# what is the best way to get into classical music



## johan (Feb 7, 2010)

hiya

i've been meaning to take the plunge into the world of classical music for a while now but I am ignorant to the art form if truth be told! i was wondering if anyone could give me a couple of suggestions at a good starting base?

thanks very much.


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## Guest (Feb 7, 2010)

There is no best way. There's only your way.

There are of course cheaper and more expensive ways. You probably want to find a cheaper way. There are many places online to listen to music. Some of them, like Art of the States, is free. Some of them, like the Naxos site, cost a bit of money.

Or hang out with people who already listen to it and borrow their CDs. (Without, I hasten to add, necessarily borrowing their prejudices. There's a lot of that going around. I think it better if you can avoid that as much as possible. It's all you, johan!!)

If you tell us something about what you already listen to, I'm sure there'll be dozens of suggestions as to where to start.

My only advice would be to not be intimidated, either by the vast size of the classical world (spanning several hundreds of years, after all) or by the passionate partisanship of many of its proponents. You start wherever you start. You like whatever you like. It'll be fine.


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## Jaime77 (Jun 29, 2009)

Some Guy is totally right... it is personal and all you can do is try.

There are many different styles and pieces of music but try these:

I also mention which version to get, which performer, cos it makes a big difference. When I started out I used to pay for not good versions and it is a waste of money, I think.

I started with *Vivaldi's Four Seasons* - a great piece full of excitement as well as beauty. Try Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Trondheim soloists playing this.

I then followed this with *Tchaikovsky*. I recommend his *Piano Concerto No.1* or his Ballet Music. The best recording I know of that Tchaikovsky concerto is with _Martha Argerich_ as soloist. This music also tells a stort which you may like.

*Rachmaninov Piano Concertos* are also wonderful cause they are very passionate and with great melodies as well as a solo piano with orchestra, which is a powerful combination. (if you can get _Martha Argerich_ playing them it would be good) As is *Puccini*, if you want to try a little opera. I recommend _Maria Callas_ singing Puccini. Very dramatic stuff!

If you want something for solo piano? Try *Chopin and Schubert*. _Mitsuko Uchida_ plays Schubert beautifully. Some lovely melodies and moods and if you find them a little too boring (dare I say) try *Debussy*. (bavouzet, roge, gieseking and thibaudet are all great players of debussy) His music is very dreamy and especially subtle. You might enjoy that.

These are just my ideas from my experience and off the top of my head 

Enjoy !


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## johan (Feb 7, 2010)

thanks alot for the suggestions. i have quite a broad range in musical taste but its mostly pop (or mainstream) my favourite band are the beatles but like i say i have a broad taste from likes of dean martin through to new bands like kasabian. 

sometimes i hear a classical piece on an advert or a film and think thats sounds good (like the piece from the vietnam film from the 80's i forget which one, it could be full metal jacket?) but i dont do anything to find out what the piece is because its a classical song! my aim is to change that and appreciate it for what it is. am i still making sense? who knows!

thanks for the suggestions so far.


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## webfreak (Feb 7, 2010)

> i've been meaning to take the plunge into the world of classical music for a while now but I am ignorant to the art form if truth be told! i was wondering if anyone could give me a couple of suggestions at a good starting base?


Listen to classical music radio stations like WRTI (www.wrti.org).


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## Jaime77 (Jun 29, 2009)

you're making perfect sense. the piece u like from vietnam flick cud be Barber's Adagio for Strings - lovely piece. 

best of luck


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## johan (Feb 7, 2010)

wow? vivaldi four seasons is great! i can almost hear the birds and see the green fields in spring. i think i might be hooked already! i'm going to be up all night now

thanks again


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## Head_case (Feb 5, 2010)

I think I'm going to puke! 

Sorry - don't mind me. I guess I had too big a share of listening to Vivaldi when I was younger. 

Sounds like you're looking for classic(al) showpieces, often popularised in t.v. My parents tell me about the 'Hovis' bread adverts in the UK, as well as the Hamlet cigar adverts which relied heavily on tranquil orchestral pieces. Peer Gynt by Grieg; Holst's Planets, Ravel's Bolero; Debussy's The Sea; Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Night on Bare Mountain; Saints Saens' Animals at a Carnival, Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Bedrich Smetana's 'My Homeland' would probably all appeal to you in some shape or form. 

