How did you "discover" classical music?

[Haffner]

Ritchie Blackmore attributed the backing guitar solo to the pre-chorus of "Man on the Silver Mountain" to J.S. Bach's influence. I soon learned that he utilised a set of chord changes from Mozart to back his brilliant "Highway Star" solo as well. From there it was Yngwie, Uli Jon Roth,etc. all whom cited great composers as influences.

Today I don't listen to Rock and Metal like I used to. Where in the '80's I was 98% Rock/Metal and 2% Bach and Paganini; today you could make that about 90% "Classics" and 10% Rock (mostly Extreme Metal today).

But I never lost my love and appreciation for '70's Rainbow, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath. Those bands pointed me in the right direction, by using so many "Classic" influences in their songwriting and virtuoso guitar playing.

[Tancata]

Ritchie Blackmore attributed the backing guitar solo to the pre-chorus of "Man on the Silver Mountain" to Bach's influence. I soon learned that he utilised a set of chord changes from Mozart to back his brilliant "Highway Star" solo as well. From there it was Yngwie, Uli Jon Roth,etc. all whom cited grest composers as influences.

Yeah, he "borrows" a lot of stuff (in a good way...). He uses quite a few lengthy exerpts from the Well-Tempered Clavier in Blackmore's Night songs, too.

[Scriptavolant]

My grandfather was an amateur tenor, I guess that I've inheritated a part of my passion from him, genetically (even though I quite dislike Opera). My father was mildly involved, the only things he used to listen to were Mozart's 40th (Mackerras) and Beethoven's Emperor (Arrau); when I was a child I was convinced that the Arrau portrait on the cover of the CD was Beethoven himself 
Some years later I found some stuff at home, Beethoven's Pastoral and Mozart Violin Sonatas, I was in awe of the music, but didn't deepen the thing.
When I was about twelve I started taking piano lessons for no longer than 2 years. Then my musical interests changed. When I was about twenty my interest renewed, I found at home one of those "All stars" boxes including one CD with excerpts from each composer and started exploring Grieg, Schubert, Handel, Beethoven, Wagner in solitude. I became a Wagner admirer indeed, and I remember going back to my father and trying to have a musical discussion on the matter with him. I asked him if he did like Wagner, the answer was "No, Wagner no.". "Why?". "He's too boring."
It is only since three or four years that my passion has become systematical.

[jochanaan]

...When we achieved certain marks with our theory test we were rewarded with plastic busts of famous composers and we strived to collect as many as possible.  ...

Aha!  You're Schroeder's sister!

I'm gratified, though not surprised, to see how many people here got into our music through metal.  This gives me hope for the next generations: as long as there's hunger for music different from the norm, our music will never be forgotten.

[Heather Harrison]

I have mentioned this story in older threads, but I might as well repeat it here.  My mother had a small collection of LPs, including a few classical ones.  When I was about 8 years old, this one captured my interest and I listened to it again and again until it was finally destroyed.



It is Mussorgsky/Leibowitz - Night on Bare Mountain and Mussorgsky/Ravel - Pictures at an Exhibition, conducted by Rene Leibowitz.  After looking for a long time, I finally found a near-mint copy, so I have it again.  The imagery that these pieces conjured up fascinated me, and I never got sick of hearing them.  I still listen to them fairly regularly, and I have many recordings of each one.

Another one that got me interested was a Columbia LP entitled "Bach's Greatest Hits".  I also have a copy of that one in my record collection.  That LP is a good basic sample of Bach's music; it includes original versions and a few modern arrangements of a variety of his best-known works.

My mother was pleased that I became interested in classical music, and she bought tickets to a number of Utah Symphony concerts, which I always enjoyed (and still do).  It grew from there.  In the late 1980's, I began actively collecting LPs and 45s, and by the early 1990's, I was also buying CDs and 78s.  Thanks to the cheap prices of classical LPs, my collection was able to grow rapidly even when I was a starving student.  Now that I am a well-fed working professional, I can indulge this habit as much as I want to.

Heather

[Expresso]

It was my everlasting hunger for "new" music.
I started with metal since i was a little boy, in my early 20's i got into 70's prog rock and classical was next in the list, so here i am, addicted eversince.

