Studying Options

[The Old Lady]

So, now I have Grade 5 in flute and theory and Grade1 in piano. Next is 6 in flute and maybe theory.
I have not been a big classical music buff, and realize I need to learn listening skills. How should I go about this task. I can get CD's from the library, but what should I start with??
Should I go composer by composer, or age by age, or one from baroque, one from romantic, one classical and one modern?? What should I listen for??
Any ideas of how to do this?? Thanks.
Beverley.

[skylark]

Feel free to ignore this because I don't know the answer either, but what I'm currently doing is first of all reading about the life and times of the major composers so that I've got some context in which to understand them, then I'm planning to start at the beginning and work forwards, listening to representative samples of the period and/or composer. I feel that by doing that, I'll be able to pick up the development of the different styles better. But there may be better ways of doing it and I'll be interested to hear other replies.

[fsharpminor]

I think you should pick a few composers from different periods, and make a starting list:

Something like this would be my starting 12 :-

Palestrina- Missa Papae Marcelli
Bach- Brandenburgs, Well Tempered Clavier or Partitas, Violin Concs, B Minor Mass, Organ Music
Mozart- Symphonies 29 and 41, Piano Concs 20/21, An Opera, A few Piano Sonatas
Beethoven- Symphonies 3 and 9, Piano Sonatas, Piano Conc 5, A String Quartet.
Schubert- Some Lieder, Sym No 9, Maybe a quartet, Piano Impromtus
Mendelssohn- Symphony 4 or 5, Violin Conc, Elijah, Songs without Words
Brahms - Any Symphony, Requiem, A String Quartet Violin Concerto, Piano pieces Op117-119
Tchaikowsky- Symphony 4,5,6. Ballet music, Violin Concerto, Eugene onegin
Dvorak- Symphony 7, 8 or 9 American Quartet, Cello concerto
Shostakovich- Symphony 5 ,10. The Queen of Spades, Piano Conc 2, Violin Conc, Cello Conc 1
Elgar- Symphony 2, Cello Concerto
James MacMillan- Confessions of Isobel Gowdie, Veni Veni Emmanuel
or John Adams- Short Ride in a Fast Machine, Harmonium.

Ok some big ones missed out but I tried to cut it to 12 and cover most periods! Many of you will disagree maybe with omission of Schumann, Chopin, Britten etc . And the major Opera composers (Puccini Verdi Wagner etc)

[The Old Lady]

Thanks F#m, I think that sounds a good list. I have the Cambridge guide, and could read about the composers before I listen like Skylark.
Bev.

[Panthera]

Thanks F#m, I think that sounds a good list. I have the Cambridge guide, and could read about the composers before I listen like Skylark.
Bev.

I used to have some kind of a list too but then either got distracted or information overloaded from trying to listen to/learn about too many things; there's a tendency to go and borrow all the cd's on the list at the same time (been there, done that (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) ). What I do now is to link the listening with what I'm playing. Not only does this put things into context, but also gets me to listen to lesser known pieces too.

For example, one of the pieces I'm learning is a Mozart fantasy, so I started by reading (again) about Mozart and looked into the background of the piece if I can find such info (when it composed and why, whether there were different versions or related pieces, etc). Then I listened to other fantasies by Mozart, those by his contemporaries (like Haydn) and those by other composers (e.g. Schubert, Chopin). I also listened to others Mozart pieces composed around the same time. I could also venture into other pieces composed in the same key, and so on. I always find it great fun trying to find connections between the pieces I'm learning to other pieces!

[Maizie]

Could you perhaps get the course materials for an OU music course? Am not suggesting you actually do the course, but the materials would give you a structured learning programme.

Just to let people know...many larger libraries carry OU material, they may not have the whole course or let you take it out all at once though.
Or, you can buy secondhand course material from University Book Search. eBay is usually worth a search too.

[rachelviolin]

Have you tried one of the 'History of Classical Music' sets of CDs? There is one narrated by Aled Jones, which I have, but I know there are others because I've seen them on Amazon. The Aled Jones one gives you lots of 'taster' snippets of music plus a chatty explanation of the composers, their lives and historical context. The only thing I'm worried about in recommending it is that it might be too basic for what you want....!

There is also a programme on Radio 3 on Sunday afternoon called 'Discovering Music' which takes a different work each programme and analyses it. There doesn't seem to be a theme from one week to the next but the ones I've heard have been interesting. Also the 'Building a library' programme often has a lot of interesting discussion.

[AnnaPianna]

Get one of those classical music compilations. Yes, I know they tend to contain the most popular works from a composer rather that the best ones, but it will be a good starting point. Then you can find out the dates and the period of each composer and go from there. There are obvious similarities in music written in the same period, and soon when you hear a piece of music you will have an idea of who wrote it (even if you're wrong, you'll be able to offer a suitable alternative).

Other than that, with a compilation you'll be able to pick out composers who you'll think you like and build up some recordings. Labels like Naxos are stocked in HMV and they have a wide variety of classical recordings, plus they are very affordable. They also do a 'best of' for all the big composers, and after seeing these, you will be able to see which composers tended to write for certain instruments more than others.

As for where to start on the timeline, i'd go for the music and composers that most appeal to you. The more you like something, the more you will be willing to listen and learn, however i'm sure you will find music from all the periods that you find enjoyable.

Hope this helps

Anna xxx

[Misterioso]

Could you perhaps get the course materials for an OU music course? Am not suggesting you actually do the course, but the materials would give you a structured learning programme.

These are very good! I did two and learnt loads! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Scurra]

Listen to Classic fm.

I cannot echo this sentiment heartily enough!
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[pianoboe]

Listen to Classic fm.

I cannot echo this sentiment heartily enough!
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

BBC3...no adverts and they actually play the full piece of music... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

[The Old Lady]

Thanks everyone (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
Bev.

[Czerny]

Listen to Classic fm.

I cannot echo this sentiment heartily enough!
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

BBC3...no adverts and they actually play the full piece of music... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

And the presenters don't make such inane comments all the time!

[lottie]

I listen to Radio 3 as much as possible and if something 'catches my ear' I look it up.

Have fun - there's lots of great stuff out there (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[stevensfo]

What I found extremely interesting was to listen to pieces while following the score. Seeing what the musicians are actually playing seemed to make me appreciate the music a lot more.

Steve