# I'm New to the Genre



## dr sooz (Oct 1, 2018)

i've recently taken a strong liking to classical music(rachmaninoff, beethoven, debussy), and I was wondering if there were any pieces or composers to which one would recommend, to start the process of building up a mental library of pieces and composers?

thanks in advance, and regards - dr sooz


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

you can have a look here
Compilation of the TC Top Recommended Lists
these are some recommended works. Find the genre that interests you and explore the works on the list.


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

Here are a few pieces that I can pretty much universally recommend. If you can share what you have enjoyed so far, we can provide more tailored recommendations.

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 "From the New World"
Hummel: Piano Concerto No. 3


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Is it symphonies you're interested in, chamber music, concertos, opera or simply a mix This would help us to point you in the right direction. What pieces do you already like?


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## Torkelburger (Jan 14, 2014)

If you are new to classical music, in addition to Beethoven who you already mentioned, I would also start by listening to *anything* by J.S. Bach, Mozart, and Haydn.

Try these to start with:

BACH
Complete Brandenburg Concertos
Complete Well-Tempered Clavier
Mass in B Minor
Harpsichord Concerto in D minor BWV 1052

MOZART
Piano Concerto #20
Piano Concerto #21
Symphony #25
Symphony #40
Symphony #41
Clarinet Concerto

HAYDN
String Quartet Op.76, #’s 2 and 3
Piano Sonata in Eb Major #59
Symphony #94
Symphony #88
The Creation


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

I would definitely consider Mahler's symphonies.


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)




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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

The most popular classical composers (at least according to TheTopTens.com) are Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Chopin and Vivaldi, so I suppose that you should start with them. Beethoven's symphonies Nos. 3, 5 and 6, Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, piano concertos Nos. 20, 21 and 23 and symphonies Nos. 40 and 41, Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Brandemburg Concertos, Suites Nos. 2 and 3 and The Well-Tempered Clavier, Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker and Swan Lake suites and Piano Concerto No. 1, Chopin's waltzes and piano concertos, and Vivaldi's Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione are great works to start with in my opinion.

The performance is very important in classical music, as most of it was created before recording technologies were avaliable and thus we can't know for sure how many great composers really wanted their works to be performed. Listen for example to the very famous first movement of Beethoven's Fifth below with two different conductors and orchestras and see how distinct are their approaches.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

If something looks interesting, pursue it. You may like it; you may not. But way will lead to way. There is so much to explore. Every road need not be a pathway to bliss. But if you truly get bitten by the "classical music bug" you will have been infected with a lifelong passion you will never regret having. There is so much out there to explore. (Did I say that already?)

Meanwhile, I will recommend to you my all time favorite symphony: Howard Hanson's No. 2, the "Romantic".






Welcome to the Forum ... and to our wonderful "lifelong passion".


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

While there are classical works that are universally praised from all periods, nevertheless, not everyone agrees. For example, many consider Beethoven's 9th Symphony to be one of the greatest works ever composed, while others think it's overrated. In other words, it's a different experience for each person. We're not all the same with our likes & dislikes. Plus, music has different meanings at the different stages of our lives. When I was younger, Mahler's 9th Symphony didn't mean as much to me as it does today, for instance. The same is true for F.J. Haydn and Josquin Des Prez's music, too.

So I can't say what you'll like, or most gravitate towards. But I can say what music has meant the most to me, on my own personal journey. & I should add that I've been listening to classical music for over 35 years and amazingly, I'm still discovering new works and new composers that are worth the time & effort. However, I don't listen to all of the same music that I did 35 years ago. Over time, I've gradually changed. Though not in all respects, as there are still a good number of composers and works that mean as much to me today as they did decades ago, when I first discovered them.