Ritchie Blackmore attributed the backing guitar solo to the pre-chorus of "Man on the Silver Mountain" to J.S. Bach's influence. I soon learned that he utilised a set of chord changes from Mozart to back his brilliant "Highway Star" solo as well. From there it was Yngwie, Uli Jon Roth,etc. all whom cited great composers as influences.

Today I don't listen to Rock and Metal like I used to. Where in the '80's I was 98% Rock/Metal and 2% Bach and Paganini; today you could make that about 90% "Classics" and 10% Rock (mostly Extreme Metal today).

But I never lost my love and appreciation for '70's Rainbow, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath. Those bands pointed me in the right direction, by using so many "Classic" influences in their songwriting and virtuoso guitar playing.

No music lovers in the family, infact they hated it.

Those statements actually cover my story too 

[Mozart]

How did you "discover" classical music?

The queen of Spain wanted me to find a shortcut to India but I accidentally crashed into classical music instead.

[marvinbrown]

  How did I discover Classical music?

  I used to take piano lessons growing up and was exposed to Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach and Tchaikovsky but never really liked listening to Classical music much, preferring hard rock and Rn'B  well into my 20s.  A few years ago at the age of 32 I saw a copy of Bach's St. Matthew Passion and Parsifal at my Mom's house.  I knew who Bach was but Wagner was totally new to me.  I also new that my mother has GREAT taste in music so I asked her if I could borrow these recordings and well.... needless to say I have not played a single non-classical record in the past 3 years.  I'd say for me WAGNER was the discovery of a lifetime...that man's "music dramas" are beyond belief- probably the most over-the-top emotionally powerful music I have ever heard. 

  marvin

[Mahlered]

My mom is a professional pianist, meaning I was exposed to classical music before I was even born, what with her belly stuck so close to the keyboard while she was pregnant! There was a constant stream of classical music in my house while I was growing up, from my mom's solo playing to her piano students to her accompanying singers. Add to the equation the fact that my dad loves opera and listens to it a lot, and it becomes clear that there would have been no escape for me!

But if I'd been given an escape, I wouldn't've taken it.

[Harry Collier]

My father was a professional musician (double bass) and both he and my mother loved music. Two of my sisters learned the piano, one learned the violin, and I also learned the violin. Music was just a natural and inevitable part of my childhood. I was given my first recordings when I was 11 (Menuhin playing the Mendelssohn violin concerto --- on 78 rpm discs).

[mahlertitan]

The queen of Spain wanted me to find a shortcut to India but I accidentally crashed into classical music instead.

i think it was China

[aquablob]

My father was a very amateur pianist (though far more talented than he gives himself credit for -- although he basically stopped playing altogether once I started playing frequently) and used to play a bunch of the Joplin rags and a couple easy Mozart pieces (the easy and famous C Major sonata "facile," the "Twinkle Twinkle" variations); he was never as into classical music as I currently am, but he did frequently play Beethoven's 6th and 9th symphonies and the Joplin rags on the CD player when I was a wee one. I don't remember this, but when I was very small, I called the 9th Symphony "The Man" (presumably because the choral section begins with the tenor). My family still gets a kick out of this.

I started taking piano lessons when I was four, but stopped after two years. Then I took two more years of lessons starting in 4th grade. This gave me a solid background, and I later independently learned a bunch of the Joplin rags, but I was mostly into rock (of many types) from about that point on, and picked up guitar in 8th grade. It took phases of progressive rock and jam rock for me to realize that what interested me most was the music itself and not the attitudes/images associated with a lot of the acts I enjoyed (high school  ).

It was about this time that my grandfather gave me a CD of Robert Casadesus playing four Beethoven piano sonatas. This was my moment of no return, and I have forever since been an avid fan of Beethoven and classical music in general. I started taking piano lessons again in college (actually, a semester of harpsichord first) and that pretty much solidified my rediscovery of the joy of music!

[rockerreds]

My parents listened to Film and Broadway soundtracks and pop vocalists.

My 8th grade music appreciation class helped,and then they sent us to the Academy of Music to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra-I remember they did Stravinsky and Rachmaninoff.

I stumbled upon our(now defunct)claasical radio station,where I first heard Bartok Piano Concerto No.2.That was it.

