Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with music and classical

Where's the best place to buy classical CDs in Winnipeg?

Johnny Assay — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:56:27 -0800

Are there any good brick-and-mortar places to buy classical music CDs in Winnipeg, MB? I'm flying up to Winnipeg to visit my family for Christmas this year. My current plan is to buy gifts for them at brick-and-mortar stores in the days leading up to Christmas. I'm hoping to be able to buy a classical CD or two as a gift for my sister; however, I'm not sure where the best place is to go to do this.

My go-to place for classical CDs in Winnipeg used to be the downtown A&B Sound; they had a huge selection in all genres, especially classical. Unfortunately, they closed down years ago. I know that Winnipeg's not a huge city, but there's got to be enough old-fashioned classicophiles around to allow at least one store to stock more than a few dusty old copies of Beethoven 5 and "Tchaikovsky's Greatest Hits" — right? Or am I stuck with what's available at the HMV locations in St. Vital or Polo Park?

Who designed this dress?

Joe Beese — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:11:57 -0800

Who designed the gorgeous dress Anne-Sophie Mutter wears on the cover of her box of Mozart sonatas and related DVD?

Classical composers who sang instead of played instruments?

mediareport — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:56:33 -0800

Are there well-known classical composers who aren't trained on a particular instrument? An acquaintance is a young singer who's interested in composition (mostly for voice), but in talking to him I get the sense that he feels a little inadequate compared to his fellow students who are accomplished on at least one instrument like piano or violin. Can you give me examples of classical composers whose work is respected but who weren't primarily instrumental players? Modern or otherwise. Thanks!

Help for a musically challenged future guitar player

nokry56 — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:25:56 -0800

Want to learn to play the guitar. Recently discovered the guitar I have is classical, not western acoustic. Can I still learn how I want? And other questions from a non-musical dreamer. I picked up a 1984 Garcia classical guitar. It was free so I can't complain, but I was somewhat disappointed when I realized it wasn't what I envisioned (steel string Western). I'd rather stick with what I have than investing money into another hobby I'm not fully committed to, but if I have to, I have to.

Here are my basic questions, which I haven't been able to find a solid answer on.

-Eventually I want to buy a steel string acoustic, but for now can I learn on this guitar then easily transfer my knowledge over to a Western style if I enjoy it as much as I expect?

-Should I use a pick? I know I COULD but is it proper?

-Do you strum on a classical or just finger pick one string or something?

-Will the beginners course located here work for learning how to play? The lessons seem oriented towards a steel string, and I'm not musical enough to know if it matters. What particular things should I look out for that I'll have to do differently with a classical?

-I plan to buy a kapo. Are there different kinds for steel strings vs. classical?

Any other advice/lesson sources, thoughts, explanations are welcome. I know nothing about music but am pretty motivated to learn the guitar.

Have you ever been to a National Chorale Sing-in of Handel's Messiah?

cymru_j — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 07:38:40 -0800

Have you ever been to a Sing-in of Handel's Messiah? I'm looking into attending the National Chorale sing-in event at Lincoln Center (http://www.nationalchorale.org/) and gather that you need sheet music to participate. I love the idea of singing along, but how formal is the audience participation? I'm a huge fan of the music and I enjoy singing, but I can't sight read well, and I'm not familiar with the various choral parts.

Help me identify the Ghirardelli ad music

rdauphin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:42:12 -0800

What is the bit of classical music behind the Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark commercial on TV? I just saw the commercial and heard a snippet of classical music that I've been trying to identify. The ad is specifically for Ghirardelli's Peppermint Bark. Can you name that tune?

Help me find piano music to play.

philokalia — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:57:32 -0800

I want to expand my (intermediate/advanced amateur) piano repertoire. Can you recommend some music? I finally have some time to play the piano again, and I'm looking for some music recommendations. I used to be pretty good, but my technique has really deteriorated since college. I'll be working on that, but becoming a virtuoso is not really a priority, so what I'm after is interesting pieces that aren't too long or technically demanding. Bonus if they're witty.

Sometimes I feel like I've exhausted everything that's available for someone with my skills, but that can't be true. I've played through most of Beethoven's sonatas and short pieces, some Haydn sonatas (but no Mozart, which I find insipid). Also already in my repertoire are Chopin's Nocturnes, Waltzes, Polonaises (most of the Etudes are too demanding, I think); lots of Schubert, some Brahms, some Schumann. Scarlatti is fun; I don't have the patience for too much Bach polyphony, though I know it's always worth the effort. I loved Gershwin's piano preludes, and a handful of Prokofiev's Visions fugitives. Ravel is a little long-winded, I think. On the other hand, Debussy's Tarantelle styrienne is my latest favorite.

