# Awfully practical, but: pre-Beethovenian Classical Era works suitable for background?



## Pawelec (Jul 14, 2015)

Currently I'm looking for pre-Beethovenian works in Classical style which are suitable as a background music to create as authentic period feeling as possible in a PC game focused on building a town. The main problem with background music is it should stay in the background so carefully crafted works (e.g. Mozart, Danzi) I love listening to gain too much attention for that. Is there anything you'd recommend in particular? If you'd like to stretch the period then it's better to go earlier than later (Beethoven and later composers are not permitted, the setting is pre-revolutionary).

Techincal details: I need 8-16 tracks, preferably 4-6 minutes long, the game has seasons changing so 2-4 per each season (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) would be perfect. Winter tracks could be darker, spring ones more uplifting. They all need to be similar in instrumentation to blend well so let's stay symphonic for now. When it comes to recordings I'd probably have to use synthetic performances with Sibelius + NotePerformes so score availability is another important factor.

Besides the technical aspect I'm extremely curious what others would choose to be background music.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

Avoid major masterpieces. Perhaps go for forte piano pieces.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

How about early Haydn symphonies?


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## Ras (Oct 6, 2017)

Haydn and Mozart wrote music intended as a sort of background music - you should look for divertimentos, serenades and cassations for orchestra or large chamber ensembles. 

J.S. Bach's yougest son Johann Christian Bach also wrote music that is perfect as background music.


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

Art Rock said:


> How about early Haydn symphonies?


Or early Mozart Symphonies, which are essentially juvenalia (albeit the juvenalia of a prodigy).


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Haydn 6and Mozart wrote wonderful "Divertimenti", originally intended as background music...a "diversion"....there are lots of them, and they are most excellent!!


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## Pawelec (Jul 14, 2015)

Thank you all, I have the first one settled: Mozart, Symphony no. 1 in Eb major, II. Andante as one of the winter themes. Listening to early Mozart now, waiting for more discoveries and suggestions.

When I think about it using divertimenti would be the most period-accurate way of doing it.


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## Swosh (Feb 25, 2018)

Oh what a fun question!!! You have an alpha or beta?

This could work for spring or summer I reckon:





Spring/Summer:


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Sounds like a big job to me.
Having worked in theatre sound-design, I would expect I'd have to listen to a lot of music before selecting anything definitive. Of course, I would first have to know the program intimately. Which entails, for the theatre design, reading and re-reading the play and discussing ideas and stylings with the director/producers, and coordinating with the other designers to nothing clashes, unless the clash is intentional. I know little about designed video games -- OK … I know nothing about it! -- but I suspect that planning will be similar. Thus, a big job.

One thing I will recommend. Stick to a "sound" that is homogenous and fits the program, thereby tying things together. What I mean by that is: since you've selected with interest the early Mozart symphony (No. 1, one of my favorite Mozart pieces, one I've listened to dozens of times but have never used in a sound design!), keep to works that reflect a similar orchestral sound. Don't mix in solo harpsichord or instrumentals with strong brass and woodwind sections, or harps. Unless, of course, there is a reason for the contrast -- such as a definitive change of locale, or to catch a glimpse of something "different" in the fabric of the piece. Else the piece could sound like a mish mash.

Mozart has quite a few early symphonies with similar sounding orchestral texture. And a lot of moods going on.

When you said pre-Beethoven and pre-Revolutionary, I immediately thought of the French composers: Lully, Couperin, Rameau, Naudot, Boismortier … to name a handful. If those names don't sound particularly familiar to you, that may be a plus. Folks are likely not to know their music, either, and so your soundscape will have a freshness as well as an authenticity. But of course, to survey these composers will take time. (But for folks like me it's "fun time".)

I once wrote musical numbers with original lyrics for a musical production of French playwright Molière's _Imaginary Invalid_. I tapped into those above-named French composers to find melodies that were "song-like" to which I could compose lyrics for the musical. Much music was listened to and much rejected before settling on a half-dozen or so "tunes" that would set lyrics and sound good sung. In the end the result was quite pleasing, and the work remains one of my favorite personal creative theatre projects. You could have such a satisfying after-feeling if you approach your project with interest and love and see it as a fun and worthy endeavor rather than as a "job". I've had occasions to turn down "jobs", but never turned down opportunities to produce something I considered worthwhile and fun. Hopefully you will approach your project with a similar attitude.

All the best. And, good luck. (Or, do you folks also say "Break a leg!"?)


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## Pawelec (Jul 14, 2015)

I have the Brilliant Classics Boccherini Edition on my shelf, will check some earlier works as well.
I went through quite a lot of Haydn (not a huge fan myself but I have the Philips edition) and there's something what makes that music get in front of everything else but that may be because of these specific recordings actually.

Swosh: J.C. Bach was on my to-listen-to list indeed, I have all of the Halstead/Hanover Band series albums (yes I'm a Classical Era music hog, I wish there were complete editions of Danzi and von Winter so I don't have to hunt these works on a per CD basis). The audience won't know a single passage so it hits the novelty spot for sure.

SONNET CLV: Thanks for your extensive reply, I appreciate it a lot! This is TalkClassical, of course I know the names. Rameau is my favourite of them but they don't really suit the period, you see, I'd like to escape from Baroque feeling, more towards 1780's Vienna than 1720's Versailles, definitely more Italian/Austrian/South German (Catholic Central/Southern Europe) than French (so for Baroque feeling it would be Vivaldi rather than Rameau) think of tricorn hats and simpler wigs like these from famous Mozart and Haydn portraits. The time setting is in the Enlightenment but before French Revolution, the universe is fictional, visual style is actually quite abstract (voxel art, it's a 3D equivalent of pixel art) but the music used in other parts is acoustic instrumental and I'm striving to create a consistent period feeling and keep up with the style of the rest of the game.

In Polish we wish each other "breaking their legs" in good faith so thank you


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## Pawelec (Jul 14, 2015)

For all of those who may be interested in how it ended: I'm still missing 1-2 pieces but the final set consists most of early Mozart and J.C. Bach's woodwind concerti. I'll give the list when it's complete.


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## Pawelec (Jul 14, 2015)

So here's the final 12 which made it into the first version of the list.

W.A. Mozart:
Symphony no. 4 in D, mov. II
Symphony no. 6 in F, mov. II
Symphony no. 7 in G, mov. II
Symphony no. 7a in D, mov. II
Andante for Flute and Orchestra in C, K.315
Flute Concerto no. 1 in G, mov. II

J.C. Bach:
Oboe Concerto no. 1 in F, mov. III
Oboe Concerto no. 2 in F, mov. III
Bassoon Concerto in Eb, mov. II
Bassoon Concerto in Bb, mov. II
Flute Concerto in D, mov. III
Flute Concerto in G, mov. III

Order of appearance makes the flute appear more and more often as the player progresses. The thing is while they would suit the game perfectly there's also matter of quality of recordings or synthesised performance we can use (if it turns out poor quality we may have to make changes).


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## leonsm (Jan 15, 2011)

Carl Ditter von Dittersdorf's symphonies. Very pleasant music, not well known.


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