Any Daily Listening Plans?

[JasonE]

Ummm.... anyone else notice that my question has been hijacked?...

[Diletante]

Ummm.... anyone else notice that my question has been hijacked?...

Yes.

The only thing resembling a "listening plan" that I ever did was randomly choosing a composer from a list and making him the "composer of the month", listening to different pieces from him throughout the month and reading something about his life, influence, etc. I chose only one per month because I don't have that much time available for music listening.

[Lethevich]

We GMGers are nothing if not obsessed with lists. If you really think it will help you, I'm sure some of us would be happy to try to rustle you up a list of pieces that have decent Wikipedia articles to refer to (or perhaps online notes somewhere else for those that don't), but we'd just get into arguments about what was included/excluded

[Palmetto]

The only thing resembling a "listening plan" that I ever did was randomly choosing a composer from a list and making him the "composer of the month", listening to different pieces from him throughout the month and reading something about his life, influence, etc. I chose only one per month because I don't have that much time available for music listening.

I freakin' love that idea.  Okay, the rest of April is Copland month for me, since I've been heavy into him this week anyway.  In May I'll try someone from a Classical period, since Bach in March gave me a Baroque introduction.

[Daverz]

The only thing resembling a "listening plan" that I ever did was randomly choosing a composer from a list and making him the "composer of the month"

Damn, I got stuck with Ketelby this month.

[CD]

Any sort of planned listening I've found straining and unnatural and ended up causing me to be bored with whatever composer/era I was focusing on. Better to learn what it is that you really like and just follow leads: influences, eras, students, recommendations for similar music, etc.

[Gurn Blanston]

I freakin' love that idea.  .... In May I'll try someone from a Classical period......

Psssttt... Palmetto. Haydn, dammit!    0:)

I tend towards the Corey method, find something I like and listen to great chunks of it, with an occasional extraneous tidbit that happens along. It seems less like studying and more like enjoying that way.



----------------
Now playing:
Colin Lawson (Clarinet / Neal da Costa (Pianoforte) - Danzi Sonata Concertante for Clarinet & Pianoforte 1st mvmt - Allegro

[JasonE]

Question for those you don't think listening plans are a good idea in principle: Can two pieces of music be usefully juxtaposed so as to make a musical effect and/or contrast more noticeable? And would not a paragraph or two help in guiding the listener towards hearing said features of the music? Repeat so as to include a reasonably accurate sample of the repertoire, and you've got what I'm looking for. I don't plan on listening to such a guide for the rest of my life, just until I get a better sense of the 400+ years of music that western culture has bequeathed to me. I wouldn't expect long-time classical fans to want to follow such a plan, but for me, right now, I would very much appreciate a bit of structure to my listening.

Anymore book or online suggestions?

[DavidW]

If you're new to classical you might not notice the contrast between two different pieces anyway.  Unless it was tonal vs atonal, piano vs giant orchestra kind of thing.

I still recommend the NPR guide because it's not an encyclopedic tome (like the penguin guide) but has a nice select list of great lists per genre with specific recordings.  And Scarpia's rec for the gmg guide is a sound one (which I noticed you ignored)

Here is another one: classical.net basic repertoire:
http://www.classical.net/music/rep/

Now you've been given several resources (from several posters I might add) so please stop asking now and start listening. 

[CD]

Reading wikipedia pages and other sites with biographical information on composers has helped me. If you're listening on CD the liner notes can be helpful.

[RebLem]

All the major symphony orchestras in the United States and Canada have websites where their current and next season programs are listed.  You might want to check them out and duplicate some of those concerts in your own home, or even a whole season.

[DavidW]

I apologize for sounding like a jerk with that post above.

[eyeresist]

Okay, the rest of April is Copland month for me, since I've been heavy into him this week anyway.

I misread this as "the rest of April is Copland month for me, as I've been drinking heavily this week anyway."

Today I brought my new Schnittke boxset and Pettersson CD in to work. I anticipate having a really miserable day.

[Palmetto]

I misread this as "the rest of April is Copland month for me, as I've been drinking heavily this week anyway."

Gods of us all, aren't I screwed up enough for you when I'm sober?

[Philoctetes]

At least one contemporary composition.