Classical music:still great guns.

R

Rick

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Valued Senior Member
does anyone here listen to classical music?
i was looking at the posts and none of you mentioned any of the classical compositions.

beethoven,vangelis,mozart i love them all...

anyone who wants to share any info these icons who shaped and made greatest music ever are welcome.
a little history of

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LUDVIG VAN BEETHOVEN
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The exact date of Beethoven's birth is unknown, but as he was baptised on the 17th Dec 1770 and the custom was for this to take place within 24 hours of birth, it is likely that he was born on 16th December 1770 in Bonn. Most of the information that we have of Beethoven's early years comes down through an account known as the 'Fischer manuscript' which was written by Gottfried Fischer and his sister Cäcilie Fischer who both lived in the house known as the Fischerhaus in the Rheingasse, where the Beethoven family also had lodgings intermittently from 1776-1786. When the Beethoven monument was unveiled in Bonn in 1845, the Fischers were still living in the Rheingasse. From their account, we learn that Beethoven attended elementary school in the Neugasse, he then went to the school attached to Bonn cathedral and subsequently to a school in the Bongasse. His father, Johann (a Court Tenor) gave him instructions in piano, Violin and possibly Viola. His first public concert was 0n 26th March 1778 when he was aged 7 (the same day he was to die 49 years later). Realising the boy's talents and his own limitations as a teacher, Johann found other tutors for Ludwig and the most notable of these was C.G.Neefe who was responsible for introducing Beethoven to the music of J.S.Bach. In 1782 Beethoven was assisting Neefe as deputy court organist and his first work, a set of variations on a march by Dressler was published. Soon he was playing the Viola in the court orchestra, gaining invaluable knowledge of orchestral music and the art of writing for the orchestra.

Beethoven had first visited Vienna in 1787 with the intention of studying with Mozart. Barely had he arrived when he was summoned back to Bonn to his dying mother. In 1792 a second visit was arranged, this time to study with Joseph Haydn (Mozart having died in 1791). Beethoven may not have known it at the time, but Vienna was to remain his home for the rest of his life. It was as a pianist rather than a composer that the young man first began to make an impression, with his virtuoso technique and dramatic improvisations. Beethoven was also meeting many influential people, particularly amongst the aristocracy - in this he was aided by the 'van' in his name, which many mistook to represent nobility (as with the German 'Von').

Beethoven's compositions are generally divided into 3 stylistic periods. His first period works although showing the influences of composers such as Haydn, Mozart, C.P.E.Bach and Clementi, reveal a marked originality with bold modulations, frequent unexpected turns of phrase and the replacement of the Minuet with the Scherzo. Beethoven also develops piano technique by placing greater demands on the performer. There is no sudden change of style as such, rather a natural progression which is probably best observed in the 32 Piano Sonatas. The first period covers the early works up until c.1802 and includes about 10 of the Piano Sonatas, the first 2 Symphonies, the ballet 'Creatures of Prometheus', the op.18 String quartets and the first three Piano concertos.

1802 is a significant date as it is the year of the so-called 'Heiligenstadt testament' in which Beethoven writes of his despair over his increasing deafness (which he had first noticed 5 or 6 years earlier) in a letter to his brothers that was never sent, but found (along with the letters to the 'Immortal beloved') amongst his possesions after his death. The work that really marks the start of the middle period is the Symphony no.3 'Eroica' (1803). In this work, Beethoven expands the dimensions of the Symphony considerably and introduces many novelties and complexities which baffled the ears of many at its first public performance. The following Symphonies up to and including no.8 (1812) all belong to the middle period, as do many of Beethoven's best loved works - 'Razumovsky' quartets, 'Waldstein' sonata, 'Appasionata' sonata, 'Archduke' trio, the opera 'Fidelio', Piano concertos 4&5 and the Violin concerto.

About 1813 there is a marked slowing in Beethoven's output of major works, and for the next 6 years or so, he produced mainly smaller pieces, songs and song arrangements. There are many reasons for this; his deafness by now was quite advanced (he had ceased giving public performances as a pianist) and this isolation was producing an inner transformation (spiritually). He was also taking more time over his works, with major compositions taking sometimes many years to perfect. In 1815, another burden in the form of his nephew Karl came into his life. For the next 5 years Beethoven was involved in legal disputes with Karl's mother for sole custody of the boy. Karl was to prove a source of anxiety to Beethoven from then on, resulting finally in Karl's failed suicide attempt of July 1826.