When I started out in the 1980s, one book that I found helpful was London Times critic William Mann's "Music in Time" (with an introduction by flautist James Galway). Mann gives an excellent introduction to each period of music history, and at the end of his book offers a valuable list of recommendations for a basic collection of essential works by the major composers from each period: https://www.amazon.com/James-Galway...12&sr=8-1&keywords=music+in+time+james+galway. Although no book or list of recommendations will wholly suffice, of course (& in time you'll create your own list of favorites).

The Eyewitness Companion to Classial Music is also excellent, for someone starting out: https://www.amazon.com/Classical-Mu...9695&sr=1-89&keywords=classical+music+history

What I've decided to do for this thread is give you a list of recommendations for each musical period, by progressing through the history of music with each new post I make. That way you can sample various works from different eras--via the You Tube links I'll provide, and decide which composers or genres (whether it be symphonies, chamber music, solo piano, choral, etc.) you find most interesting, and wish to explore further--as the spirit moves you, or not.

I'll start at the beginning--well almost so--with key works from the Middle Ages and Renaissance (and later post on subsequent periods). That way you'll get a better idea about the incredibly huge variety of music that qualifies under the rubric of "classical music". Personally, I find it fascinating to hear how music has developed over the centuries--& to see how we've ended up where we are today. Of course the following links aren't intended to be listened to all at once, but over time, at your leisure (& please note that an asterisk* indicates an undisputed major composer, IMO; although I consider most of the composers that I've listed below to be 'giants'--more so than I've given asterisks to, as these periods hold a special interest & fascination to me):

Middle Ages:

Perotin and Leonin (the School of Notre Dame Cathedral):










(Even earlier than the Notre Dame period is the music of Hildegard von Bingen: 



)

Music of Santiago de Compostela, in Spain: 




Late Middle Ages:

*Guillaume de Machaut:






















Johannes Ciconia: 




Philippe de Vitry and the Ars Nova: 




Susay: 




Istanpitta Ghaetta: 




El canto de la Sibilla: 




The Renaissance:

The Court of Burgundy:

John Dunstable: 




**Guillaume Dufay:






























Franco-Flemish Polyphony:

*Johannes Ockeghem:

















***Josquin Desprez:










Here's the whole album from which the above Josquin motets are taken. This is a desert island CD in my collection: 













































Jean Mouton: 




The English Renaissance:

*Thomas Tallis:









William Byrd:














John Sheppard:




John Dowland: 
















The Spanish Renaissance:

Victoria: 




Guerrero:




The Late Renaissance:

*Orlando Lassus: 




G. Gabrieli: 




Allegri: 




Palestrina: 




Claudio Monteverdi: 




Eustache du Caurroy: 




Next, I'll post my recommendations for the Baroque period. If you don't care for any of the above early music, don't worry, newbies often respond more to music of the Baroque era, at the outset. Just keep it in mind as music you may want to return to one day, perhaps.

P.S. I wish I'd had You Tube when I was starting out. The money I could have saved...


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## Steve Mc (Jun 14, 2018)

dr sooz said:


> i've recently taken a strong liking to classical music(rachmaninoff, beethoven, debussy), and I was wondering if there were any pieces or composers to which one would recommend, to start the process of building up a mental library of pieces and composers?
> 
> thanks in advance, and regards - dr sooz


Schubert may interest you. Just heard this today:


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Listen widely and randomly (like to CM radio). Make notes of the pieces that struck you as wanting to hear again. Do so. Rinse. Repeat.


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## janxharris (May 24, 2010)

dr sooz said:


> i've recently taken a strong liking to classical music(rachmaninoff, beethoven, debussy), and I was wondering if there were any pieces or composers to which one would recommend, to start the process of building up a mental library of pieces and composers?
> 
> thanks in advance, and regards - dr sooz


It's a bit deep but I remember getting hooked almost immediately. For me it's a life-changing piece. Wagner must a have been totally in touch with what's _real_ - there's no fake gloss here.


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

Tremendous performance by Muti... What a dramatic Beethovian Overture!... Suspenseful and thrilling.


