I am a classical newbie and wanting some songs suggestions please

[quatie]

Hello everyone. After watching Gareth Malone on Monday night I realised how moving and emotional classical music really is. I recognised every song on there. I spent last night looking on YouTube for famous classical music and found a few that I new. What I am wanting is for someone to point me in the right direction...

these are the ones that I like so far...

Schubert - Ave Maria

Pachelbel - Canon In D Major

Mozart - Rondo Alla Turca

Mozart - Requiem K 626

Mozart - Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K

Minuet - String Quintet

Leo Delibes - Dome Epais (Flower Duet)

JS Bach - Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major

J. Strauss II- The Blue Danube - Waltz

Grieg - Morning, from 'Peer Gynt'

'Fur Elise' - Bagatelle in A mino

Edvard Grieg - Peer Gynt Suite No 1, op. 46

Dmitri Shostakovich - Waltz No. 2

Beethoven - Symphony No 5 in C minor

Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata


What are the most famous pieces of music?

What are the greatest dead composers?

What are some new composers to look out for?

And what are some good albums to buy?

I really appreciate any input you can give me on this.

Thanks

[kishnevi]

Welcome to GMG.

The questions you ask have no real answer.  Everyone has opinions, and GMG is essentially people exchanging and defending opinions on those and similar questions, so the best answer I can give is "read through some of the Forum threads...."

The crucial thing is something only you can answer:  what appeals to you, and why?  Give yourself a rough answer and then start to explore the composers and performers you like, looking for similar pieces.  Youtube is a good place, and so are all those music appreciation 101/Music for dummies books you might encounter at the library.  Don't be afraid to get those "Best of......" or "100 Favorite...." compilations.  You'll grow and develop over time, and maybe give them away as your CD library grows (growing our CD libraries is a universal passion here on GMG),  but we all started that way, or something similar.

One further comment:  in classical music, "Song" has specific, limited meaning, to one type of music--a more or less self contained work with a poetic text sung by a singer or group of singers accompanied by a piano, orchestra or other assemblage of instruments specified by the composer.  Of the works you mentioned,  the Schubert Ave Maria is the closest to that meaning (and Schubert wrote hundreds of songs).   The better terms to use, when referring to classical music in general, would be works, pieces, compositions....

And to close, once again, welcome to GMG.

[RebLem]

Your first step should be to acquire a copy of a book by American composer Aaron Copland called "What to listen for in music," and read it.  Its in paperback, and you may be able to find a very inexpensive copy in good condition at a used bookstore.  If not, there's always Amazon, etc.

Perusing threads in GMG and other classical music websites is a good way to find ways of approaching classical music.  Different approaches appeal to different people.  One way of approaching it is through violin concerti.  There are a limited number of violin concerti in the standard repertoire, no more than about 40-50 works, and acquiring a good performance of each is a good way to make the acquaintance of many composers.  One of the advantages of this approach is that development sections of movements in violin concerti tend to be relatively uncomplicated and easily approachable.  Here are a few I can recommend, with specific performances I like a lot--

J.S. Bach: 3 Violin Concerti--Hillary Hahn, violin
Beethoven: Violin Concerto--Grumiaux, Galleira.
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto--Heifetz
Brahms: Violin Concerto--Szeryng, Monteux
Sibelius: Violin Concerto--Heifetz
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto 2--Heifetz
Bartok: Violin Concerto 2--Chung, Solti

[Sammy]

Your first step should be to acquire a copy of a book by American composer Aaron Copland called "What to listen for in music," and read it.  Its in paperback, and you may be able to find a very inexpensive copy in good condition at a used bookstore.  If not, there's always Amazon, etc.

Perusing threads in GMG and other classical music websites is a good way to find ways of approaching classical music.  Different approaches appeal to different people.  One way of approaching it is through violin concerti.  There are a limited number of violin concerti in the standard repertoire, no more than about 40-50 works, and acquiring a good performance of each is a good way to make the acquaintance of many composers.  One of the advantages of this approach is that development sections of movements in violin concerti tend to be relatively uncomplicated and easily approachable.  Here are a few I can recommend, with specific performances I like a lot--

J.S. Bach: 3 Violin Concerti--Hillary Hahn, violin
Beethoven: Violin Concerto--Grumiaux, Galleira.
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto--Heifetz
Brahms: Violin Concerto--Szeryng, Monteux
Sibelius: Violin Concerto--Heifetz
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto 2--Heifetz
Bartok: Violin Concerto 2--Chung, Solti

Everyone is different, and I can't think of a worse way to go about it than buying dozens of recordings of violin concertos - extreme overkill unless one is obsessed with the violin.

