Classical Music, a forgotten art

[Archaic_Avenger]

okay, this was kinda sparked from the theme song thread, when Raptor mentionsed Bach. i realized that though i love classical music i couldn't think of eny to use as theme songs, so i decided to simply start a thread for discussing classical music. so, Raptor, Metal Zombie, possibly Melkor, and other fans, come to disucss.

anyways, i really like Stravinski's Firebird Suit and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. what about everyone else?

Rodan2000

[Metal Zombie]

I was the one to mention Bach first, actually. And like I said in there, Toccata and Fugue in D minor is great. My friend is working on the full 9+ minute version on guitar, but so far he's got it. And though I don't remember who composed it, Flight of the Bumblebee freaking rocks! There's a scene in Kill Bill that plays it on trumpet (or some kind of horn instrument) and I have a guitar version by Yngwie Malmsteen that I have downloaded. A friend of mine challenged me to learn it on bass, but I've had NO luck on that so far...

[Cole Deschain]

More into Opera than Classical as such, but I'll take what I can get.

[Archaic_Avenger]

i kinda thought that opera was classical, just a different kind of classical. anyways, yeah, the Flight of the BubleBee is great. i tried to do it on the baritone, but it only was me blowing really hard and tapping the keys down rapidly. it actually did kinda sound like it. say, has anyone here heard of a show called From the Top? its where they get a bunch of young people who play classical music and interveiw them and stuff. its a great show.

Rodan2000

[kent]

Some classical music interests me but overall, I am not a huge fan of it. Most classical music just doesn't seem to interest me. I am a fan of instrumental music though. Like Ifukube's and other music heard throughout the Godzilla series and other films.

[Archaic_Avenger]

and i kinda cout that as classical music too. you, know, her;es a question i have. where do we draw the line of classical music. where do we say it is or is not classical music. i say that basically all instrumental music is classical, and i include opera, most movie themes, and stuff like that, but i'm not sure where we really draw the line.

Rodan2000

[Raptor]

I would say that the works that have endured and endeared themselves to so many people should be considered "classics". Usually, we do think of Mozart and instrumental pieces, often composed CENTURIES ago. There are also religious arias(?) that are still sung today, having originally been written in Latin.

Music from the '50s and later could also be considered "classic" that is still with us and fondly remembered, often showing up in TV/radio commercials. ITSY BITSY TEENY-WEENY YELLOW POLKA DOT BIKINI is currently used in a weight-loss commercial and I believe there was even a prior ad make with it! James Brown's I FEEL GOOD accompanied a bunch of guys in SPARK PLUG outfits! You have to admit, TRUE "classics" stay with us!

[Archaic_Avenger]

well, by classical music i wasn't efering to classic songs, but classical music as a genre.

Rodan2000

[Gorgozilla]

Some of my favorites are Tchaikovski's first symphony, Gustav Holst's "The Planets," Stravinski's "Rites of Spring" and Rachmaninoff's work. Mozart and Beethoven composed a lot of music I like too.

[Archaic_Avenger]

oh, i love the planets. the peice for Jupiter is a pretty well known one, though not everybody has heard the rest. i think Jupiter is my favorite. i have a CD with the Firebird suit, the Rites of Spring, and as a bonus: the Stygian suit. they're all pretty good.

say, does anybody know what the song they play during the opening credits of Hunt For Red October is?

Rodan2000

[Goji Son]

Classical music is one of my favorites to listen to. Especially adagios, the songs carry more mood, emotion, power, beauty and meaning than any lyric to any song. It truely is a forgotten art and it is very sad to see that no one really appreciates it but the beauty part of it is that after all these years most still know what Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 17 is just from hearing it even after hundreds of years, can't say that about songs now written not 5 years ago. It's forgetten but still the art is timeless as there will always those in every generation who connect with these songs and pass it on to the next generation. Sort of bittersweet in that fashion.

[Gawdziller]

While I don't find much interest in most traditional classical music, there are some compositions that totally amaze me. I have to say that together, all three parts of Akira Ifukube's Sinfonia Tapkaara make up my all-time favorite piece of music. Ever.

Also worthy of mention are Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, and Mussorgsky's (sp?) Night on Bald Mountain. I'm kind of partial to Rachmaninoff and Beethoven as well.

[Gojira2000]

I love calssical music; it's my favorite. I hate almost all other music .
However, I don't know so many classical peaces as you guys have been dicussing here. My most favorite form of classical music--and my most favorite type of music--is... what's the word for it? soundtrack music? Such as Ifukube's and John Williams' music--the best! Williams and Ifukube among others like them are refered to as classical music, right? I would think so.