[marvinbrown]

  I am amazed at the young age some GMG members started liking Classical music.  As pointed out in my previous posts, I did not really appreciate Classical music until recently, in my early 30s, even though I had been exposed to it at about the age of 12 when I started taking piano lessons.  But then again, I can not think of many teenagers who actually listen to WAGNER (beyond the Ride of the Vikings)- doubtful I would find any if I looked hard for them.

  marvin

[Que]

  I am amazed at the young age some GMG members started liking Classical music.  As pointed out in my previous posts, I did not really appreciate Classical music until recently, in my early 30s, even though I had been exposed to it at about the age of 12 when I started taking piano lessons.  But then again, I can not think of many teenagers who actually listen to WAGNER (beyond the Ride of the Vikings)- doubtful I would find any if I looked hard for them.

  marvin

I started out when I was almost 16. But no Wagner! Or any of the late Romantics.
Just the beginner's diet of Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven and some war horses like the Four Seasons, Tchaikovsky 1st piano concerto, the Grieg concerto, the Schumann, etc. You get the picture.

A few years later, when I was 17/18 years old I had a friend who loved to indulge in Mahler, Bruckner and Wagner and introduced me to their works. It was grand and exciting music, but I honestly don't think either of us had a fair understanding of the deeper emotional content of this music. .. That only came when I was in my mid/late twenties. And even now that I have returned after several years to Mahler, I feel my emotional comprehension of his music is much more complete.

Q

[Mozart]

  I am amazed at the young age some GMG members started liking Classical music.  As pointed out in my previous posts, I did not really appreciate Classical music until recently, in my early 30s, even though I had been exposed to it at about the age of 12 when I started taking piano lessons.  But then again, I can not think of many teenagers who actually listen to WAGNER (beyond the Ride of the Vikings)- doubtful I would find any if I looked hard for them.

  marvin

Yes, I'm weird. I started listening to classical music without outside influence. Ive never meet anyone who knows alot about it, or anyone my age who likes it, not to mention my family who completely hates it. I doubt I'll ever listen to wagner or mahler, they are on top of my eww list.

[Que]

Yes, I'm weird. I started listening to classical music without outside influence. Ive never meet anyone who knows alot about it, or anyone my age who likes it, not to mention my family who completely hates it. I doubt I'll ever listen to wagner or mahler, they are on top of my eww list.

My family wasn't hot on my fondness of classical music either!
My parents had nothing with any kind of music, and felt rather intimidated by my taste in music.

Q

[Mozart]

My family wasn't to hot on my fondness of classical music either!
My parents had nothing with any kind of music, and felt rather intimidated by my taste in music.

Q

If you want to upset my father, play opera lol. He doesnt mind the instrumental stuff as much but opera makes rage chemicals in his brain or something. My mum just cant concentrate on things like that for more than a few mins. She doesnt mind it as much but she'll never enjoy it. My brother thinks I listen to it to be an elitist. Theres a good light year of distance between us and I guess thats why my tastes are so different. Any higher form of expression is not understood.

[marvinbrown]

I started out when I was almost 16. But no Wagner! Or any of the late Romantics.
Just the beginner's diet of Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven and some war horses like the Four Seasons, Tchaikovsky 1st piano concerto, the Grieg concerto, the Schumann, etc. You get the picture.

A few years later, when I was 17/18 years old I had a friend who loved to indulge in Mahler, Bruckner and Wagner and introduced me to their works. It was grand and exciting music, but I honestly don't think either of us had a fair understanding of the deeper emotional content of this music. .. That only came when I was in my mid/late twenties. And even now that I have returned after several years to Mahler, I feel my emotional comprehension of his music is much more complete.

Q

   You have confirmed, more or less my suspicions Que.  Wagner, Mahler and Bruckner take time to appreciate.  I am now convinced that they are not as accessible as say Mozart, Tchaikovsky, even Beethoven and Bach. What is amazing is that the more exposure one has with these 3 composers the more one truely appreciates them.  I still have trouble with Mahler.  It takes time, experience and dare I say it maturity.

  marvin

[marvinbrown]

I doubt I'll ever listen to wagner or mahler, they are on top of my eww list.

  Thats what I thought initially, but you will be surprised (sometimes) at how your taste in music will have changed over the years.  Composers you once liked no longer appeal to you and others you would never think of listening to become your favorites.  I guess I would go so far as to say, in answer to this thread's question: "How did you discover Classical music?" that you NEVER stop discovering classical music!!!!


  marvin