Also, I note that none of the "liked" pieces listed by the OP was a violin concerto (or any concerto).

[Sammy]

By way of consensus, the greatest dead composers are Bach, Beethoven and Mozart.  Through the listing you provided, all three would appear to be prime for your explorations.

I've got to go eat dinner right now.  I'll be back with some recording recommendations for those three composers.

[jochanaan]

And quatie, don't be afraid to branch out into "contemporary classical."  Some of the great and relatively recent works include Stravinsky's Firebird, Petrushka and Rite of Spring ballets; Schoenberg's Five Pieces for Orchestra and Pierrot Lunaire; Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini; Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony (and his others, but he wrote 15 so you have plenty to choose from); Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra; Gorecki's Symphony #3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"; and, if you're really adventurous, Varèse's Ionisation and Poème Electronique and Stockhausen's Gesang der Junglinge and Kontakte.  (There's lots more, but that's enough to go on for now.)

[Que]

Shall I cover the recommendations for 17th & 18th century French harpsichord music then?

I can see our newcomer now, putting up Stockhausen en pressing "play"..... Well, I guess there is a theoretical chance that he (assuming for a moment that quatie is male) might actually like it....right away...

What quatie couldn't know is that he just barged into the annual meeting of the World Vinology Society, requesting for the best wine on the planet.

My advice would be to read up on the various threads in the beginners section that contain links to helpful resources, and then just try out a wide range of music and see where your taste leads you. And yes, there is no reason not to start with the "iron repertoire" of classical "favourites" - there are plenty of lists to be found on the net. And please don't give up when things don't quite work out - that piece of music that will hit all the right buttons - big time - will be out there! 

A bit of Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi, Bach, Stravinski, Gorecki, Reich - in this day and age it is all readily available on the net to give it a try and move on if it doesn't suit you. If you find something that you like, you can use it as a lead to explore further - and post requests on this forum. (I hope you will! )

You'll figure it out.

Q

[Karl Henning]

Come up for air frequently, Gareth 

[Daverz]

[asin]B0000040ZA[/asin]
[asin]B000001TWU[/asin]
[asin]B000023YPG[/asin]
Moravec plays Mozart
[asin]B002G725H6[/asin]
[asin]B000059GRG[/asin]
[asin]B0031B7ES6[/asin]
[asin]B00005NPJ8[/asin]
[asin]B004NSHB9S[/asin]

[LVB_opus.125]

When I first go into Classical Music it was much in the same fashion as you (to the OP) - just hearing random pieces and instantly falling in love with what I heard. I heard stuff from Holst, Beethoven, Wagner, Grieg, Mozart, and so on. Before I began to build any kind of CD collection, I purchased this book:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Vintage-Guide-Classical-Music/dp/0679728058/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387417972&sr=8-1&keywords=vintage+guide+to+classical+music

And I educated myself a bit about each composer. Which composers you end up liking most will depend entirely upon you and what moves you most. No "experts" can decide that for you. I would suggest you keep listening in fragments, like on youtube, and figure out with your brain and you heart what you like best, and then explore those composers. Let the process happen naturally. I have been listening for eleven years now and the music just keeps getting better, but that's because I know my own tastes better and what to spend all my time with. For example, I could tell you that Beethoven's Late String Quartets are among my favorites, but without more context and experience, you won't fully understand what makes them great compared to early Beethoven. This holds true for many things. So first, find out what composers you love, and then explore, and enjoy.

[Xenophanes]

You seem to be doing pretty well on your own.  There is quite a variety of classical music and people have different musical tastes, so it is difficult to know what would be helpful.  There is a Beginner's Guide to Classical Music on the GMG site and it may be helpful to look at it.  I would not suggest all the same pieces they do, much less the same recordings, but you can look at the compositions and composers and see what they sound like on YouTube.

http://good-music-guide.com/index.htm

Mozart's Requiem is one of the glories of Western music, even Mozart did not complete it all himself before he died, but others did. He also wrote great symphonies, especially the last six, nos. 35-41 (no. 37 is not by Mozart!), some of the best piano concertos, and some of the finest chamber music.

