Complete beginner - a little starter help with vocab and composers?

[Indroit]

My vocab and composer knowledge is minimal at moment,

I love the following, but in general I don't much care for what I hear on NPR and BBC and wanted some composer or song suggestions?

Gerald Finzi's "Introit," it really capture my attention when I first heard it.
And his "Nocturne" sounds good too.

I enjoy Alain Planes' rendition of Clair de lune, yet when I hear other piano solos, except maybe Debussy's Nocturne, it doesn't do it for it me.
What other piano composer or performer should I check out for piano solo? (Side note, I also love Mingus' "Myself When I Am Real.")

As far internet radio stations go it seems the Barque period has more that I find pleasant than other period stations...

Other than Finzi and Debussy,

What composers should I check out at the library?

[jochanaan]

...I enjoy Alain Planes' rendition of Clair de lune, yet when I hear other piano solos, except maybe Debussy's Nocturne, it doesn't do it for it me.
What other piano composer or performer should I check out for piano solo? (Side note, I also love Mingus' "Myself When I Am Real.")

If you like piano, you'll eventually run across Chopin.  Decades ago it was commonly said that no solo piano recital was complete without something by Chopin.  (That's less true now.)  His Preludes (Opus 28) and his Nocturnes are much loved.

You might also check out Brahms' and Rachmaninoff's solo piano music.  I especially like Rachmaninoff's Etudes tableaux.

Beethoven's piano work is considered "foundational" by musicians--but watch out for musical thunderstorms!

I like Carol Rosenberger's Debussy.  She is much less a "virtuoso" on the order of Martha Argerich or Lang Lang, and more an introspective player, focusing more on tone and musicality than sheer technique.  She often records on a lovely dark-sounding Boesendorfer piano--great for Debussy!

Speaking of Ms. Rosenberger, she has also done a gorgeous recording of Howard Hanson's Fantasy Variations, a piece for solo piano and string orchestra that you might like, with Gerard Schwarz leading the New York Chamber Symphony.

That's probably enough to go on for now.  But if you're feeling adventurous, you might also check out Debussy's orchestral music; it shares many qualities with his piano work.

[dave b]

Indroit, welcome to the site, I'm relatively new to this too....see a thread I started about books recommended for beginners (like me)--I added three yesterday re music appreciation that I just found online at a conservatory site.

You will get EXCELLENT advice from the members here----I would only add that you might consider Tchaikovsky, in your classical music travels. E.g. Serenade For Strings and many other works.

I have my favorite composers.....but I'm just beginning to learn about lesser known (to me, at least) composers.

PM me any time and if I can assist you as a fellow beginner, I'll be happy to.

Welcome to the site.

[Indroit]

I added three yesterday re music appreciation that I just found online at a conservatory site.

you might consider Tchaikovsky, in your classical music travels. E.g. Serenade For Strings and many other works.

Thanks for the welcome, Serenade For Strings is lovely.

You might also check out Brahms' and Rachmaninoff's solo piano music.  I especially like Rachmaninoff's Etudes tableaux.

Beethoven's piano work is considered "foundational" by musicians--but watch out for musical thunderstorms!

I like Carol Rosenberger's Debussy.  [...] focusing more on tone and musicality than sheer technique.  She often records on a lovely dark-sounding Boesendorfer piano--great for Debussy!

Thanks for Rosenberger tip! I am listening to her on a Boesendorfer at the moment... it does have a rich sound.

Rachmaninoff's Etudes tableaux (Idil Biret) No 1 didn't speak to me too much, but No 2 was quite nice, though. I'll see how it progresses...


Q's part two -

"but watch out for musical thunderstorms"

How does one stay away from the "big orchestra" sound? 
I vaguely assume it is the Germanic composers, with works such as the famous to all "Ride of the Valkyries," that has that type of sound...



Thanks a lot, I now have some direction other than just grabbing everything Finzi/Debussy ;-)

Well, I need to learn some vocab, going to check out some of the links & books.

[jochanaan]

...How does one stay away from the "big orchestra" sound? 
I vaguely assume it is the Germanic composers, with works such as the famous to all "Ride of the Valkyries," that has that type of sound...

Unfortunately, just about every composer for orchestra includes a "big orchestra" section in most of his/her compositions.  But some composers tend to do it more than others.  There are passages in Berlioz that sound as big as anything in Beethoven or Wagner, and passages in Beethoven and Wagner and (especially) Mahler that are as soft and delicate as in any of the French composers.

The Russian composers also tend toward big, brassy orchestral sounds.  Rimsky-Korsakov is perhaps the best orchestrator of that group; you might like some of the suites from his operas--lots of delicate stuff there.

You know, you might like Mozart's orchestral music; it's always light and textured, especially when well-performed.  Mendelssohn's orchestral music is also lighter and brighter than that of many others; try the Midsummer Night's Dream suite--some lovely pre-Impressionistic music in it!