But anyway, it's great to know that people really love this type of music. To bad we don't hear more of it today; everything seems to be rap, rock, pop, punk, and so forth--really anything other then classical. Very, very sad....

[Wiz]

I don't listen to classical music all the time, but I do sometime's, and I like it a lot. I listen to it if I'm in a more relaxed mood and I don't want to get riled up or anything. I like to listen to Mozart, Bach, Tchaikovski, Chopin, and a few other's who's names I can't remember.

[Archaic_Avenger]

one of the best radio shows is Carl Haus's Adventure's in Good Music. in one episode he played a couple of peices that were how they were originally supposed to be. anyways, they played the Blue Danube, and it sounds the same, when suddenly, a bunch of men start singing. so, i thought it was funny that it was originally supposed to have lyrics.

"Hello everyone..." -Carl Haus

Rodan2000

PS, there is only one song that i really have to say is more beautiful than any classical peice i've heard and that is Dire Strait's Romeo and Juliet.

[Melkor]

I grew up listening to classical music. My musically inclined aunts would always play classical whenever I go to their houses, and to top it off, my favorite movie when I was a child was 'Fantasia'. Sadly, I don't get to listen to it that often, but the fact remains, it is truly a forgotten art. Anyway, some of my favorites are 'Night on Bald Mountain' by Mussogorsky, Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake', 'Messiah' by Handel [ esp. the wonderful chorus! ] and a lot more. Truly a rewarding experience.



Peace,



Melkor

[rodan70]

Anything by Tchaikovsky is cool. i love classical music.

[Raptor]

Melkor is indeed correct about classical music being a rewarding experience, especially considering some of what is so popular nowadays and passed off as "music". I can't help but think many of our lives have been made richer by exposure to the wondrous compositions mentioned above (and so many others!).

Do not pass up an opportunity to at least SAMPLE these classics or other works by the composers mentioned if you haven't already done so. You're not going to find them on MTV, many mainstream radio stations, in music videos or being discussed by many cohorts so it might take a little effort to search them out. It will be well worth it!

[Cosmos]

I recommend Gustav Mahler. Good and grim.

[Metal Zombie]

I know people mentioned a lot of movie soundtracks and such, but what about videogame soundtracks too? I absolutely love the violin and cello music in the Legend of Zelda: Windwaker (I'm a sucker for violins and cellos) and Sephiroth's theme song from Final Fantasy VII, The One Winged Angel, is a GREAT song. Very dramatic and it suits him perfectly. I was also a huge fan of the western-style music from the Wild ARMs games, which is my favorite RPG series.

Also, has anyone heard Metallica's S&M album? It's a 2-disc live album of the band performing with the San Fransisco Symphony, and I thought it was very well done. I know it's hard to imagine Metallica playing stuff like Master of Puppets and For Whom the Bell Tolls with a full orchaestra behind them, but I love it. If I were to form my own real band to go out, I would DEFINATELY add at least a violin or 3.

[Archaic_Avenger]

oh, yeah, video games with classicalmusic in them. i have to say, the Zelda theme in Super Smash Brothers is beautiful, and some of the classical/opera sounding music in Phantasy Star Online III is also absolutely great.

Rodan2000

[Goji Son]

The best piece of classical music I have ever heard has to be "Adagio for Strings" by Barber. He isn't very well known and it's his only piece that is renowned around the world but this piece has power and emotion with every stroke of the violin strings. I suggest anyone to listen to it, even if you hate classical music.

[Silversearchlight]

Classical music is my favorite genre of music. Almost 3/4'ths of my CD collection is classical music.

Most of my collection is of Russian composers like Igor Stravinski, Modeste Petrovich Mussorski, and petr I. Chaikovski(sp)

I like classical music because it's a great way to relieve stress.

[Cyndi]

I particularly like Baroque music, stuff by Telemann, Mozart and Bach especially.

I love my choir director for introducing us to this stuff again and making us do concerts. I had almost forgotten how thunderous and powerful classical can be. From Telemann's bouncy Laudate Jehovam, Omnes Gentes to Mozart's beautiful Ave Verum, I will be hooked forever.

Classical nuts, I recommend an album called "Classical Thunder", it has a ton of the big, booming, noisy classical songs that were probably in movies and stuff. Great to listen to while writing out fight scenes in fics!

[Godzilla Forever]

I believe Metallica did that whole S+M project, because they were inspired by Deep Purple's collaboration with the London Phillharmonic Orchestra. As I understand, Ulrich's favorite band as a kid was Deep Purple.
Mozart, Bach and Beethoven aside, I really like Handel and Haydn.
Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Chopin and my favorite of them all Wagner.