background info on composers and various individual works

[Buck Munny]

Hi. I'm new to the forum. My name is Buck Munny. I would like to know where, online, I could find info on any given piece of music, say for example: Beethoven's symphony no 5. ie his thoughts about the piece, the original purpose of the piece, any musical explanations of the work, a reviewers "walkthru" describing the piece etc.
  Again, for any major composer from the past. I listen to CBC FM a great deal and they frequently give you little snippets of info before and after the piece has been played but I quite often would like to find out more about a great many composers and their works. ( Not looking for a biography really, just the 'Coles notes' if you will  Thank you, Buck.

[Scarpia]

Hi. I'm new to the forum. My name is Buck Munny. I would like to know where, online, I could find info on any given piece of music, say for example: Beethoven's symphony no 5. ie his thoughts about the piece, the original purpose of the piece, any musical explanations of the work, a reviewers "walkthru" describing the piece etc.
  Again, for any major composer from the past. I listen to CBC FM a great deal and they frequently give you little snippets of info before and after the piece has been played but I quite often would like to find out more about a great many composers and their works. ( Not looking for a biography really, just the 'Coles notes' if you will  Thank you, Buck.

Welcome.

For many pieces you will find an article on Wikipedia.  Some articles are more satisfactory and detailed than others.  Here is a typical example:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._9_(Mahler)

[Opus106]

Hi Buck Munny. http://allmusic.com/explore/classical-genres (Select Classical Work under the search field) Over the years, I've found that this site is not as consistent as I would like it to be  -- the notes range from something anyone could understand to something only a music student will be able to comprehend; historical details sparingly mentioned and ones with nothing but the story until the last paragraph -- but on the whole it's fairly good for someone new to the classical music. And even today, I check the site for information on works that are new to me. Hope you too find it useful.

[(poco) Sforzando]

Guess we lost Buck.

[The new erato]

The lost buck. Isn't that a piece by Beethoven?

[(poco) Sforzando]

The lost buck. Isn't that a piece by Beethoven?

Only if you adjust for inflation. Beethoven wrote "the lost penny."

[mc ukrneal]

Only if you adjust for inflation. Beethoven wrote "the lost penny."

Very clever indeed!! You must be talking about the rondo for piano? Interestingly, wiki have an entry for it! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rage_over_a_lost_penny I think I'll listen to it now...

[Josquin des Prez]

That piece is quite amusing. And people say Beethoven was incapable of humor.

[(poco) Sforzando]

That piece is quite amusing. And people say Beethoven was incapable of humor.

Who says that?

[Philoctetes]

Who says that?

Didn't you read. People.

[Brian]

That piece is quite amusing. And people say Beethoven was incapable of humor.

I think the best example of Beethoven's sense of humor is in my signature. To listen, click here and scroll down to "track 28" (it's not that much scrolling)

[DavidRoss]

I think the best example of Beethoven's sense of humor is in my signature. To listen, click here and scroll down to "track 28" (it's not that much scrolling)

You are the biggest donkey?  Perhaps it should be the theme song for Hell's Kitchen.  (Hard to believe that guy gets away with saying things like "you stupid cow!" to women on his show.)

[Brian]

You are the biggest donkey?  Perhaps it should be the theme song for Hell's Kitchen.  (Hard to believe that guy gets away with saying things like "you stupid cow!" to women on his show.)

Well, I didn't say he had a good sense of humor. 

[Lethevich]

To follow up on the Wikipedia suggestion - as mentioned, its content is highly variable. Certain composers have been "adopted" by dedicated users who have produced very high quality articles on their music - these include Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov, Liszt and Gilbert & Sullivan. I tried this for a while with Berlioz but didn't have the stamina.

Until recently composers such as Beethoven and Mozart had utterly unacceptable articles, but I see that they have since improved.

[Brian]

To follow up on the Wikipedia suggestion - as mentioned, its content is highly variable. Certain composers have been "adopted" by dedicated users who have produced very high quality articles on their music - these include Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov, Liszt and Gilbert & Sullivan. I tried this for a while with Berlioz but didn't have the stamina.

Until recently composers such as Beethoven and Mozart had utterly unacceptable articles, but I see that they have since improved.

Hmm, if I'm ever unemployed maybe I will do that for Dvorak.