The late period works (from about 1816) include the last 6 Piano sonatas, Symphony no.9 'Choral', last 5 String quartets, and the 'Missa Solemnis'. Characteristic of the late period are a meditative quality, with the working out of themes and motives to their utmost potential. There is also an increase in the importance of contrapuntal textures. New sonorities are created, with wide spacing of parts (Piano sonatas). Trills are also of more significance as are silences. Beethoven no longer adheres to traditional classical forms and works may have just 2 movements (Sonata op.111) or as many as 7 (String quartet op.131).

Beethoven's method of composition changed as he developed. Particularly from the middle period on, he would refine an original idea, sometimes many times and over a period of years before he was satisfied. These working outs would be written in sketch-books (which he often carried around with him whilst out walking) and are fascinating to study as they demonstrate the many transformations a work would go through.

Beethoven was truely a living legend of his times,his compositions are just great and as good as they can be,they are good to hear even now...

any inputs regarding other great geniuses of the times may be welcome...

bye!
 
Thank you for terrific bio on Beethoven. Although raised on pop music and C&W, I was introduced to classical music 40 years ago and have been an ardent fan since then. I enjoy all the great composers and some of the more obscure. I love music for its own sake (classical 75% of the time) but am very short of musical knowledge. Also an avid reader, I've always focused on the product and have little interest in the author or composer.
 
Thanks John Commo,as i asked,you can submit any info if you have about them here...any style in particular you like...
meanwhile Lets talk about a Legend of his own times.even today.

Mozart's life and his requiem mass
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The Man who started for His own sister.A small brother who played harp just for sake of getting his sister Marianne later went on to become one of the legends,one of the unforgettable persons in the hisory of the mankind.Yes he is Mozart.A master musician,the unforgettable.
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REQUIEM
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It was a work that he was destined never to finish -- Mozart was absolutely sure of that. Some say that he even suspected his impending death from the moment he first received the commission. In any event, the composer rushed to complete his Requiem before he drew his last breath and, therefore, beat Mr. Death at his own game.


Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was only 35, but he had lived the equivalent of many lifetimes. He was barely six years old when his father, Leopold, had dragged his son and daughter over the length and breadth of Europe, showing off their considerable musical talents to anyone who would contribute to their coffers. When little Wolfie sat on the chair before the harpsichord, his feet didn’t even touch the floor.

Since those early days, Mozart had been working steadily, not only as a composer but also as a conductor and performer. He was one of a new breed, a musician who did not depend on royal patronage to survive. He was the first of the free-lance composers, gathering commissions on his own to write operas, symphonies, concertos, and other works. He organized concerts for his own benefit and performed his own piano concertos as part of the program. He seldom taught music -- one of the steadiest ways a musician could earn a living in those days -- simply because he didn’t have the patience to work with musicians less skillful than himself. He had far more pressing things to do.


People like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -- people larger than life -- leave great legends behind them. The circumstances surrounding the composition of Mozart’s last major work, the “Requiem in D,” is rampant with that kind of myth -- highly romantic to be sure, but largely untrue.


All through his adult life, Mozart had powerful feelings that he would die early. He also tended to be superstitious, so when a mysterious messenger arrived bearing a letter asking him to compose a Requiem Mass -- a mass for the dead -- Mozart took it as an omen of his own imminent departure from the world. What made the episode even more mysterious is that the letter was unsigned.


On the afternoon of the eve of his death, after three of his friends arrived to comfort the dying composer, Mozart conducted an impromptu rehearsal of the completed parts of the Requiem, with himself and each man taking one of the parts. Then, as the group began singing the opening bars of the Lacrimosa, Mozart broke down completely and the rehearsal was aborted.


So goes the myth of the famous “Requiem in D” and its composer’s last day. Throughout the years the tale has been embellished and added to by countless scribes. The truth behind the composition of the Requiem is much more difficult to discover than the folklore. Only two facts are known for certain. The first is that the commission for the work was delivered by an unknown party. The second was that Mozart died before he had completed even half of the Requiem Mass. But here is the best guess at what actually happened.