Who else wrote piano music for non-virtuosi? I'd welcome suggestions about almost any style of music except atonal or Philip-Glass-minimalist.

Cost- and effort-effective way to end up with a large HD full of lossless classical music, legally.

Your Time Machine Sucks — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:58:22 -0800

Cost- and effort-effective way to end up with a large HD full of lossless classical music, legally. Well, after my question here, I'm still not quite satisfied with the quality of my worktime music listening. I'm over my requirement for enjoyable-to-listen-to DJs, which isn't happening in combination with playlists I like, but I'm starting to get annoyed by the digital compression of internet radio. So, I was wondering if it is possible to provide my own classical radio, to myself, by stocking my work HD with large amounts of music I'm likely to enjoy hearing but haven't heard all of before, at lossless or near-lossless quality. Given the following conditions:

1. My fantasy: I would be happy to hear any non-symphonic, non-opera composition written by any European composer known or unknown during the centuries 12-19. Rather than excluding anything out of hand that fits those conditions, I would love the opportunity to hear it and if I hate it I'll take it out of the queue. Hearing some symphonic music or opera isn't a problem, but getting it into the playlist is not a goal of this undertaking. Non-operatic vocal music and proto-opera like Camerata is fine.

2. I'd like to do it legally, without individually purchasing vast amounts of CDs and ripping vast amounts of CDs. I don't have the time or money to build up a new digital music library one CD at a time. I also can't afford to pay for a big classical music library recording-by-recording on iTunes. I don't want to specify what would be too expensive, other than to say that a retail per-album payment approach to creating a radio-station-sized playlist or bigger will be too expensive.

3. Any top-tier performers, any high-fidelity recordings are fine with me. I'm OK with quirks of analog recording, so I guess that pretty much any high-quality recording after the late 50s is going to fit the bill. Please restrict commentary on my total lack of standards about important things combined with freakish pickiness about unimportant things to Memail.

4. I'm up to the task of getting any sound format into one I need for my own setup in an automated fashion. If something is available in a country that I'm not in, I'll do the legwork of figuring out whether it's an option.

OK. So, obviously what I've just described is not even remotely possible. There is no "legally purchase an enormous hard drive full of a single good example of every non-operatic, non-symphonic composition written by a European composer between the 12th and 19th century, performed by anyone acknowledged to be good, recorded decently, in lossless format" product. I doubt it would fit on even a 2TB drive in any case.

My question: what is the closest I can get (even if it's very, very far away), for the least money, as a result of investing the least effort? Examples I could imagine would be: sources of lossless (or at least top-quality lossy) public domain recordings (lots of link-clicking is not excessive effort), labels that sell drives full of their back-catalog releases for much less than the cost of purchasing them at retail, download services that have bulk download deals of recordings that are not the latest and hottest with lossless (or at least top-quality lossy) formats. Thank you for any suggestions!

is there a "sound opinions" -like podcast for classical music?

krautland — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:48:35 -0800

is there a "sound opinions" -like podcast for classical music? I'm deeply interested in classical music and would like to explore beyond the 200-or-so youtube favorites I keep going back to but I lack a great guide.

I like sound opinions for their explanations and album dissertations and wonder if there is anything like that for the classical music realm that's actually worth exploring. what I have in mind is something that would tell me which version of a piece to listen to and an explanation for why it is superior to another or something along those lines.

I did see this.

Angriest interpretation of Beethoven?

Josh Coe — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 13:35:06 -0800

What are the most intense, angriest interpretations of Beethoven? What about even more intense composers and interpretations of those?

Quality of recordings on Arte Nova label?

mediareport — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:07:23 -0800

Classical music fans: What's your opinion of the quality of the artists and recordings on the ultra-cheap Arte Nova label? I like a lot of the budget Naxos releases but have been seeing very cheap Arte Nova cds around and was wondering what that label's reputation is among folks who listen to a lot of classical music. Are they adequate, terrible, surprisingly good for the price or what? I'm a relative novice to the stuff, if that matters.

