.

 

[Mac The Knife]

There's so much free stuff on Youtube these days, that I'd recommend trolling through youtube to sample lots of composers to find pieces that you like and then buying higher quality versions of the stuff you like.


As far as what to buy, that depends a lot on what equipment you like to use for playback. If you're always going to use a computer fed to a hi-fi, then you might want to look for high-resolution downloads first. If you always want to use a disc player than either SACD or DVD-audio, whichever your disc player supports.


AFA "light" classical composers give some of these a try and see what you like:

And not so light, but I can't help myself...

Hey the Firebird has some light moments, so I'm going to throw it in too.

Another strategy for experiencing classical pieces that you'd never have heard any other way is to attend local University and Local Community Orchestra Concerts. They're usually pretty cheap and tend to play a lot of lesser known stuff so it can be a fun way to discover stuff.

 

[Mac The Knife]

Or how about some light jazz?

BTW, it's Coltrane on sax on Teo too.

 

[oink]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Kal Rubinson /forum/post/20878175


I think that 1 minute is too short to appreciate most classical music so some streaming source might be better. IMHO, better sound is always appreciated and prefer, in most cases, newer recordings, especially mch SACDs.

+1

I only wish there were more SACDs available (particularly hybrids).

 

[oink]

I have used local libraries as a source for checking out CDs.

Usually, there is a limit of how many a person can check out at a time.

IIRC, sometimes 5 or 6.