The story begins in July 1791. There is a knock at Mozart’s door. A perfect stranger hands him a letter asking if he would be interested in writing a Requiem Mass, his fee for composing the work, and a possible delivery date. Would he be kind enough send his reply to a certain address?


After consulting with his wife, Constanze, Mozart accepted the commission, quoted a price, but said that he could not promise a date for delivery. Lately Mozart had been rather sickly and not able to work a great deal.


Some days later, the stranger reappeared bearing a fat bag of money for the composer. He said that Mozart’s price had been so reasonable that his employer had promised a hefty bonus, and that he should complete the work as quickly as possible.


Today, we can be fairly certain that Mozart’s unknown patron was Count Franz Walsagg, an amateur musician who often commissioned works from well-known composers and passed them off as his own. Walsagg wanted the Mass as a memorial to his wife who had passed away the year before. The mysterious messenger was probably Walsagg’s steward, Franz Anton Leutgeb.


Mozart began composing. After he had finished about 40 pages, he laid the work aside to concentrate on completing his Italian opera, “La clemenza di Tito” and the German singspeil, “The Magic Flute”. When these were done, he returned to the Requiem.


All during this time, Mozart was getting sicker and he began thinking that the end was near. However, he didn’t believe he was dying from any ordinary disease. He firmly believed that he was being poisoned. Constanze tried to soothe her husband and convince him that it was all in his imagination, but Mozart would not be comforted. He became increasingly depressed and melancholy. And he started spending more time with his unfinished Requiem, in spite of his rapidly failing health. It became an obsession.


On his last day on earth, Mozart could have hardly been able to sing any part of the Requiem, or even work on it very much. His swollen body would have caused him excruciating pain. In fact, he was barely able to move. At about one o’clock in the morning, on December 5, 1791, he turned his face to the wall and died.


Constanze, who was now in a desperate financial condition, turned the unfinished Requiem manuscript over to Mozart’s pupil, Franz Xavier Süssmayr. She knew that Mozart and Süssmayr had often discussed the Requiem and that the composer had left instructions on how he wanted certain passages completed. The final result was about half Mozart and half Süssmayr.


Constanze presented the manuscript to Walsagg a year after Mozart died, but not before she had made a copy of the music. This was fortunate because the Requiem might have been lost to the world if Walsagg had claimed authorship. As it was, he could hardly do that since Mozart’s composition was already being performed by others. So he decided to sue as one whose rights of ownership had been violated. Constanze headed off the attempt with borrowed money to buy the rights back from Walsagg. The thwarted plagiarizer could do nothing else but comply.


And so Mozart’s last major composition -- and probably one of the most popular things he ever wrote -- was finally completed. The composition of the “Requiem in D” may be sheathed in legend, but its truth is apparent to everyone who basks in its beauty.

When you listen to his compositions,you feel that great Ambience inside your own heart,that depths are present within your hearts and Mozart the great is telling us to view them.

Hats Off To Him...

bye!
 
Zion.. thankyou so much for your last post.

I'm a big fan of classical music ever sine being forced to watch "Amadeus" at the flicks. The film ended with his reqiuem, naturally. Genius piece of work... certainly one of my favorites... morbid, but wonderfully beautiful.

Ever since an age of about thirteen I've loved the classics of Bach and Verdi. Needless to say, the other kids at school laughed when I said that I preferred Puccini to Bros! Look who's having the last laugh now!:D

Again, thankyou for a detailed piece of research. Very informative!
 
I discovered classical music through my failed attempt to learn to play the violin.

You might think it was just another case of parents pushing their reluctant child to take music lessons. Not at all. As a teenager I sold newspapers and mowed lawns to earn the money to buy my violin and take the lessons.

As it happened, I fell in love with my violin teacher. I've no idea how old she was, 25 or 30 perhaps? She often wore her sandy blonde hair in a sort of a Germanic or Trachten-like braid. God, she was beautiful. She had a soft voice and near infinite patience as a teacher. I remember she once played for me one of J.S. Bach's Partitas for solo violin. As she played little pink fluttery hearts danced over my head. My weekly lessons couldn't arrive too soon.

For nearly a year I practiced in my basement. I always kept a mute on the bridge so as not to annoy my family. My father in particular, used to look disgusted when mention of my violin was made. I did my best to stay out of his way. Sometimes I'd wait till my mother was washing clothes so that the machine would drown out my noise.

