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Classical Music

Blog Last Activity 9 years ago 1.3K views 55 comments

I know this might apply mainly to the older guys among us (along with those with years of piano lessons or lessons on other instruments).  But I thought it might be fun to share — who's your favorite composer, or what's your favorite piece (composition) or style of classical music, etc.?  This gives the respondents a list of music to check out if we aren't already familiar with it!  Thanks.

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9 years ago

I really love listening to 'classical' music, but I can't recognise a composer by the piece I'm listening to without looking at the back of the CD.
My favourite pieces: Nimrod (Elgar), Morning Mood (Grieg), Moonlight Sonata (Beethoven), The Lark Ascending (Vaughn Williams), Danse Macabre (Saint-Saëns) and Canon in D (Pachelbel).
I guess these are well known pieces that more or less everybody has heard at some point. But they are awesome.

9 years ago

Currently listening to richie's suggestion of the Ravi Shankar raga.  It's sometimes really interesting, the influences / influencers of classical pieces — for example this raga is an homage to Mahatma Gandhi.

9 years ago

Gabriel Fauré - Pavane, Op. 50 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQDoN40-_C4

9 years ago

Hey, no worries. If you go to www.soundcloud.com and search for them, there's quite a lot of their tracks about on there. :)

9 years ago

That link is great, they sound so wonderful, thanks nwcock! I'm going to check out more of them.

9 years ago

Years ago, I remember hearing an album by them that lurked in my mum's record collection. They started in the 1960s (and I think they're still about with new members) as a choir performing and recording classical pieces, but I don't mean choral pieces, they did a cappella versions of all kinds of works. I just found this on Youtube if you want to check them out: https://youtu.be/EM6yMDB9wgE

9 years ago

No, can't say I have, nwcock, tell us about them please!

9 years ago

Hey XYlover69, have you ever heard of The Swingle Singers?

9 years ago

I'm loving these selections! Far from through with hearing them all. (Gotta agree, though, with several of you that BACH ROCKS! Currently listening to the Brandenburg Concertos; actually, I've only heard half of them before, and then only the synthesizer versions from the "Switched On Bach" & "Switched On Bach II" LPs, or 1 or 2 from my double-CD of "Bach's Greatest Hits".) Feel free to contribute more, guys! Also, be sure you're checking out what's already below!

placebofan
placebofan
9 years ago

Ralph Vaughn Williams :)

alterego22
alterego22
9 years ago

For me it's got to be Walton's Belshazzar's Feast performed live in the Royal Albert hall, talk about hairs on the back of your neck,it's body shattering.

9 years ago

A piece I'm partial to is Ernest Bloch's "Schelomo", a cello-based work about King Solomon.

SnuggleStruggle
SnuggleStruggle
9 years ago

I'm mainly into Baroque music so, it would have to be Vivaldi, Bach, and Handel .

Also, fun fact, Bach, Handel and Scarlatti were all born on the same day. XD

denf
denf
9 years ago

How could I forget the wonderful tenor, Luciano Pavarotti: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwhP4vZAh18. You'll have to crank up the volume a bit as it's quite soft in the beginning. Pure passion.

9 years ago

@jjlonerider: James Newton Howard is great.

9 years ago

XYlover69, might I suggest this by JNH, it is my favorite piece by him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZk5FIdWVIs Additionally I had no idea what so ever he was ever with Elton John or Melissa Manchester, learn something new every day.

richie
richie
9 years ago

" Raga Mohan Kauns " Ravi Shankar

richie
richie
9 years ago

"When i am laid in earth " Henry Purcell

9 years ago

JJ, I know JNH from when he was a keyboardist for both Elton John & Melissa Manchester in the mid-1970s, he's talented. Haven't heard any of his own works, but yes if he's written stuff "in the classical style" then I'd say it belongs on this blog, and I'll be sure to check out that score. Thanks. (Thank you also to everyone else who's contributed, I unfortunately haven't thanked each of you, I just answer questions when I feel questions are being asked.)

9 years ago

I realize this may or may not be considered "Classical Music" but does anyone else like the composer James Newton Howard? I thought his score for the film The Village was amazing.

9 years ago

I was going to mention Samuel Barbers Adagio for Strings as well, saw it performed by the local symphony society and it was very moving. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50WIs0Rbm9Q I am a little like Ads, my music enjoyment knows very few boundaries. Still take the Grateful Dead 1st though.