robison@eosp1.UUCP (Tobias D. Robison) (05/02/84)
References: Here's a different suggestion: make your introduction chronological! (I'm biased; that's the way I did it.) You get to appreciate many composers much more when you can discover their music as compostional breakthroughs, just as they did. The farther back you start the better, but it's hard to ask most people to start earlier than Bach. - Toby Robison (not Robinson!) allegra!eosp1!robison decvax!ittvax!eosp1!robison princeton!eosp1!robison
riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle) (05/02/84)
Funny, but I find that my appreciation of both jazz and classical music
has tended to grow in r e v e r s e chronological order.
A basic understanding of mainstream pop music gave me the background to
begin listening to jazz-rock/fusion stuff while I was in high school;
that interest led me slowly into the "real" jazz roots from which
jazz-rock sprang. Eventually began to enjoy some of the 20th-century
classical composers (Stravinsky, Bartok, Gershwin, to name a few) who
have influenced or been influenced by jazz. Once I'd gotten my foot in
the door that way, I found myself listening to classical music from all
periods on the radio. Now I find that my interests in both jazz and
classical music continue to grow and mature in parallel. (And I still
like good pop music, too.)
I don't think I'm alone in this way of learning to like music. I've
known several other people who have gone through a similar process.
--- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.")
--- {ihnp4,seismo,gatech,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddlesr@u1100a.UUCP (Steven Radtke) (05/02/84)
I was introduced to classical music by a friend who greatly loves 20th
century music. But rather than sit in an apartment and spin a few disks
we went to a performance of Poullenc's Voluntaries by the American
Ballet Theatre at the Met in NYC. We talked about what he expected to
hear and he gave me a little of the historical background.
My point is that music is the performance, the human activity, the
sharing of artist and audience, it is harder to appreciate that when
dealing with recordings, which are so much more abstract in appeal.
What I experienced that night was a rich and exciting new ( for me )
world.
My vote for introduction to music via LIVE performance.
Steve Radtke
{houxm,ihnp4,pyux*}!u1100a!srjrc@utcsrgv.UUCP (J.R. Cordy) (05/08/84)
[] Well, gang, it's a long time ago, but it seems to me that when I was first introduced to classical music, there were two overriding considerations (since I had not been brought up on it) : 1) Could I test it out without spending much money? 2) Did it sound enough like 'movie' music that I could approach it without feeling like a snob? Now that I'm working full time, I'm comfortable with being a snob, and these considerations don't count for as much (although I must admit that I still search bargain bins for old recordings by my favourite artists and conductors). With these two criteria in mind, I have some suggestions for approachable classical music that you'll enjoy without losing your shirt. If nothing else, at least these selections won't put you to sleep while preparing you for the subtleties of Vivaldi. 1) Beethoven Symphony #5, "The Inevitable", a.k.a. "The Victory" Many good cheap recordings are available. As I recall, there's one on the cheapy label 'Ace of Diamonds' (London) by Ansermet which is a super rendition, but aging. The ones that sound most like movie music are conducted by Bernstein. I still sort of like his renditions anyway, he's not a wimp. 2) Rimsky-Korsakov, "Scheherazade" (SP?) Along with the next selection, the source of all movie themes. Good stuff. Many cheap recordings available. 3) Holst, "The Planets" The source of the remaining few movie themes. CBS Great Recordings series version is good and cheap. 4) Dvorak Symphony #9, "From the New World" Lots of good cheap recordings of this. Again, a real bargain is the 'Ace of Diamonds' recording, if you can find it. A must for neophytes. If you want something more sophisticated, try the Toronto Symphony / Davis recording on CBC SM-5000. 5) Prokofiev, Highlights from "Romeo and Juliet" One of the best of a large number of approachable ballet scores. Don't confuse this with Tchaikovsky's R&J, which is not nearly as impressive. 6) Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto #1, "Also Inevitable" Lots of pomp and circumstance. Easy to get cheap recordings. There are lots more, but these are the ones I remember enjoying most when I was a neophyte. Try them, you'll like them. Jim Cordy University of Toronto Computer Systems Research Institute -- James R. Cordy