# Quid Pro Quo: Talk Classical's Q & A Thread



## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

I thought rather than start a new thread for a simple question perhaps users can post their questions here and other users could answer. :tiphat:

*Edit:*

I was hoping that the questions would be music related or at least *Talk Classical* related. However I had not imagined using it this way but I'm very happy if people want to do so.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Why? 









(Just kidding. I can't help myself. I'm a card. Ok, fine, I'll ask a real question. Wait a minute.)


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Is it possible for a stable democracy or republic to exist without a strong middle class?


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## Guest (Mar 16, 2012)

Yes . . . and no.


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## Guest (Mar 16, 2012)

Why do blind people wear sunglasses? Deaf people don't wear earmuffs! (Sorry, I purloined this from a sketch on Saturday Night Live with Jerry Seinfeld).


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

DrMike said:


> Why do blind people wear sunglasses? Deaf people don't wear earmuffs! (Sorry, I purloined this from a sketch on Saturday Night Live with Jerry Seinfeld).


Some blind people have no control over their eyes and they roll back in their head. This can be off putting to some so they wear glasses to hide it. At least this has been my experience I knew a man who was blind.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Lenfer said:


> Some blind people have no control over their eyes and they roll back in their head. This can be off putting to some so they wear glasses to hide it. At least this has been my experience I knew a man who was blind.


Wow, good answer!


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Do conductors really direct off-beat, or does it just look that way? I've seen a number of conductors give a downbeat, and it looks like the orchestra comes in a half-beat later.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Manxfeeder said:


> Do conductors really direct off-beat, or does it just look that way? I've seen a number of conductors give a downbeat, and it looks like the orchestra comes in a half-beat later.


Styles vary, but, technically, what musicians follow is called the 'ictus', which is a point along the path of the baton where acceleration changes to deceleration. It's subtle, but you can follow it instinctively once you get used to it, and it's most often just as the baton rises from a low point. So it's not the position of the baton that matters, it's the speed.

Do you love me?


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

Thank you *Manx*! 

Ok I have a question about a box of CDs not as fun but it doesn't deserve it's on thread. Has anyone seen the *Martha Argerich* boxed sets? The "*Collections*" boxes in particular.

I may have asked this before but how good are they? In terms of what they contain. If I buy one I'll have to buy them all and it annoys me they are not just all sold together.

I'd like to get as much of her work as possible. I would not want to be buying the same recordings twice. It's my goal to collect as much as I can this year as I'm trying to listen to as much music as possible for personal reasons.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Polednice said:


> Styles vary, but, technically, what musicians follow is called the 'ictus', which is a point along the path of the baton where acceleration changes to deceleration. It's subtle, but you can follow it instinctively once you get used to it, and it's most often just as the baton rises from a low point. So it's not the position of the baton that matters, it's the speed.
> 
> Do you love me?


Add to that the fact that many an audience member sitting further back in the hall is simultaneously experiencing the difference between the speed of light (what you see) and the speed of sound (what you hear) and Bob's your Uncle!

(I would ask, but if you are incapable of love, it could get embarrassing


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## Guest (Mar 16, 2012)

Polednice said:


> Styles vary, but do you love me?


Yes. But who cares


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Andante said:


> Yes. But who cares


Meeeeeeeeeeee!  My life is complete.

P.S.: Kv, I don't need you any more.


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

Lenfer said:


> Thank you *Manx*!
> 
> Ok I have a question about a box of CDs not as fun but it doesn't deserve it's on thread. Has anyone seen the *Martha Argerich* boxed sets? The "*Collections*" boxes in particular.
> 
> ...


The four (three with DG and one with Philips recordings) "collections" contain the "original albums" (same material in the same running order and with the original cover art) she recorded for those labels. Sound quality is great. The three EMI "Argerich edition" sets cover some (but far from all) of the same material, but obviously in different recordings. If you like Martha I very much doubt that you'd be disappointed with any of these box sets.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

QUESTION: Is it possible to write a ten minute opera on Goethe's Erlkönig for massive orchestra, four singers, choir and dancers in one night?


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Yes, but it will never be performed.


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## sah (Feb 28, 2012)

A winter or a summer night?


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

sah said:


> A winter or a summer night?


Autumn night.


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## sah (Feb 28, 2012)

Winter nights are longer. I would go to one of the Poles, much longer winter nights indeed.
Sorry.


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

Do you think the 21st century will produce musicians as good as those we enjoy listening today?


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Lenfer said:


> Do you think the 21st century will produce musicians as good as those we enjoy listening today?


I think it will produce *better* musicians.


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I think it will produce *better* musicians.


I hope you are right my dear *CoAG* but I am not overly optimistic this will happen.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Lenfer said:


> I hope you are right my dear *CoAG* but I am not overly optimistic this will happen.


Why not?


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Lenfer said:


> Do you think the 21st century will produce musicians as good as those we enjoy listening today?


The musicians will be as good as all musicians are in every generation - the question is whether or not the environment is right for them to write music that we will enjoy.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Polednice said:


> The musicians will be as good as all musicians are in every generation - the question is whether or not the environment is right for them to write music that we will enjoy.