Classical/dance music crossovers?

gwenlister — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:10:22 -0800

I like pop/hip-hop/R&B/dance songs with samples from easily recognized classical pieces but that tie together smoothly (ie. "When I get you alone" by Thicke). I prefer if the end result has a fast-ish tempo. Any suggestions?

Help me understand atonal music

Frankieist — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:38:46 -0800

I've been trying to branch out my musical tastes, and have started recently to listen to atonal and serialist music (Boulez, Schoenberg, Webern). There is something about it that I like, but I'm not quite sure what it is, and I feel like if I knew more about the music in question I could better appreciate it. I have a fair amount of knowledge about music theory, but really only from texts on traditional harmony (including Schoenberg's Theory of Harmony). While the music isn't structured around harmony, there must be other structures because it sounds better than when I randomly smash keys on my piano. What should I be listening for? Repeated motifs? Rhythms?

I imagine that each artist might be fairly idiosyncratic with regard to how they structure their own music. If that's the case I'm more interested in Boulez and Schoenberg, as I like both of them far more than I like Webern.

More generally, if you are someone who listens serialism or atonal music, what do you like about it and how do you process it?

How do you pronounce Charles Wuorinen?

mediareport — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:00:44 -0800

How do you pronounce composer Charles Wuorinen's name? Which syllable is accented?

Create A Playlist For Me

wittgenstein — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:43:08 -0800

What classical music on YouTube passes the oh-my-god-i-can't-believe-this-is-available-on-youtube test? Several of my posts have been 20th century composers on YouTube (Reich, John Adams). And I am very fond of this piece by Lygeti. So, of course, I am especially interested in 20th century music. But, I am really interested in people posting the classical YouTube videos that amazed you most when you found them. All periods welcome.

Baby Mozart, and Massanet, and Meyerbeer?

notquitemaryann — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:16:11 -0800

A little something for my biggest fan... seeking ideas for classical songs that I can sing and record for my 19-month-old nephew. I'd like to do a series of recordings to send to my sister in cd and mp3 format as gifts for my wee nephew, Ben. I'm thinking I will probably save folk songs and modern music for when he's a bit older and may be more interested in singing along. What are some classical vocal pieces in various styles and languages (suitable for lullabies or playtime music, nothing too bombastic) that will help give him an early familiarity with good music? I'm more or less a mezzo with a wide range, though the lower the better on the lullabies, as the deeper notes seem to be very soothing to him. On his last visit, he enjoyed Solveig's Song, L'amour est une vertu rare, and Ombra mai fù.

Identify this classical composition

yewstano — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:12:18 -0800

Can you identify this classical composition? clip.mp3

Need info on Arvo Pärt and Für Alina

mermaidcafe — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:17:59 -0800

Who can tell me lots about Arvo Pärt and/or Für Alina?
I'm a big fan of Part and Fur Alina in particular. I've read what I can find online but need more. I'm writing a short story where Fur Alina plays a major part, and I need to know as much as I can about it, specifically, or Part, more broadly. You can talk about it from a more technical standpoint or biographical or whatever--anything will help. Thanks!

I'm looking for a simple route to discovering the key works of classical composers.

feelinglistless — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:01:45 -0800

I'm looking for a simple route to discovering the key works of classical composers. I'm working my way through a music history book and listening to what I can on Spotify.

Though I like the way the book is structured, the alphabetical lists of composers for each era, whilst covering more than the usual suspects, doesn't readily suggest essential listening or key works for each, preferring to talk in general terms about style.

There are a range of online sources, but again most of them are biographical. What I'd like is something that puts the music of the composer up front with background information for the work as a bonus.

Example:

Andre-Ernest-Modeste Gretry
Key work: The Caravan of Cairo (1783)

Name that classical melody.

mmoncur — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:54:51 -0800

Name that classical melody. I have a classical tune running through my head and it sounds like this. (short home-made WAV version) - any idea what it is? Clues:

- I think I've heard a classical guitar version of it but it could be originally played on piano or organ or maybe a string quartet.

- The timing on my WAV version is approximate, and the tuning is almost certainly wrong.

- I'm pretty sure there's a second melody that plays simultaneously (or the melody is made up of chords) - what I've rendered is what I believe to be the highest melody line. I have a vague idea what the lower melody is but I didn't include it here.

- I think it ends up repeating variations of the melody in an overlapping fashion, like a Bach fugue.