[dyn]

Unfortunately, just about every composer for orchestra includes a "big orchestra" section in most of his/her compositions.  But some composers tend to do it more than others.  There are passages in Berlioz that sound as big as anything in Beethoven or Wagner, and passages in Beethoven and Wagner and (especially) Mahler that are as soft and delicate as in any of the French composers.

The Russian composers also tend toward big, brassy orchestral sounds.  Rimsky-Korsakov is perhaps the best orchestrator of that group; you might like some of the suites from his operas--lots of delicate stuff there.

You know, you might like Mozart's orchestral music; it's always light and textured, especially when well-performed.  Mendelssohn's orchestral music is also lighter and brighter than that of many others; try the Midsummer Night's Dream suite--some lovely pre-Impressionistic music in it!

There's also Stravinsky, who, apart from the early ballets & the Symphony in Three Movements, tends to write orchestral music that sounds like an especially brilliant chamber ensemble (e.g. Violin Concerto, Symphony in C, Agon)

[Indroit]

Thanks everybody. I never heard of half of the composers mentioned, and of course no familiarity with the performers.

My Spanish skills will definitely be improving as well, lot's of Latin to learn!

[jochanaan]

...My Spanish skills will definitely be improving as well, lot's of Latin to learn!

It's actually Italian.  And yes, you'll learn quite a bit of it.

[david johnson]

I envy your new explorations, because I know some of the excitement ahead of you    from reading your post, I think you'll enjoy the Chopin preludes,  Schubert sym 8, Debussy noctures, and some Vivaldi.

[Indroit]

A bit macabre, but I am really enjoying:

Wagner - Siegfried's Funeral Music (a bit bombastic at times)
Purcell  - Funeral Music for Queen Mary (the marches, mostly)


Well, I have given up on listening to the local npr/classical stations, except from 10pm-midnight when they have "night music."

One night they played something that sounded good to me, but I was mildly upset when I realized it was composed quite recently.

Are contemporary composition similar to "classical" music beyond the instruments used? I assume that on a basic level they are entirely different and, like most pop music today, are influenced more by African (Yoruba) religious drum beats, et c, than by the music of the Church...

I haven't increased my vocab, so I don't know how to frame the question well.

(piece in question is Eric Ewazen - Concerto for Violin & Strings ii. Andante Sostenuto)

[dyn]

Are contemporary composition similar to "classical" music beyond the instruments used? I assume that on a basic level they are entirely different and, like most pop music today, are influenced more by African (Yoruba) religious drum beats, et c, than by the music of the Church...

The amount of contemporary music being produced today is absolutely massive and has little consistency wrt style/influences/methods. Some composers (e.g. Philip Glass, Michael Gordon, Tansy Davies) are indeed strongly influenced by pop music. Some composers  (e.g. Lowell Liebermann, Oliver Knussen, David Matthews) continue to write in "classicizing" styles clearly derived from late-romantic traditions. Some composers (e.g. Helmut Lachenmann, Brian Ferneyhough, Matthias Spahlinger) write music intended to explore the extreme ranges of instrumental capabilities and expression, following the lead of early 20th century composers such as Bartók and Webern. Some composers (e.g. Francis Dhomont, Bernard Parmegiani, Natasha Barrett) have abandoned instruments and notation entirely and create electronic music instead (which typically bears little resemblance to popular "electronica" though there are exceptions).

In general, contemporary composers have had to come to terms with several important 20th century composers—Schoenberg, Webern, Stravinsky, Varèse, Cage, Stockhausen—whether this means obvious debts to, outright rejection of, or critical engagement with. It's similar to the way no one could compose in the 19th century without being aware of Beethoven.

[Marc]

I.c. Stravinsky: for a 'newbie', Pulcinella might be a good start.

(FWIW: I like it.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulcinella_(ballet)

[Indroit]

The amount of contemporary music being produced today is absolutely massive and has little consistency wrt style/influences/methods.

I am familiar with Glass & Bartok, and am a fan of neither...

I am wondering about a few things:

-Purcell - find out about his contemporaries...

-Dvorak - related to next q?

-Rachmaninoff/Tchaikovsky/Stravinsky - what came before them?

-Finzi - who were his influences?

--Is the answer to all the above "Bach?" ;-)

[Karl Henning]

-Rachmaninoff/Tchaikovsky/Stravinsky - what who came before them?

That would be Glinka.

[Karl Henning]

I.c. Stravinsky: for a 'newbie', Pulcinella might be a good start.

(FWIW: I like it.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulcinella_(ballet)

Dicey notion, I think.  Good, if the idea is most nearly like an older, more familiar musical style.  Misleading, if the idea is give me something characteristic of Stravinsky.

And since, after all, there's more ways into the woods than one, what I would suggest as Newbie's First Stravinsky piece would be, the Symphony in Three Movements.

[mc ukrneal]

That would be Glinka.

Between them (well, sort of - there is some overlap, particularly with Tchaikovsky) is the Mighty Handful (Balakirev, Borodin, Rimky-Korsakov, Cui and Mussorgsky). Glinka is one of the first Russian composers of any note and had a large influence on what came after.

