Classical Music Corner

[Revoltingest]

But my favourite piece just to play (and to wake my lover up with, because he loves it) is Claude Debussy's La Cathedrale Engloutie (the sunken or engulfed cathedral).

Don't tell @ChristineM that I said so, but it looks better in French than in English.

 

[exchemist]

It is less the music as written but the performance. Violinists are taught to be annoying and few, like Mae, can transcend that training. Talking about performance, here is a version of the Brandenburgische Konzerte I like better (the 3. starts at 31:05):

There is no secular piece written by JSB that I don't like.

Yes, I've got that recording on CD. I just liked the one I linked because it's a small group and you can see and hear the individual instruments, as well as the expressions of the players. There is no director: they just follow the lead violin, I think, which is why she moves around so much.

 

[Mock Turtle]

All my classical music is on vinyl, as is most of the rest, and hasn't been played for more than a decade as my HiFi system hasn't been in use for this length of time. Main problem, my Sugden's A48 amp needs repairing (one channel down), I probably need a new stylus for my Planar 3, and the speakers need new cones (having tears in at least one). The whole is still worth resurrecting though if I wasn't playing mostly ripped mp3s, hence little classical music listened to now apart from via TV and radio or occasionally via the internet.

Apart from organ music I can't say I have any particular favourites although early music I quite like - the instruments then and dance music.

I do have many CDs and cassettes too, but likewise, they rarely see the light of day much either.

 

[exchemist]

All my classical music is on vinyl, as is most of the rest, and hasn't been played for more than a decade as my HiFi system hasn't been in use for this length of time. Main problem, my Sugden's A48 amp needs repairing (one channel down), I probably need a new stylus for my Planar 3, and the speakers need new cones (having tears in at least one). The whole is still worth resurrecting though if I wasn't playing mostly ripped mp3s, hence little classical music listened to now apart from via TV and radio or occasionally via the internet.

Apart from organ music I can't say I have any particular favourites although early music I quite like - the instruments then and dance music.

I do have many CDs and cassettes too, but likewise, they rarely see the light of day much either.

Have you heard the Art of Fugue played on the organ? It's fantastic.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Have you heard the Art of Fugue played on the organ? It's fantastic.

I think I have that on vinyl - unfortunately haven't listened to much classical music lately, but have quite a bit of organ music, including some of the historical and older organ stuff. One of the more enjoyable aspects of having a decent hifi, being able to turn the volume up and appreciate all that energy - not available for me at present so it's a mix of all genres listened to now.

(Just checked - yes, I have the Lionel Rogg boxed version of The Art of Fugue - not played for ages though )

 

[exchemist]

I think I have that on vinyl - unfortunately haven't listened to much classical music lately, but have quite a bit of organ music, including some of the historical and older organ stuff. One of the more enjoyable aspects of having a decent hifi, being able to turn the volume up and appreciate all that energy - not available for me at present so it's a mix of all genres listened to now.

(Just checked - yes, I have the Lionel Rogg boxed version of The Art of Fugue - not played for ages though )

Ha! It was the Rogg recording (which I still have, though it has become unplayable, due to damage from end of side distortion) that introduced me to it.

I remember playing that in my room at university, when a fellow chemist who was a jazz clarinettist came in and asked me what it was. I invited him to guess. He thought it must be some avant garde c.20th composer. He was astonished when I told him.

 

[ChristineM]

Don't tell @ChristineM that I said so, but it looks better in French than in English.

Too late,

Most things do

 

[amorphous_constellation]

Isn't that just a Tierce de Picardie, though?

I suppose it would be, but instead of giving the piece a sense of finality, I guess it seems like it's just one effect that the dance moves through. The picardy third is a pretty intriguing thing though, does it show up a lot beyond renaissance music?

But certainly it seems we lost a lot when we gave up all the modes, other than the major and minor ones. I have read, I think, that the reason was these 2 modes lent themselves best to harmony, but I'm not good enough at music theory to know whether this is really the case.