The above list is kind of standard classical fodder before moving on  If you like particular instruments, Bach's Harpsichord Concertos are swell, although his Cantatas are more popular. Piano pieces, everyone loves Chopin and Liszt. Except me lol.

Alternatively, ask someone to invite you to join Spotify and listen to everything for free until you can decide.


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## johan (Feb 7, 2010)

jaibyrne said:


> you're making perfect sense. the piece u like from vietnam flick cud be Barber's Adagio for Strings - lovely piece.
> 
> best of luck


your good

it is beautiful (but has a kind of tragic feel it it? or maybe i'm associating it with the film). i've never really listened to it properly.

thanks again


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## johan (Feb 7, 2010)

Head_case said:


> *I think I'm going to puke*!
> 
> Sorry - don't mind me. I guess I had too big a share of listening to Vivaldi when I was younger.
> 
> ...


 sorry, guess i'm excited. i love finding new music


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

johan said:


> . . . i think i might be hooked already! i'm going to be up all night now
> 
> thanks again


I envy you in a way.

But the cool thing is, there is so much "classical" music that enthusiasm never completely goes away. There is always soem5thing new to explore.

I heartily recommend Holst's_ The Planets_ as well.

You can sample a lot of classical on YouTiube before sinking a lot of funds into CDs.


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## johan (Feb 7, 2010)

Weston said:


> I envy you in a way.
> 
> But the cool thing is, there is so much "classical" music that enthusiasm never completely goes away. There is always soem5thing new to explore.
> 
> ...


all i'm sayin is tremendous! love the bringer of peace. its great how classic music tells the story without any words.

i cant stop listening to adagio for strings i also like pietro mascagni callalleria rusticana intermezzo


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## Guest (Feb 8, 2010)

My advice:
Go to www.classicalcdguide.com

They have lists there of good starting off points. This isn't going to be an authoritative list, nor an exhaustive one. But it is a great starting point for classical. It will help you decide what styles you like, what periods you like, whether you prefer baroque, or classical, or romantic, whether you like symphonic pieces, or chamber music, etc. The recordings recommended are quite good. They may not be THE best recordings in every single instance, but they are certainly very good, and not a waste of time.

Lots of people will tell you to not listen to specific suggestions, but you have to start somewhere. With time, you'll get a feel for what you like best. Then you can focus on certain conductors and ensembles.

Also, go to your local library. Pick up CD's there and listen to them. That is one of the best, cheapest ways to explore classical music.


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## CostaSimpson (Mar 14, 2010)

Tchaikovsky started it for me. Then Mussorgsky. Both terribly interesting composers.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

I think I'm going to puke!

Sorry - don't mind me. I guess I had too big a share of listening to Vivaldi when I was younger.

Sounds like you're looking for classic(al) showpieces, often popularised in t.v. My parents tell me about the 'Hovis' bread adverts in the UK, as well as the Hamlet cigar adverts which relied heavily on tranquil orchestral pieces. Peer Gynt by Grieg; Holst's Planets, Ravel's Bolero; Debussy's The Sea; Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Night on Bare Mountain; Saints Saens' Animals at a Carnival, Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Bedrich Smetana's 'My Homeland' would probably all appeal to you in some shape or form.

The above list is kind of standard classical fodder before moving on If you like particular instruments, Bach's Harpsichord Concertos are swell, although his Cantatas are more popular. Piano pieces, everyone loves Chopin and Liszt. Except me lol.

Alternatively, ask someone to invite you to join Spotify and listen to everything for free until you can decide.

What a perfect way to motivate an enthusiastic newcomer to the world of classical music: suggest that his or her taste is "puke"-worthy and that all of the more famous pieces of classical music are but Hollywood showstoppers or "fodder" that he or she must eventually outgrow. The fact that something is grossly popular is no more inherently proof that a work is good or bad than the fact that it is less-well known. Vivaldi's _Four Seasons_ may be played to death... but that in no way undermines its merits any more than the fact Hamlet is read by nearly every college student undermines the merits of Shakespeare. I have been listening to classical music for years and have a more than sizable collection of music dating from the Middle-Age to the middle of last week, and yet I still enjoy The Four Seasons (although I like Vivaldi's choral and opera works more), Pictures at an Exhibition, the Brandenburg Concertos, etc...