Grieg's Peer Gynt is quite interesting, too.

Beethoven's Symphonies are all great (I don't happen to be a great fan of the 5th Symphony, but what do I know). The old Karajan 1962 set is quite good, though the Sixth is not outstanding, and cheap.  Some like the more modern rset by Zinman and the Zurich Tonhalle, but I haven't heard it.  It is cheap, too.

I sing Schubert's "Ave Maria" often enough, and will do it the Sunday before Christmas in my church. It's nice enough though not one of my favorite songs, and I think my heavy baritone voice isn't really suited for it. However, people like  it and give me all sorts of compliments.

There are a couple of things I would recommend for beginners.

Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, piano piece arranged by Ravel for orchestra, is an absolute necessity. You can't have a classical collection without it, you just can't/  My favorite recording is by Ernest Ansermet and the Suisse Romande Orchestra, which I personally think is wonderfully well characterized, but it's not one of the usual suspects for most.  You can find it and recordings by Gergiev, Solti and others, on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mussorgsky+pictures+at+an+exhibition&sm=1

Overtures are also lively and fun.  There is a wonderful CD of opera overtures by Suppé and Auber with Paul Pray conducting the Detroit Symphony which has really stood the test of time.

[asin]B000V6MRRC[/asin]

But here's a whole list of others:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&field-keywords=overtures+&rh=n%3A5174%2Ck%3Aovertures+

[listener]

A wide variety of classical music on the BBC (can be accessed with computer if you don't have a suitable receiver at  http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3  ) or other stations around the world.  See the post at the top of this page for more info.
You can listen at random and check what's playing on their website if you want to delve further. 

[Mandryka]

Hello everyone. After watching Gareth Malone on Monday night I realised how moving and emotional classical music really is. I recognised every song on there. I spent last night looking on YouTube for famous classical music and found a few that I new. What I am wanting is for someone to point me in the right direction...

these are the ones that I like so far...

Schubert - Ave Maria

Pachelbel - Canon In D Major

Mozart - Rondo Alla Turca

Mozart - Requiem K 626

Mozart - Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K

Minuet - String Quintet

Leo Delibes - Dome Epais (Flower Duet)

JS Bach - Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major

J. Strauss II- The Blue Danube - Waltz

Grieg - Morning, from 'Peer Gynt'

'Fur Elise' - Bagatelle in A mino

Edvard Grieg - Peer Gynt Suite No 1, op. 46

Dmitri Shostakovich - Waltz No. 2

Beethoven - Symphony No 5 in C minor

Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata


What are the most famous pieces of music?

What are the greatest dead composers?

What are some new composers to look out for?

And what are some good albums to buy?

I really appreciate any input you can give me on this.

Thanks

All I can do is list the music that got me into this, as far as I remember.  It may work for you:

Allegri's Miserere
Brahms's 2nd piano concerto
Mozart's Clarinet Concerto
Mozart's Requiem
Bartok's 3rd Piano Concerto
Mahler's 2nd symphony
Mahler's 8th symphony
Sibelius's 4th and 7th symphonies
Bruckner's 9th symphony
Beethoven's 14th String Quartet
Beethoven's 9th symphony, first three movements
Beethoven's 3rd symphony, 1st movement only
Tschaikowsky's Romeo and Juiliette
Schubert's Winterreise
Verdi's Otello
Wagner's Die Walküre
Chopin's Funeral March from his second piano sonata
Honneger's Pacific 281
Beethoven's 32nd piano sonata
Bach's 6th cello suite, prelude
Liszt's Harmonies du soir
Bach's 1st partita for keyboard (piano in my case)

[Ken B]

First advice: classical recordings are available cheap. Look for more recent recordings, digital ones marked DDD rather than AAD or ADD. That will not be popular advice here, where people love specific things, but it's good anyway. Most recordings since about 1984 are digital.

Second: don't look for specific performers. Standards are high these days. Look for composers you liked, and low prices.

Third: look for 18th and 19th century composers to start.  Tchaikovsky, Brahms, plus the names you gave.
Branch out from there.

Four: Amazon.