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## Ras (Oct 6, 2017)

*dr sooz*

You say you like *Debussy* - I think you should try his peer (two French contemporaries and geniuses): *MAURICE RAVEL*:
*For orchestra: *
- Bolero, 
- Pavane pour une Infante defunte, 
- Un barque sur l'ocean, 
- La Valse

*RAVEL for piano:*

- Gaspard de la nuit
- Jeux d'eau
- Miroirs

----------------------------------------------

If you are English you might like *FREDERICK DELIUS* - also sort of late-romantic/impressionist:

- In a Summer Garden
- Brigg Fair

__________________________________

Many newbies like the romantic French/Polish pianist genius *CHOPIN* --- for solo piano: 
Nocturnes, Waltzes, Etudes, Impromptus, 
- and two concertos for piano and orchestra.


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## Ras (Oct 6, 2017)

dr sooz

You said you like Rachmaninov - he is a late-romantic composer and here some suggestions for similar composers and their works:

Richard Strauss: 
- Four Last Songs for soprano and orchestra, 
- Metamorphoses for 23 solo strings.

Edvard Grieg: Piano concerto

Tchaikovsky: 
- Symphonies 4, 5 and 6 
+ the first piano concerto.

Ralph Vaughan Williams: 
-The Lark Ascending for violin and orchestra.

DVORAK: 
- Symphony number 9("From the New World")
- Cello Concerto


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## derin684 (Feb 14, 2018)

dr sooz said:


> i've recently taken a strong liking to classical music(rachmaninoff, beethoven, debussy), and I was wondering if there were any pieces or composers to which one would recommend, to start the process of building up a mental library of pieces and composers?
> 
> thanks in advance, and regards - dr sooz


Hello dr sooz. "Classical Music"-as they call it that- might seem like a very deep water to dive in, but it's definitely not! Even if it is, diving is fun, isn't it? Anway, welcome to the forum and here are a few pieces of most known classical music:





















and so many other great works, like Schubert Symphonies, Bach's Goldberg Variations, Beethoven Piano Concerti... Hope you like the videos I posted, and "Classical Music"! :cheers:


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Some of the recommendations above boggle the mind. I'd make your first point of call Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto. Super piece which introduced me to classical music. Dozens of great recordings but try the imperious account from Pletnev


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

Thank you, derin684, for finally mentioning Mendelssohn. I would add the Violin Concerto and the Overture and Incidental Music to _Midsummer Night's Dream_.

Also Schubert's Trout Quintet (unless I missed it).


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

There are lots of good ideas, here, and one or two that are just enthusiasts sharing their enthusiasms. Personally, I would go for the widely acknowledged truly great masterpieces at first. Most (all) of them do not need special knowledge or experience - whatever others may tell you - and they have the power to overwhelm you! It is a nonsense to suggest that someone new to CM *needs *to listen to simple pieces or sugary ones or what have you. There are plenty of lists of "the greatest" out there but I would avoid the ones that are of the "people's choice" type. This isn't about elitism so much as getting a foundation that is robust. From there you will find plenty of strands to follow up on. If you don't like something, put it down and leave it until later.


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## junha yang (Feb 3, 2015)

I recommend Ravel, Bartok, Prokofiev for you.
Bach, Mozart, Brahms, ... they're great but I think early 20th century music could be easier for beginners.


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## bravenewworld (Jan 24, 2016)

Well, this is the piece that got me hooked on classical. You may enjoy it.






But I agree, some of the suggestions here are not entirely appropriate, in my view, for early listeners.

When I was just 'getting into' classical, compilations like this one really helped me. You hear a well-known tune and learn the name of the piece from which it comes: your interest piqued, you then listen to the whole piece in the knowledge that that melody you already love will come along some time, and from there you can gain an appreciation of the piece as a whole. At that point, it's simply a matter of moving onwards and upwards, once that groundwork is established


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