[North Star]

Dicey notion, I think.  Good, if the idea is most nearly like an older, more familiar musical style.  Misleading, if the idea is give me something characteristic of Stravinsky.

And since, after all, there's more ways into the woods than one, what I would suggest as Newbie's First Stravinsky piece would be, the Symphony in Three Movements.

I would have suggested Firebird, but Stravinsky's different periods are so different that we could just as well recommend one from each.

[RebLem]

1) Get a copy of a book called "What to listen for in music" by composer Aaron Copland.  It is a classic work on music appreciation, and absolutely invaluable.  Very inexpensive; good paperback copies are often available at used bookstores.

2) Go to http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/ --its a free, online musical dictionary established by the music department at Virginia Tech.  Yes, the one where they had the massacre.  Over at the left hand column, you will find literally thousands of musical terms.  Click on one and you will get a printed definition.  They also have a sound clip with someone pronouncing the term!  Unfortunately, only generic terms are included.  No composer names, but its still a very useful site.

3) Don't be disturbed by being attracted to composers of recent vintage.  Lots of good works are have been composed by currently living and recently deceased composers.  A few examples: Arvo Part, Sofia Gubaidulina, Osvaldo Golijov, George Crumb, Don Gillis, Aaron Copland, John Adams, Morton Feldman, Ralph Shapey, Tristan Keuris, Henryk Gorecki, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Kurt Atterberg, Frank Martin, Walter Piston, Roy Harris, Carlos Chavez, Otto Leuning, Harry Partch, Maurice Durufle, Joaquin Rodrigo, Edmund Rubbra, Henri Sauget, William Walton, John Antill, William Alwyn, Michael Tippett, Eduard Tubin, Miklos Rozsa, Olivier Messiaen, Alan Hovhannes, Gian Carlo Menotti, Allan Pettersson, Vladimir Ussachevsky,  Andrzej Panufnik, Vincent Persichetti, Ernest Bloch, Milton Babbitt, Henri Dutilleux, Alberto Ginastera, Leonardo Balada, Easley Blackwood, Gloria Coates, George Antheil, Lou Harrison, Morton Feldman, Bruno Maderna, Iannis Xenakis, Ned Rorem, Gyorgy Ligeti, Pierre Boulez, Benjamin Lees, Carlisle Floyd, Gottfried Michael Koenig, Donald Erb, Jacob Druckman, Thea Musgrave, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Peter Sculthorpe, Henri Lazarof, Per Nørgård, Rodion Shchedrin, Krzysztof Penderecki, Alfred Schnittke, Helmut Lachenmann, Steve Reich, David Del Tredici, John Corigliano, John Harbison, Frederic Rzewski, Joan Tower, Ellen Taafe Zwilich, Stephen Albert, Emil Tabakov, Christopher Rouse, Wolfgang Rihm, Kaija Saariaho, Michael Daugherty, Richard Danielpour, Mark-Anthony Turnage, and Thomas Ades.

[Karl Henning]

I would have suggested Firebird, but Stravinsky's different periods are so different that we could just as well recommend one from each.

Very true.

[Karl Henning]

... Arvo Part, Sofia Gubaidulina, Osvaldo Golijov, George Crumb, Don Gillis, Aaron Copland, John Adams, Morton Feldman, Ralph Shapey, Tristan Keuris, Henryk Gorecki, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Kurt Atterberg, Frank Martin, Walter Piston, Roy Harris, Carlos Chavez, Otto Leuning, Harry Partch, Maurice Durufle, Joaquin Rodrigo, Edmund Rubbra, Henri Sauget, William Walton, John Antill, William Alwyn, Michael Tippett, Eduard Tubin, Miklos Rozsa, Olivier Messiaen, Alan Hovhannes, Gian Carlo Menotti, Allan Pettersson, Vladimir Ussachevsky,  Andrzej Panufnik, Vincent Persichetti, Ernest Bloch, Milton Babbitt, Henri Dutilleux, Alberto Ginastera, Leonardo Balada, Easley Blackwood, Gloria Coates, George Antheil, Lou Harrison, Morton Feldman, Bruno Maderna, Iannis Xenakis, Ned Rorem, Gyorgy Ligeti, Pierre Boulez, Benjamin Lees, Carlisle Floyd, Gottfried Michael Koenig, Donald Erb, Jacob Druckman, Thea Musgrave, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Peter Sculthorpe, Henri Lazarof, Per Nørgård, Rodion Shchedrin, Krzysztof Penderecki, Alfred Schnittke, Helmut Lachenmann, Steve Reich, David Del Tredici, John Corigliano, John Harbison, Frederic Rzewski, Joan Tower, Ellen Taafe Zwilich, Stephen Albert, Emil Tabakov, Christopher Rouse, Wolfgang Rihm, Kaija Saariaho, Michael Daugherty, Richard Danielpour, Mark-Anthony Turnage, and Thomas Ades.

That's a few examples, is it?  0:)