- I'm 90% certain it's classical but it could be Jazz... Or maybe I've heard a jazz version of it at some point. Heck, it could be Jethro Tull for all I know.

Thanks for your help!

Any good classical music blogs or news pages?

feelinglistless — Mon, 25 May 2009 12:43:10 -0800

Any good classical music blogs or news pages? I'm open to any suggestions, though I'm looking hopefully for something more accessible than technical. News, reviews and history.

Classical Guitar Tab Recommendations

starman — Wed, 06 May 2009 06:52:47 -0800

Suggestions for classical guitar tab? I'm looking for some "standards" of classical music that are fun to play on guitar. For example, these two from Bach are recognizable but I'm not saavy enough to have searched for them by name.

Thanks!

I'm old and play the violin, ok?

sully75 — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:04:26 -0800

What are some resources and events for adult amateur classical musicians? I'm a late starter adult fiddle player/violinist. I have a degree in music in a different instrument (double bass) but started fiddle in my 20s and studying classical violin in tandem with fiddle in the last 2 years.

What festivals, camps, workshops and the like would be open for adults? What is the best way to get a great teacher to take you seriously as someone who is seriously interested in getting to the best playing level they can in the midst of living their life?

This is one thing I know about but I'm wondering what else is available?
http://www.applehill.org/index.htm

I'll be located in Boston, for whatever that's worth. If there are any violin teachers in the area you think might work, I'd be interested in hearing that too.

Long Lost Bach Concerto

fenwaydirtdog — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:01:46 -0800

Help me identify a long-lost piece by J.S. Bach that my orchestra used to play in middle school! Notation excerpt attached. For many years I have been trying to identify a piece that that I played on the cello with my middle school orchestra two decades ago. I have no recordings of it -- it's just in my head. The casual title was "Concerto in E Minor" by J.S. Bach. I don't remember the BWV number on the piece. Obviously, Bach's output included thousands of pieces. I've gone through every "Concerto in E minor" by Bach on YouTube, and none of these was the correct piece. I've even gone through every Bach piece in a minor key on Youtube, knowing that perhaps this piece that we played back in the day might have been transposed from a different key. No dice. I am positive that the piece was in a minor key. I'm pretty sure it was written by Bach, and I'm pretty sure it was a concerto, but I'm even going through every classical music piece I can find on YouTube that is in E Minor to see if I can find my lost piece, and I come up empty.

It's a piece in a moderately fast tempo. I recall how the piece sounds, but in terms of precise notes, I only recall the first eight measures of the cello part. Click here to see the first eight bars: http://www.freeimagehosting.net/image.php?64db24abb8.png

Please help me find my long lost Bach concerto!

I don't wanna Jack Off In Back. It's baroque but don't fix it.

sully75 — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:33:59 -0800

I'm looking for some classical music recomendations. I like Glenn Gould, Anner Bylsma, Morimur (The Hilliard Ensemble with Christoph Poppen). I really like interesting little albums that are individual and not necessarily part of some huge opus. Any suggestions? Doesn't even have to be classical. I'll describe the things I like about these recordings. Hit me up with some suggestions. I'm particularly interested in more violin music. I've been listening to Anner Bylsma's recording of the Vivaldi sonatas for years and I'm still amazed at how much life and vitality is in that recording. I'm trying to find something similar for violin. It doesn't necessarily have to be baroque music (but that would be great). I'm just looking for really lively recordings that are not overly polished but show great heart and soul. Doesn't have to be violin either. But I like recordings that have great presence and a feeling of space and personality.

Recently I got Morimur by the Hilliard Ensemble and love that too. I also have an album they did with the saxophone player Jan Garbarek (Officium) that I listened to non stop for a year or so. So I'm interested in ensembles doing interesting and creative things with music.

And I just am revisiting Glenn Gould and Yehudi Menuhin's Bach, Beethoven and Schoenberg recording. I love the tension on the recording as they both are pushed in directions that they wouldn't normally go. So I'm interested in situations where musicians who might not agree on things meet in the middle and make something great.

I'm suspicious of wonderkind violinists but if something is really great, I'll give it a listen.

Other things I've loved in the past:
Anything with Jordi Savall
The re-recording of Gould's Goldberg Variations (the thing where they digitized his mono recording and played it back on a modern piano)
The Recorded Violin (historic recordings of old violin 78s)
Andrew Manze playing Handel (amazing but still not as amazing as Anner Bylsma)