In time my teacher had become noticably pregnant (don't even think it), and asked that we resume the lessons after she'd given birth. Actually, I think she worried that my tortured vibrations might somehow be picked up by her unborn child. Rather than risk a birth defect, the lessons were put on hold.

By that time I'd advanced to playing a few of the less demanding pieces by the well known composers, certainly not Paganini, but I began to enjoy the music itself.

She called me a couple of months later. I dropped by to see her baby though it didn't make much of an impression on me. Strangely, the entire business of her being pregnant had upset me. I gave her an excuse for not resuming my lessons and said goodbye to her. I gave up playing.

Still, the violin has always remained my favorite instrument. I've an enormous respect for those who can make it sing. Besides, my failed attempt to play the violin left me with a love for classical music. To this day, my intense feelings for classical music are inseparable from my thoughts of her. Classical music expresses the most pure and sweet emotions of life. Oddly, my failure with the violin stands out as the best memory from my otherwise miserable childhood.

Nearly everything composed up through the 1820's is music to my ears. After Beethoven's time it becomes hit or miss, though Tchaikovsky and Saint-Saens are notable exceptions. Mozart and Vivaldi seem to have been incapable of composing unhappy music. They invariably lift me out of a melancholy. And small wonder, but I've still a soft spot in my heart for the music of J.S. Bach :)

Michael
 
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Classical music & so such...

I understand the difficulties that the violin presents, I've been playing it since 1986 and still study privately. This has caused me to pay more attention to classical music, although both of my parents exposed me to it long before I played an instrument.

As far as violin repertoire goes I have a few favorites, and anyone who appreciates this instrument and is unfamiliar with any of the following composers should download some MP3s, you will probably be most enamored...

1) Henri Wieniawski:.... Scherzo Tarantella
Polonaise Brillant in D major
Violin concerto #2
2) Pablo de Sarasate:... Carmen Fantasy
Spanish Dances
3) Henri Vieuxtemps:.....Violin Concerto #5
4) Niccolo Paganini:.......The 24 Caprices
La Campanella
La Streghe
The Violin Concertos
5) Fritz Kreisler:.............Caprice Viennois
Tambourin Chinois
Praeludium and Allegro
Tempo di Menuetto
Anything by Kreisler really...
6) Max Bruch..................The Scottish Fantasie
The 2 violin Concertos
7) Edouard Lalo.............Symphonie Espagnole

And if you can get recorded versions of Itzhak Perlman or Michael Rabin you're in luck because no one has done it better...

Check some out if you have the time and volition...!!
 
Yogamojo,

That's a super list, especially the Kreisler and Bruch, thanks!

BTW, I happened to read recently that Albert Einstein took his violin everywhere with him. A well known virtuoso remarked that Einstein's fingering was very delicate, but that he bowed like a lumberjack. The article went on to say that Einstein didn't get very upset if someone questioned his theory of relativity, but he would become quite angry if his playing was criticized. :)

Michael
 
Einstein's Violin Playing...

It is interesting that the intellectual part of his work was safe behind his security in its accuracy, but felt more vulnerable when it came to right-brained functions...In contrast Mozart was so sure of the "soundness" (pun intended) of his life's work that he went to no one for critique while socially his relationships sagged.

Apparently this sort of compromise is not always necessary though. Ignasz Paderewski, Franz Liszt, and Frederick Chopin (all pianists) were extremely dexterous, illustrious, each with many solid contributions to the repertoire of his instrument, yet all three were sound social figures.

Has anyone heard any of the odd stories about Niccolo Paganini, Giuseppe Tartini, or Ol' Borneman Bull? There are many mysterious tales afloat; perhaps later I will post some for the appreciation of those who are interested.
 
definition of "Classical Music"?

I've often wondered if there is a specific age parameter for 'classical' music..... for example, many folks say an 'antique' HAS to be at least 100 years old. Is this true for classical music- and if so, what is the time frame?

We all agree 'old-timers' like Brahams, Beetoven, Bach, Mozart are classical..... where does this leave Copeland? His style is certainly classical- but he was still with us till what, a couple decades ago? The opening post mentioned Vangelis- who's still very much alive, I believe.... so is he 'classical' yet?

