classical music that is fast moving and upbeat.

July 25, 2015 11:24 AM

I am looking for classical music that is fast moving and upbeat. The type that is really great for study, in that kinda wakes you up and is mood lifting. I like violin and cello. I like this, but fast paced, Henry Purcell: The Golden Sonata; Voices of Music
posted by TRUELOTUS to Media & Arts (20 answers total)

Not 100% what you were asking for, but it might fit the bill. Also I was literally listening to it as I read your question.
Lindsey Stirling - Beyond The Veil
posted by pyro979 at 11:42 AM on July 25, 2015

Bach's Brandenburg Concerti is my go-to soundtrack for concentrating on work: brisk and logical (for lack of a better word), it ticks along like clockwork. Available in approximately a zillion recordings, everywhere.
posted by Quietgal at 11:44 AM on July 25, 2015 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Looking for classical artisits like Bach
- not new stuff like Lindsey- thanks!
posted by TRUELOTUS at 12:09 PM on July 25, 2015

Response by poster: Yep, heard that song
before, anything beyond this? thanks!
posted by TRUELOTUS at 12:11 PM on July 25, 2015

You should explore other baroque composers. I have a lot of Vivaldi cello concertos and sonatas that are in high rotation when I am trying to Get Shit Done and need uptempo wordless music.

Also not what you asked for but: I lump Apocalyptica's Plays Metallica By Four Cellos and Soweto String Quartet in that same playlist, in case you feel like branching out.
posted by yeahlikethat at 12:24 PM on July 25, 2015 [2 favorites]

Back in college I used to play Beethoven's 6th on repeat while studying for precisely this reason.
posted by phunniemee at 12:45 PM on July 25, 2015

Yeah, nthing Baroque composers ftw here. Vivaldi, Telemann, Albinoni, Corelli are some of the ones who consistently hit it out of the park with fast movements. Look for works with variants of "concerto..." or "concert... for $INSTRUMENTS" in the title, since that'll cover 90% of the small-to-large instrumental ensemble stuff you're looking for.

Just be aware that a lot of Baroque works (and works of classical music in general up through the mid-19th century) tends to be written as a sequence of multiple movements/ parts, with a rough alternation between fast and slow movements. If you want just the uptempo stuff, you'll want to look for movements with fast-tempo titles, like "Allegro," "Allegretto," "Presto," "Vivace," etc., or sometimes movements titled for dances.
posted by Bardolph at 12:48 PM on July 25, 2015 [2 favorites]

(For example: Telemann wind concerto)
posted by Bardolph at 12:58 PM on July 25, 2015

As per yeahlikethat’s suggestion: Vivaldi’s Cello Concertos & Violin Concertos.

Boccherini’s Cello Concertos or String Quintets or Guitar Quintets, perhaps.

An alternative to strings: Reicha’s Wind Quintets.

Inspired by Purcell, and upbeat, (but new(-ish)): Michael Nyman’s soundtrack for The Draughtsman’s Contract.
posted by misteraitch at 1:00 PM on July 25, 2015

Brahms violin concerto - 3rd movement
Mozart - rondo alla turca
Bach - concerto for two violins
Bach - concerto for violin and oboe
Beethoven - piano sonata no. 8 (starts slow; give it a chance)
Brahms - hungarian dances
Dvorak - slavonic dances (maybe try the orchestral version)
Paganini - caprices for violin
Some of the Bach sonatas and partitas for solo violin are quite lively. I find them very nice for working.
posted by pdq at 1:07 PM on July 25, 2015

And how could I forget? Vidaldi's mandolin concerto. Try not to love it, I dare you. (Starts at about :50)
posted by pdq at 1:10 PM on July 25, 2015

And there's always Erotica for Banned Instruments by my namesake, PDQ Bach.
posted by pdq at 1:12 PM on July 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

Not violin or cello, but I use Domenico Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas for this. He is classified primarily as a Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the development of the Classical style and he was one of the few Baroque composers to transition into the classical period.
posted by trip and a half at 5:10 PM on July 25, 2015

You'll like Handel's Arrival of the Queen of Sheba. Also suggest Tchaikovsky's ballet music.
posted by Rash at 5:16 PM on July 25, 2015

Not baroque, but you might like Aaron Copeland (Appalachian Spring, Rodeo)
posted by leahwrenn at 6:30 PM on July 25, 2015

Oh, and if you don't have Water Music, it's totally what you want
posted by leahwrenn at 6:32 PM on July 25, 2015

I first heard of Baroque music via the soundtrack to the movie Kramer vs. Kramer. Vivaldi and Purcell, including that Mandolin Concerto mentioned above. It's been my favorite for a long time.

You might also like Mozart's Flute Concerto in G. I heard it on the radio and told my kids that's what I wanted for Christmas that year, but if they didn't get it no worries - I would buy it myself afterward.
posted by CathyG at 7:05 PM on July 25, 2015

There are six J.S. Bach Brandenburg concertos. Then, you have also six orchestral suites by Bach with movements with shifting moods.. That'll keep you busy for some time.

I've always found the orchestral music extracted from French Baroque operas great to listen to. Look for works by Jean-Philippe Rameau and Marin Marais, for example.

And then: chamber music by Vivaldi. There are probably hundreds of sonatas for a variety of wind and string instruments that are upbeat, often comical, virtuosic, and (when played well) fun to listen to.
posted by Namlit at 4:59 AM on July 26, 2015

Nicola Matteis
posted by neushoorn at 5:16 AM on July 26, 2015

This question reminds me of Joe Gideon's morning routine from "All That Jazz": Dexedrine and Vivaldi.
Specifically, Concerto alla rustica, for strings & continuo in G major, RV 151
It's showtime, folks!
posted by MacChimpman at 3:34 PM on July 26, 2015