As someone new to music I would suggest the best you can do is to listen to as much of the stuff as you can... explore composers from the same era as works that you already like (for example... you like the Four Seasons? Check out Bach's Brandenburg Concertos and concertos for violin and keyboard, Handel's Royal Fireworks Music, Water Music, and organ concertos). Begin to expand outward from there. I would also recommend a good book that explores the forms, structures, and history of music. I'd especially recommend Phillip G. Goulding's _Classical Music: the 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1,000 Greatest Works_. The book is inexpensive and written by a non-specialist so that it avoids an excess of technical terminology while king the essentials clear to the novice. Undoubtedly, however, there are other books as good or better. Enjoy


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## Josef Anton Bruckner (Mar 22, 2010)

How about throwing in a lesser-known work too (comparatively): Borodin: String Quartet No. 2, very melodic.


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## Ivan_cro (Mar 19, 2010)

Try to listen to those "popular" composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Chopin...
They are the best way to enter the world of classical music 

At least I think so


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## JAKE WYB (May 28, 2009)

No

Take a 5 year old to see the rite of spring and i guarantee theyd love it, remember it forever and be introduced to exciting live orchestral music without having a preduce aagainst classical 'boring' music - before fashion and self consciousness spoils their openess - 

as an adult something fresh and timeless that dosent sound old yet isnt incomprehensible or challenging - SIBELIUS - sympony 5,6,7
and i also opened my uncle up to Sibelius and Bax tone poems - showing theres more than classical rumpty tumpty 

though live is best where you can sit as close to the orhestra/ musicians as possible


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## Andy Loochazee (Aug 2, 2007)

johan said:


> hiya
> 
> i've been meaning to take the plunge into the world of classical music for a while now but I am ignorant to the art form if truth be told! i was wondering if anyone could give me a couple of suggestions at a good starting base?
> 
> thanks very much.


You haven't told us your age, which is a pity because if you happen to be a female of some 2.5 years old I have had great success in educating my niece in the beginnings of classical music.

Her parents told me she is very interested in Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Tchaikovsky. To test this I constructed an 80 minute CD with various popular tracks by each composer that I guessed she would like. I promise you she knows which is which. I have even seen her flicking the remote control on the CD player to change from say Mozart to Tchaikovsky, who is her favourite currently. She hasn't yet got round to forming any opinions on composers she doesn't like, but maybe when she's 3 this could happen. She might even come onto T-C and tell us all about it.

On the assumption that you are rather older than 2.5, I would suggest that a good way of getting into classical music is to listen to a classical music radio station and maybe look at their website to see if they have a list of listeners' favourites, based on a poll. Several of them do have such lists and they are generally pretty good.


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## Serge (Mar 25, 2010)

Andy Loochazee said:


> I have even seen her flicking the remote control on the CD player to change from say Mozart to Tchaikovsky, who is her favourite currently.


She is a smart cookie, ain't she? Excellent choice!

Radio as a source of new music is fine when on the go. I use my cell phone to identify the currently playing pieces by checking the station's web site when I don't want to risk missing the announcement. What lacking though is the capability to repeat, and, more importantly, to skip forward.


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## johnnyx (Jan 3, 2007)

Try an online music site like last.fm. Click on "radio" and type in an artist. It will play you pieces by the artist, but also pieces by related artists. A great and free way to get into classical music and also a great way to discover new artists. You can skip through tracks you don't like and then once you find an artist you do like type in their name and discover even more music!