I suppose rules became more stressed, I don't know. They were trying to maximize the tension in a 5 chord to resolve it to the 1?

Of the other Renaissance composers, I have a soft spot for Victoria. He seems to have a very Spanish gift for raw emotion. Here is one I've sung which can bring tears to the eyes:

It sounds nice. I suppose I like mainly looking at the english songs though for understanding

 

[Mock Turtle]

Ha! I was the Rogg recording (which I still have, though it has become unplayable, due to damage from end of side distortion) that introduced me to it.

I remember playing that in my room at university, when a fellow chemist who was a jazz clarinettist came in and asked me what it was. I invited him to guess. He thought it must be some avant garde c.20th composer. He was astonished when I told him.

J S Bach's most famous pieces still have such impact, but must be played loud enough possibly to sense being in the church or wherever the organ is placed. Unfortunately never been to such and the nearest has been the usual playing during some wedding or funeral, usually the former though. I love the various sounds of all the different organs though - probably comes from my appreciating instrumental music more than singing, although I like plenty with appropriate voices and appropriate content.

 

[exchemist]

I suppose it would be, but instead of giving the piece a sense of finality, I guess it seems like it's just one effect that the dance moves through. The picardy third is a pretty intriguing thing though, does it show up a lot beyond renaissance music?



I suppose rules became more stressed, I don't know. They were trying to maximize the tension in a 5 chord to resolve it to the 1?



It sounds nice. I suppose I like mainly looking at the english songs though for understanding

The Picardy third features quite heavily in Baroque music, where it sometimes acts as a sort of musical colon, rather than a full stop. A good example, if I recall correctly, is the final chord in the opening chorus of Bach's St Matthew Passion. You get the feeling that the page turns and the story begins.

I think it died out with the Classical era, though I could be wrong.

 

[exchemist]

J S Bach's most famous pieces still have such impact, but must be played loud enough possibly to sense being in the church or wherever the organ is placed. Unfortunately never been to such and the nearest has been the usual playing during some wedding or funeral, usually the former though. I love the various sounds of all the different organs though - probably comes from my appreciating instrumental music more than singing, although I like plenty with appropriate voices and appropriate content.

They do.

I don't know if you know it, but my hot tip is the Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C, BWV 564. I was lucky enough to be able to arrange for the fugue to be played at our wedding, as we processed out of the church. Such a cheerful, positive piece:-

 

[Revoltingest]

Too late,

Most things do

Not "eleemosynary", "enterprise",& "lugubrious".

 

[ChristineM]

Not "eleemosynary", "enterprise",& "lugubrious".

 

[Revoltingest]

View attachment 38615

But the French have 37 words for "surrender".
And 29 words for "snail".

 

[ChristineM]

But the French have 37 words for "surrender".
And 29 words for "snail".

Bet the us military has more words for loose.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Imagine the strength (and, of course, skill) required to perform this Double Bass Concerto.

 

[Secret Chief]

Imagine the strength (and, of course, skill) required to perform this Double Bass Concerto.

That's (another!) new name to me.

 

[Revoltingest]

Bet the us military has more words for loose lose.

Fixed.

 

[Augustus]

But not always.....

Here is the master, Johann Sebastien, putting a string band to work without anything sickly about it:

I love the 3rd Brandenburg: Bach has such tremendous confidence and drive, and the whole thing is a beautiful piece of German precision engineering. The players obviously love it too, even though they are working so hard.

This is the best of the Brandenburgs.

I also love the video as the dude on the harpsichord is perhaps the smuggest human being in history. It looks like he is constantly thinking to himself "Yes, I really am rather good aren't I?"

 

[exchemist]

This is the best of the Brandenburgs.

I also love the video as the dude on the harpsichord is perhaps the smuggest human being in history. It looks like he is constantly thinking to himself "Yes, I really am rather good aren't I?"

Yeah, true! But who is he? The text under the video mentions Karl Richter but he died decades ago so that's wrong.

It was normal for these chamber orchestras to be directed from the klavier, but his occasional waving of his arms seems utterly superfluous and affected.