Any thoughts? Particularly from persons with advanced studies in music?
 
Hey Yogamojo,

I read a biography about Paganini some years ago. As I remember, he was a bit of an eccentric rock-star in his day. Again, if I remember correctly, he told reporters that he never practiced playing once he became an adult. He also seems to have had an aversion to food. It seems that critics tended to be hard on him, describing him as nothing more than a trickster, etc. I can't say that I am particularly fond of his compositions that I've heard, they seem to be full of too many "special effects" for my taste.

Michael
 
ever heard of windows XP?.
OKAY so when you see media player skin,you see something written called ""windows classic"",right.thats gonna give you more ideas...


bye!
 
"Classical" Classification...

Spacecat 27,

"Classical" music, unlike "antique" furniture actually refers to an ongoing genre of music which is still being composed, albeit under some different rules (12 tone, quartertone, polyharmonic, free-form) than were traditionally used before the last century. In most well fortified classical music sections you will find music ranging from the earliest baroque through the renaissance into the romantic, post-romantic, and up to the modern/contemporary classical music (which includes abstract, modernist classical music and music for film scores, etc.). Although if you listen to some Witold Lutoslawski or Olivier Messiaen I doubt if anything as classical as a Mozart Symphony will come to mind...

Orthogonal,

Yep. Paganini was a weirdo, sort of vampiric and eccentric in appearance and attitude. He had some disorder which was treated with mercury which caused a pallor in his skin and a sensitivity to bright light for which reason he wore dark, blue-lensed spectacles most of the time. He also and a rare tendon disorder which enabled him to simultaneously finger four Gs. He womanized as often as he could, played entire pieces on one string just because he could, and the rumor was that his mother sold her soul to the devil in exchange for her son's virtuosity on his instrument. From the pictures I've seen, sketches, a couple of old photographs, he looked how the devil might look. And I agree, much of his music is pretty pyrotechnical and acrobatic, sometimes too much of that sort of thing can seem to impede the musical importance of a work.
 
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This is an interesting thread...good bios; Michael---enjoyed your little jaunt down memory-lane...
Classical music---good stuff.

May I recommend a little collection cleverly entitled "Classical Music for People Who Hate ClassicaL Music" for those who aren't sure if classical is right for them. :)
 
my personal favorite: mozarts magic flute. also love wagner's tanhauser(although he tends to over orchestrate), händel's trumpet tune and most of schubert's work.
 
zion:
There's an excellent book called "The Mozart Myths" that explains the facts behind the requiem myth.

Suprised none have mentioned Wagner. While he's unpopular in our current climate, he revolutionized opera and, more on topic, he had quite an interesting "rock star" personality.

Worthy mentions -
Dvorak, Smetana, Sibelius
 
Leave it to a semi-proto-fascist Nietzschean idolater to bring up Wagner.

He was great though. The greatest, in my opinion.

Der Ring des Nibelungen? Magnificent.
 
Leave it to a Christian to try to spark an argument in an otherwise civil thread. Do us a favor and choke to death on the next cock you suck, mmkay?

Amusing that you assumed that fondness for Nietzsche implies fondness for Wagner, when Nietzsche hated Wagner's guts for years after their split.
Even in works that show Nietzsche's influence most prominently - namely the Ring cycle - Wagner is not a true Nietzschean.
If there is an ideology connecting the two before Wagner flipped his wig and became a Jesus-freak, it is that the earlier works of Wagner and the later works of Nietzsche show the inspiration of Wotanaz.

The Ring cycle, Tristan und Isolde and the Meistersinger and Tannhauser overtures are amazing. Wagner does have a tendancy for bombast - in general, I don't like this in classical, see my recommendations of Smetana and Sibelius - but he pulls his bombast off quite well.
 
Christian?

Okay... whatever... either you're doing a bang up job of insulting me or you took my idiotic trolling in the Religious forums a little too seriously.


Yes, I know all about "Contra Wagner". Neitzsche was probably just starting to die of syphilis when he wrote that... *chuckle chuckle*


Please don't assume I'm defaming you when I'm merely being playful, Xeva, you silver-tongued, pugnacious semi-proto-fascist.



Anyone here have a fondness for Tchaikovsky?
 
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