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

Before you start to purchase CDs ,you could check your local library. Many have extrensive collections of classical CDs, and you could also check if your local library has an interloan system with other libraries in the US county where you live. 
If your local library doesn't have something,you can get it from another near you in many cases. And you can always ask a librarian about classical CD aquire any CD for your library's collection. 
If you download a classical CD, you don't get the liner notes,which can provide you with valuable information about the music and composers.
At my local library in New Rochelle,New York, the local library is connected on the internet with all the other libraries in WEstchester county, and you can use the library's search engine online 
to check for anything in a WEstchester library and reserve it , and it will be brought ot your local library for you to pick up. Very convenient, and I've been taking advantage of this to hear a lot of great classical CDs and even DVDs.
When you hear a classical piece for the first time, never hesitate to give it repeated hearings if you don't seem to connect with the piece on first hearing. Some of the most popular classical works are immediately appealing, and that's one reason why they're popular, but masny terrific works require more than one hearing before you might begon to grasp them.
That's the nature of classical music. It often takes more effort to enjoy than pop music, but if you take the time and effort to get to understand something,you have no idea how rewarding it can be.
This has happened to me so many times. There are lots of classical works I couldn't understand at first. But once I got accustomed to them ,I came to love them.
There are also good books on classical music ,such as Fred Plotkin's Classical Music 101, and David Dubal's The Essential Canon of Classical Music, which will give you a lot of information and insight and are clear and never condescending to readers. They're easily available at amazon.com and other websites.


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## bassClef (Oct 29, 2006)

If you can, go to a concert rather than listen to CDs - they make a more lasting impression. Choose a balanced programme - some orchestral, some vocal, some power, some tenderness. Mahler's 2nd has all those!


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## Toccata (Jun 13, 2009)

I think that the guy who asked this question hasn't been seen since 8 February 2010, and yet advice to him is still coming in. One thinks of horses, bolts, stable doors.

It rather reminds me that soooooo many people come to this Forum, ask an interesting question, some show great initial enthusiasm, some say they can't to get really stuck in and learn more, but then the vast majority of them don't last long and disappear altogether after a week or so. Other similar Forums may not attract such large numbers of newcomers but they appear to have a more stable structure of regular contributors. I wonder why that is. 

This Forum also attracts a large number of complete goons. As I write, there's one on the loose right now rubbishing Bach, and writing all manner of other nonsense all over the place, and all this right under the nose of one of the Mods who is on duty at present.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Hello all,

I just registered to this forum. I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and explain how I've been starting to get into classical music.

I've been listening to several kinds of music for a long time, but not classical music. About a month ago I somehow realized that this field of art is almost completely unknown to me, and it would be interesting to try and find out if I can learn to understand and like it.

I started using Spotify, which is great because their music collection is quite large. I find it easier just to click on a new record than carry dozens of CD's from the library to my home. To complement it, I started reading a lot of Wikipedia articles about classical music, composers, genres and musical terms. I've found it really helpful. On top of it, I've tried to lurk around on classical music forums such as this one. This forum seems to have the best attitude, people are talking about what they like in a civilized manner, not just bashing what they dislike or being silly or rude.

When it comes to technology, I'm quite conservative and often critical of it, but in this case I'll have to say that the Internet has really helped me get started in this new hobby. The breadth and repertoire of classical music is overwhelmingly large, but the 'net has really helped me sort out the mess.

I'm looking forward to participating in the discussions despite my ignorance!


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

Opal said:


> It rather reminds me that soooooo many people come to this Forum, ask an interesting question, some show great initial enthusiasm, some say they can't to get really stuck in and learn more, but then the vast majority of them don't last long and disappear altogether after a week or so.


That's very true and I often wonder about that also. Having said that, if a new member says that he's/she's just getting into classical music and that he/she loves The Four Seasons (which is of course a perfectly good piece of music) and the reply is "I'm think I'm gonna puke" that member probably doesn't feel very welcome. Said member might even feel that classical music is out of his or her league and that it's not for him/her after all.


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

Xaltotun said:


> I'm looking forward to participating in the discussions despite my ignorance!


Welcome. :tiphat:


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Thank you, jhar26!

I'll add one more thing that has helped me: the "top 10 lists" on this and other forums. It's quite easy to browse those and see which works appear regularly. Although I have a feeling that some of those works might be more suitable to a seasoned listener than to an initiate. I mean, if you knew nothing of cinema or literature, you probably shouldn't start with stuff like Alain Resnais or James Joyce.


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

Xaltotun said:


> Thank you, jhar26!
> 
> I'll add one more thing that has helped me: the "top 10 lists" on this and other forums. It's quite easy to browse those and see which works appear regularly. Although I have a feeling that some of those works might be more suitable to a seasoned listener than to an initiate. I mean, if you knew nothing of cinema or literature, you probably shouldn't start with stuff like Alain Resnais or James Joyce.


