Daily necessities for your music listening

[Bulldog]

I was just wondering if any of you consider a particular composer or work to be a daily requirement of your listening regimen.  For me it's Bach keyboard music - generally either the WTC or Goldbergs.  From another thread, Scarpia picked Brahms (assuming he had the available time).

[Scarpia]

Bulldog is correct, if I was only allowed to listen to one composer it would be Brahms. 

But Brahms takes time and given my limited time, but the composer that gets played the largest fraction of days I managed to listen to music is probably Bach.  A few preludes and fugues from the WTC, a toccata, or a brief concerto, suite, partita, etc, is essential listening.

[bhodges]

For me, a specific composer or work is not a necessity, but "listening to something every day" is.  I try--not always successfully--to devote an average of two hours a day to listening, either concerts or recordings.  Sometimes it's more (e.g., a four-hour opera); sometimes it's less, but I aim for two.

Interestingly, I don't think there's a single composer whom I could listen to every day!  I like many different composers, but am happier "mixing it up" as much as possible.

--Bruce

[Philoctetes]

Satie

[hornteacher]

Something by Beethoven, either a symphony, string quartet, concerto, or piano sonata.  I listen to other composers regularly but I always come back to Beethoven.

[Bulldog]

For me, a specific composer or work is not a necessity, but "listening to something every day" is.  I try--not always successfully--to devote an average of two hours a day to listening, either concerts or recordings.  Sometimes it's more (e.g., a four-hour opera); sometimes it's less, but I aim for two.

Interestingly, I don't think there's a single composer whom I could listen to every day!  I like many different composers, but am happier "mixing it up" as much as possible.

--Bruce

Listening to music 5 to 7 hours a day, I can easily get in Bach and a couple of other composers.  However, mixing it up isn't my style or concern.  If I do mix it up, it's an accident.

[Scarpia]

Listening to music 5 to 7 hours a day, I can easily get in Bach and a couple of other composers.  However, mixing it up isn't my style or concern.  If I do mix it up, it's an accident.

Wow, I'd be delighted to fit in that much music.  One hour and I consider myself lucky.

[Bulldog]

Wow, I'd be delighted to fit in that much music.  One hour and I consider myself lucky.

Being part of the leisure class is the key.

[False_Dmitry]

There's a certain amount of listening which I have to do for professional needs and personal development, but I don't include this.  It could be almost anything which is in my upcoming workload and the "listening-around" related to it.

But apart from that I purposely avoid any rules or quotas in my listening.  I would often prefer to listen to pieces I don't know - especially new work - than familiar pieces, even if I have no special personal commitment to them.  My ears can use the clean-out    Often my "free choice" listening makes a necessary contrast to what I'm working on.  We're in the middle of a Handel show run at the moment, and as I agreed with the harpsichordist in the dressing-room, "God, I need to go home and listen to Prokofiev #5 now!".

[Sergeant Rock]

I have to listen to the Ring every day. That's why I own eleven versions, to mix it up a bit. Since it lasts 14 to 16 hours it only leaves time for quick snacks and sleeping. But hey, Wagner is worth it.

Sarge

[prémont]

My daily bread is Die Kunst der Fuge. This is reflected by the fact that I own ca 80 different versions - of which the lions share are keyboard versions of course. I suppose I  listen to the work once a day in average.

[jowcol]

I can't even listen to a single genre on a daily basis.

However, when I was 3 or 4 if I couldn't hear Pictures at an Exhibition (arr. by Ravel) at least once a day I would scream and break things.

In my teens, I think I went through a couple years listening to the Rite of Spring on a daily basis- or close to...

And there as about a year of having to hear Sister Ray by the Velvet Underground on a nearly daily basis-- but that's another story.

And there was the ugly Coltrane binge for 2-3 years where I probably listened to something by Trane almost daily...

[Bulldog]

My daily bread is Die Kunst der Fuge. This is reflected by the fact that I own ca 80 different versions - of which the lions share are keyboard versions of course. I suppose I  listen to the work once a day in average.

Way to go!!

[Todd]

I don't have a daily requirement in terms of works or composers, but I do like to get 1-2 hours of quality listening time with my main stereo every day.  I also listen to music at work, sometimes up to 4-5 hours but usually 2-3 hours, but that's always background music and so doesn't really count.

[Guido]

I go through phases. Usually when I find a new composer that I really love I have to aquire everything by them and then will try and listen to everything to try and get as complete an overview as I can of the composer.

At the moment my daily listening comprises a huge amount of Strauss and then whatever else I feel like. Don't feel the need to get everything by this guy though because much of what he wrote was what he called "wrist excercises", that is music written just for the sake of writing music in between important projects - Josephslegende, Schlagobers, the two massive piano and orchestra works of the 20s etc.