# New Member & Late Blooming Classical Lover



## lou (Sep 7, 2011)

Greetings all, I am unfortunately late in coming to my appreciation of classical music, but am trying to make up for lost time by immersing myself in the music. Actually, I have occasionally listened to a limited palette of classical over the years; mostly Beethoven, Mozart and Bach, but never venturing much further and certainly not into contemporary composers. I look forward to learning much here and hopefully discovering many new delights along the way.


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

You're never too late, señor! Glad you finally made a conscious decision to delve into this region and you are sure to find what you're looking for in this site...I gave classical an entire lifetime of listening and still have managed to learn many things from being on this fine forum...welcome.


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

I was rather late myself. There is much to learn here so enjoy!


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## samurai (Apr 22, 2011)

@ Lou, From another fairly recent newcomer to the many wonders of classical music, I wish to join with my fellow member kv466 in bidding you a warm welcome to this quite interesting and knowledgeable forum. In my short time here, I have connected with some very helpful and friendly people, who have been more than willing to share with me their knowledge of and "take" on certain aspects of this genre which I still find baffling at times. I am sure you will find the same once you start posting; I look forward to your input.


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## lou (Sep 7, 2011)

Thanks very much! I was actually referred here by a member of another forum I frequent. The name of the site is www.progressiveears.com and they focus on progressive rock music, although you'll find many discussions on jazz and classical there as well. It's always enjoyable sharing with others who are passionate about music.

I also have several books on the way via Amazon & eBay; "*The Rest Is Noise*", "*The Vintage Guide To Classical Music*", "*Music In The Western World: A History In Documents*" and "*The Oxford Dictionary Of Music*". Those were all recommended to me and I'm looking forward to spending time with them.


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## samurai (Apr 22, 2011)

Lou, is that the book by Jan Swafford? What do you think of it? I've been debating whether to but it or not, as I already have the *NPR Listener's Encyclopedia of Classical Music*. IMO, it's ok, but I've heard a lot of good things about the book you have, especially in the realm of its being a good source for beginning listeners such as myself. Do you agree?


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## lou (Sep 7, 2011)

Samurai,

It is the book by Jan Swafford, but I can't give you an opinion, as I haven't received the book yet. I purchased a used copy on Amazon for around $5 yesterday. Should be here by the end of the week. I'll post a review after I have a chance to read it.


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## Philip (Mar 22, 2011)

if you've heard Bach, isn't that all you need??


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Welcome, Lou!

I really liked *The Rest is Noise*. Alex Ross manages to fit in at least a sentence about anybody who was anybody in the 20th Century, so you'll get through it with a good working knowledge of that era.


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## lou (Sep 7, 2011)

Manxfeeder said:


> Welcome, Lou!
> 
> I really liked *The Rest is Noise*. Alex Ross manages to fit in at least a sentence about anybody who was anybody in the 20th Century, so you'll get through it with a good working knowledge of that era.


Thanks Manxfeeder, I nabbed a copy on eBay for .99, so I'm feeling like I scored on that.

Philip, I don't think Bach alone can fulfill me. It's hard enough to be monogamous in one's love life, let's not constrain ourselves in our listening lives.


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## Philip (Mar 22, 2011)

lou said:


> Philip, I don't think Bach alone can fulfill me. It's hard enough to be monogamous in one's love life, let's not constrain ourselves in our listening lives.


alright alright, organ composers only then..


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Welcome to the forum, Lou. If you have trouble with any particular piece, in any era, feel free to ask. Myself and others here can be rather good at "deciphering" music so to speak. I'm sure you'll get much out of the forum.


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## Artemis (Dec 8, 2007)

lou said:


> I look forward to learning much here and hopefully discovering many new delights along the way.


You may find THESE LISTS of some use. I'm not wildly keen on rank lists but these are about as good as you are likely find anywhere. They should save you endless time if you want to home in quickly on the best composers and their best works.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Greetings Lou,

It's always good to have a couple of good reference books on hand to comb on a daily basis. I usually get inspired while reading about a certain composer, then head off to the library for some recordings.

I started out in my early 20s (I'm now 49) listening to the Romantics, then got into Frank Zappa which led me to Stravinsky, Bartok, and Varese. Since then I've explored more 20th century composers such as Lutoslawski, William Schuman, Takemitsu, Ives, and the Second Viennese School. Happy listening!


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

Thanks for the progressiveears link, Lou. I used to be well immersed into the music of Yes and early Genesis. I didn't know this site existed. It's been a little too long for me to get into it now, but someday when I'm feeling nostalgic I may do some roaming through threads over there.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I frequent Progressive Ears Forum myself, but not for nostalgia. I was actually tired of Yes and Genesis, and I went to PE looking for other stuff to listen to. I was not disappointed. There are hundreds of modern music junkies over there that can turn you on to tons of great stuff! Many of the members there are very talented musicians who write and record great music, and as Lou mentioned there is a significant interest in classical and jazz music as well.


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## lou (Sep 7, 2011)

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome! 

Looking forward to spending many hours learning and discussing here.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

lou said:


> Philip, I don't think Bach alone can fulfill me. It's hard enough to be monogamous in one's love life, let's not constrain ourselves in our listening lives.


Try Wagner. You'll forget about the struggle to remain monogamous because 5-second orgasms can't compete with 4-hour orgasms.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Welcome to the forum, lou! (if that's you on your avatar, you look like a very cool cat indeed!).



lou said:


> ...Actually, I have occasionally listened to a limited palette of classical over the years; mostly Beethoven, Mozart and Bach...


These composers, and other "classic" ones, offer a good grounding/basis for further explorations. I think basically that the greatest innovators and visionaries were the composers around Beethoven's time & before. You will learn a lot (& of course, enjoy) from listening to their music. I've been getting into music of that era and before more and more myself in recent times & it's been great.



> ...but never venturing much further and certainly not into contemporary composers. I look forward to learning much here and hopefully discovering many new delights along the way.


There are a number of members here who like and appreciate contemporary classical music, so you're in a good place. Unfortunately, though, some people take things like John Cage's ideas of "illegal harmonies" as if it was a literal thing, eg. almost that they should be outlawed, and that if you enjoy this type of music, there is something wrong with you. Just take no notice of these people, is my advice...


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

lou said:


> Greetings all, I am unfortunately late in coming to my appreciation of classical music, but am trying to make up for lost time by immersing myself in the music. Actually, I have occasionally listened to a limited palette of classical over the years; mostly Beethoven, Mozart and Bach, but never venturing much further and certainly not into contemporary composers. I look forward to learning much here and hopefully discovering many new delights along the way.


Well, you've made an excellent start. Things don't go wrong with those three and chances are you will almost certainly enjoy many other works of the Baroque, Classical and early Romantic, and decent chance of appreciating many contemporary works.


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