No, probably not, although these things probably work differently for every person. But there's nothing wrong with working your way into classical music by way of the most accessible pieces. Many of them are fab anyway.


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## Toccata (Jun 13, 2009)

jhar26 said:


> Opal said:
> 
> 
> > it rather reminds me that soooooo many people come to this forum, ask an interesting question, some show great initial enthusiasm, some say they can't to get really stuck in and learn more, but then the vast majority of them don't last long and disappear altogether after a week or so.
> ...


In case of any doubt, it wasn't me who made that remark.

If I may venture an opinion on the wider issue, part of the problem may be that this Forum attracts a lot of newbies to classical music, but at the same time there are also quite a few longer-standing and seasoned individuals. It's rather like shoving all the pupils in a school into the same grade/class, and it's clearly not an ideal situation but one which can't be avoided given the nature of Forums.

I am (or have been) a member of practically all the other classical music forums, including several that no longer exist. I would say that this Forum exhibits by far the greatest diversity of knowledge/experience among members that I can recall.

Many newbies of course only come here to ask a question about identifying music and then they're gone. However, many of the others who show a wider interest soon find out that there is far more to this place than merely focusing on or two famous pieces they happen to have heard and enjoyed. Many of the discussions get quite involved, and sometimes the tone can turn a bit sharpish which some are not used to. Some may stick around and gradually become much more knowledgeable, but I would guess that a large proportion of newbies get bored with these wider discussions. At the opposite end of the spectrum, it's possible that some of the more experienced members may get fed up and frustrated with the ongoing large inflow of repetitive discussions typically posed by the newbies. I know I do sometimes.

It's a situation that almost inevitably gives rise to a large throughput of members. In a sense, T-C is a victim of its own success at the No 1 classical music forum in terms of Google listing. I would therefore say that the kind of adverse response you referred to is not the main reason, nor anything like the main reason, why there is such a large turnover of newcomers here. I would just add that I personally don't bother welcoming new members because of the experience I have referred to that the majority don't last more than five minutes, so why bother.


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

*Off-topic, but worth a response...*



Opal said:


> there's [a complete goon] on the loose right now rubbishing Bach, and writing all manner of other nonsense all over the place, and all this right under the nose of one of the Mods who is on duty at present.


Actually, it's been a little while since we've encountered a slime-troll, but we took care of it.

Moderators have access to other forum panels, and when working in those panels, they don't see every post that goes up, as it goes up.

In the past, we've encouraged the use of the red-triangle »report post« function when encountering objectionable posts. [In truth, we still do.] When that's done, what happens is that a copy of the report goes to an e-mail account of the recipient's choosing. Mine happens to go to one of my home e-mail accounts. However, when I'm not on-line under that particular screen-name, I won't be immediately aware that a report has been filed.

When a user sees objectionable posts and notes that a Moderator is on-the-scene, that user also has the option of sending a Private Message to the Moderator-on-hand. When doing this, there will be a better chance of immediate redress than any other course of action.


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## Toccata (Jun 13, 2009)

Chi_townPhilly said:


> Actually, it's been a little while since we've encountered a slime-troll, but we took care of it.


Good piece of work there, well done.


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## Listener (Sep 20, 2010)

There really is no best way. Classical music is so vast, there's any number of ways you could go about it.

Vivaldi is my favorite composer, and I could easily recommend him, though some here obviously have other ideas.

The public library should have a good selection. Listen to several composers, some you might like, some you probably won't.

Youtube has a huge amount of music.

Classical.net is a very good site.


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## djmomo17 (Aug 12, 2010)

Personally I found those "100 greatest Classical works" Cd sets to be very helpful. Also magazines like ClassicFM (I think) feature articles with accompanying CDs, like "The 50 Greatest Composers". As a non-classical music fan for almost my entire life, with virtually no real-life (as in non-web) friends who are into CM, it took a huge leap of faith to give classical a fair try. Now of course I feel like a complete classical snob!

Lists like these were pretty helpful too:

http://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best-classic-symp.html

http://classicalcdguide.com/main/top20.htm


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## Serge (Mar 25, 2010)

Natural progression. Listen to the music that you currently enjoy and wait till your everchanging preferences lead you to the classical. And if it takes you 10, 20 or 30 years so be it. People live rather long these days.


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