just kidding

i do love a great deal of "classical" music

this kinda stems back to my question of "how do you talk about music" particularly in a forum. its much easier in person to dish about composers in person, but some reason when you have to write it out, music become a much harder thing to discuss.

but I agree - i want to hear more about what people love and why...or what they hate and why...or what they've gained from certain works...discussion of influence and history...the possibilities are endless

so i'll try and help you out.

ultimate perfection in the form of composed music, harmony, complexity, yet absolute love portrayed through melody award goes to J.S. Bach. though i dont think anyone overlooks Bach, the man is king. I vividly remember listening to my mom perform various pieces of his on her classical guitar. Challenging yet enlivening. Constantly interesting. Sometimes even flashy. Unlike Beethoven's overdramaticism or how Mozart can be at times clinical, Bach manages to combine concepts of beauty and complexity to form some really organic music.

on the other hand, Haydn is one boring dude, unless you can prove me otherwise

(i know the two are separate time periods. not comparing. just stating tastes).

Ariel Bitran wrote:

ultimate perfection in the form of composed music, harmony, complexity, yet absolute love portrayed through melody award goes to J.S. Bach. though i dont think anyone overlooks Bach, the man is king.

Unlike Beethoven's overdramaticism or how Mozart can be at times clinical, Bach manages to combine concepts of beauty and complexity to form some really organic music.

on the other hand, Haydn is one boring dude, unless you can prove me otherwise

Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven are the center of my interest in classical music. 40 years of effort hasn't convinced me to like more than a few of J.S. Bach's works.

I don't think that this classical music forum is that different from some other individual forums here. The computer audio forum is dead, the speakers forum has only fitful life and many threads on the General forum are dominated by venomous exchanges.

Bill

Listener wrote:

40 years of effort hasn't convinced me to like more than a few of J.S. Bach's works.

are you a musician?

Ariel Bitran wrote:

are you a musician?

No, just a listener.

Bill

It's taken many tries over many years for me to finally enjoy classical music. It's always been more of a background score for a movie or a familiar ditty from a commercial or cartoon. The instances where I would attempt to become involved in the music were frustratingly uneventful. It was like a foreign language that after an hour or so would leave me scratching my head wondering why I couldn't appreciate or comprehend the language being spoken.

Ever curious, I bagan to study the history of classical music thinking that it would become less foreign to my sensibilities and perhaps that would at least give me a better appreciation for the obvious devotion so many have for it.

That proved to be a good move on my part and father time pretty much took care of the rest. As I get older and the pace of life quickens, leaving less and less free time for personal indulgences, classical music has finally penetrated my thick skull.

Classical music has easily become over half my listening time these days and I wouldn't be at all surpised if it became most all of it before long.

Listener wrote:

Ariel Bitran wrote:

are you a musician?

No, just a listener.

Bill

J.S. Bach probably appeals to musicians a little more. His use of counterpoint is mindblowing (particularly since he was one of the firsts to use it) and the technicality of his pieces pushes every musician to their limits, and finally, its all very listenable.

Ariel Bitran wrote:

His use of counterpoint is mindblowing (particularly since he was one of the firsts to use it)

I can't deny that Bach's counterpoint is superlative, but he was not one of the first to use it. Counterpoint was used extensively for hundreds of years before Bach started writing music. For instance, Cristobal de Morales wrote counterpoint that is darned close to Bach in quality. Likewise Palestrina, Visctoria, and many other composers.

I really, really dig these two musicians.

Being a guitar player, I can absolutely appreciate the sweet tones that these two men can coax out of their violins.

If shredding were to be applied to violinists, these two would be masters.

Mark Evans

If I wanted to hear an adagio for strings from one of his compositions, what would it be?

I thought I already posted this but apparently not :-)

Check out Vivaldi's 4 Seasons: 4 concertos for violin each representing a different season.
There are probably great deals on box sets.
I like all the famous violinists but am partial to Gidon Kremer.

Was my introduction to Vivaldi and I do like Winter, though even it is rather celebratory. I was thinking something along the lines of Pachelbel's Canon or Mahler's Adagietto from his 5th, which is, btw, the most beautiful sound I think I've ever heard...and I don't like a lot of Mahler's stuff.