The environment is right.


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Why not?


There is to much money at stake not many record labels will support true innovation just my thoughts though.

*Edit:*

In my original question I was talking about musicians as performers not as composers. My favourite CDs are still the oldies although I like a lot of younger musicians I feel they are not as good as the "old guard" in their prime.

I'm not trying make a huge sweeping statement like that and say it's fact just opinion. :tiphat:


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Lenfer said:


> There is to much money at stake not many record labels will support true innovation just my thoughts though.


My opinion is that with such great musicians of the 20th century getting old, their recordings would enspire the new generation to become great musicians like them. But they don't have to become instant child prodigies selling their recordings to record labels at nine years of age.


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> My opinion is that with such great musicians of the 20th century getting old, their recordings would enspire the new generation to become great musicians like them. But they don't have to become instant child prodigies selling their recordings to record labels at nine years of age.


Perhaps and I hope your right. I don't think you need to be a child prodigy either but If you look at say "rock" music which I admit I'm not an expert in that filed.

It's heyday was in the 1960 - 70s? Rock bands today should be better than those in the 60s and 70s given the fact they have all records to listen to. I'm not quite sure but it hasn't worked out that way. It is slightly nonsensical to compare the two genres perhaps I'm too pessimistic.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Oh, performers? Well absolutely! If you keep your eyes and ears open, there are young new soloists coming onto the scene with some regularity who look set to be the best. I think I'll start a new thread on this topic.


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

Polednice said:


> Oh, performers? Well absolutely! If you keep your eyes and ears open, there are young new soloists coming onto the scene with some regularity who look set to be the best. I think I'll start a new thread on this topic.


I think that would be best you have a flare for starting threads that I lack.

We will see great musicians in the 21st century for sure. But another *Rostropovich*? I think the 20th century is quite unique if you look at it from 1900 - 1960 perhaps even the 1990s in the ex-*Soviet* block poverty was still quite common. No I don't think it was poverty rather a lack of "modernity" one's upbringing outside of the upper-classes was still quite stark.

Showing my colours here slightly as I lied in one of the polls saying I was from a working class family. I'm not I come from a very wealthy family so my image of what life was like back then for working class people is just that only an image. However I do think that modernity has taken something away from everyone across the whole social spectrum.

It's much easier to get distracted these days with the internet and video games. Of course there will always be musicians and great musicians but society will lose some of these would be stars to *Pacman* and *Facebook*. A lot of the great musicians of the 20th century went through one or even two world wars and although I would not wish another such war upon the world again. Those events are life changing and I think this is were that spark comes from. Who knows? I hope I am wrong.

I look forward to reading your thread *Polednice*. :tiphat:


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## TresPicos (Mar 21, 2009)

Manxfeeder said:


> Do conductors really direct off-beat, or does it just look that way? I've seen a number of conductors give a downbeat, and it looks like the orchestra comes in a half-beat later.


Many years ago, I heard someone refer to the most off-beat directing method as directing "Russian-style". I don't know why, though.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

When people with hyphenated names marry, do they wind up with quadruple hyphenated names? 

If Joe Smith-Jones marries Sally Foner-Yergin, do they become Joe and Sally Smith-Jones-Foner-Yergin? 

And would it continue into a 3rd generation? 

Because if so, my full name ought to be Raul Juan Gates-Romanov-Stalin-Mao-Gandhi-Faust-Habsburg-al-Saud.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

science said:


> When people with hyphenated names marry, do they wind up with quadruple hyphenated names?
> 
> If Joe Smith-Jones marries Sally Foner-Yergin, do they become Joe and Sally Smith-Jones-Foner-Yergin?


No, they become Joe and Sally Foner-Yergin-Smith-Jones.


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

science said:


> When people with hyphenated names marry, do they wind up with quadruple hyphenated names?
> 
> If Joe Smith-Jones marries Sally Foner-Yergin, do they become Joe and Sally Smith-Jones-Foner-Yergin?
> 
> ...


It depends they could or they could just choose one or the other. I've heard of people in *Britain* just mixing the names up but that's the *Brits* for you.


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## Chrythes (Oct 13, 2011)

science said:


> When people with hyphenated names marry, do they wind up with quadruple hyphenated names?
> 
> If Joe Smith-Jones marries Sally Foner-Yergin, do they become Joe and Sally Smith-Jones-Foner-Yergin?
> 
> ...


It depends on what they want. They can also add saint names and basically everything they wish to it. 
Picasso's full name is - Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso. But his kids didn't carry on all these titles.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Chrythes said:


> It depends on what they want. They can also add saint names and basically everything they wish to it.
> Picasso's full name is - Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso. But his kids didn't carry on all these titles.


Yes, I need an "y" and a "de los" - maybe even a "von."

Raul Juan Gates-Romanov-Stalin-Mao-Gandhi-Faust-Habsburg-al-Saud y Smith de los Vagos von Faulstadt.


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Do you have any amusing anecdotes about 20th century musicians (not composers)?


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