# Listening to a new piece



## SacredBolero (May 20, 2019)

I regard myself to be a classical music enthusiast, but I am no veteran. I am sometimes left baffled when people start to compare 20 different renditions of a symphony written by a composer I’ve never even heard of.
For that exact reason, and also because I’m currently on school holiday, I’ve decided to expand my listening and listen to new pieces I’ve never listened to before. Unfortunately, I’m almost... “intimidated”. There’s this bit of aura of “not willing to go to hitherto unseen alleys” constraining me from trying out new pieces. I instead end up listening to the same pieces over and over again.
I was hoping that someone might have some tips that could help me overcome this irksome situation!


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

The whole idea of "Classical Music" can be intimidating for several reasons. As a elder listener, I recall that, looking back, I have had an entire lifetime to absorb new music, and that nobody was holding a gun to my head to become totally conversant with classical music; it just came along (to the extent that it has) over the years. So I would say, first, not to worry about what you might be missing right now or what others expect of you. I would also suggest that if there is a particular composer you like, or a form, or a nationality, that you expand your familiarity with those, always extending outward. I happen to love concertos, especially piano concertos, and so for years have tried out the piano concertos of anyone who has written them. This is one way to comfortably expand your base, as you may then try other pieces by that new composer. But, again, there is no pressure, and don't feel that there is pressure, or should be. Good Luck!


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

Besides the outward expansion that Strange Magic talks about, I also read people's comments on this forum. If what they say about a piece and why they like it intrigues me, I'll put it on my list of works to check out.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

At the beginning it has to do with listening similar pieces to those you are familar with, or works of contemporary composers to those you know something of their style, and once in a while it's not bad to try radical pieces, it might stimulate your curiosity.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

And it's good to compare recordings, but I find pointless to have or listen to, e.g. 100+ recordings of the same work. In most of cases the differences are not relevant, and nowadays there are excellent orchestras and conductors out there to select a bunch of them, for example, I have 3 sets of the Vaughan Williams symphonies and I'm satisfied with them and I don't have any need to have others, even more when there are many other works to discover, hence exploring new works is likely the main feature I enjoy in classical music, though it's also very important to revisit works I am familiar with. All that is just my opinion, of course.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Strange Magic's suggestion that way will lead to way is a great approach to listening to classical music. There is so much out there one cannot possibly hear it all. (Though I do try!) Follow your ears. As mentioned, if you find the music of a certain composer appeals to you, explore more from the same artist. Read a bit about the composer. Find out his or her influences and/or teachers and try their music, or the music or those they've influenced or taught. If the title of a work sounds provocative (_The Afternoon of a Faun_, The _Inextinguishable_ Symphony, the _Symphonie Fantastique_, or _Eight Songs for a Mad King_), give it a listen. You may find yourself an instant fan of Claude Debussy, Carl Nielsen, Hector Berlioz, and/or Peter Maxwell Davies! Take chances every once in a while: don't recognize the composer, give him a try anyhow. You never know who it might be and what he has to offer you. And don't ignore the "biggies" in your exploration. Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Bruckner, Stravinsky, Schoenberg … they have earned their reputations justly.

Happy listening.


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

Although I understand that physical media is not everyone's bag, I found buying a box set a good way to "dive in" as it were. I slowly but surely explored the 80 or so discs I had, which represented a good chunk of the 19th century repertoire. Armed with that experience, I started to buy sets that filled the gaps.

My suggestions to search on Amazon (or wherever) are:

Karajan 1960's
Solti Chicago The Complete Recordings
Leonard Bernstein Remastered

or for a bit less money 
Karajan Symphony Edition

Any of these box sets (and there are plenty more) will give you a good beginner's library. Then you can explore at your leisure, without any pressure or intimidation factor. You'll find tons of new stuff you like, and avenues to explore thereafter.


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## rice (Mar 23, 2017)

Oh I understand that feeling
Especially on TC, where everyone seems to be talking about obscure/less popular composers or works, in great depth.

But then I'm one of those people who collect multiple versions of the same work. Even for the same artist, each performance is unique. Most artist would try something new in each performance and it's fun to listen to these difference and discover your favourite.

I used to be a bit reluctant to expand my listening repertoire, simply because the shear number of unknown composers and compositions I didn't know where to start. I think you can start by putting in names in youtube and play the music as background. You may immediately like it, or play them many times some will sink in.
I've discovered Shostakovich (now one of my favourites) this way and I'm trying to get Bruckner. Although they're quite major but there's no rush to know them all, right?

Also, I think if you have a favourite soloist/conductor/orchestra/ensemble, just listen to anything they play and let them introduce new music to you!


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

SacredBolero said:


> I regard myself to be a classical music enthusiast, but I am no veteran. I am sometimes left baffled when people start to compare 20 different renditions of a symphony written by a composer I've never even heard of.
> For that exact reason, and also because I'm currently on school holiday, I've decided to expand my listening and listen to new pieces I've never listened to before. Unfortunately, I'm almost... "intimidated". There's this bit of aura of "not willing to go to hitherto unseen alleys" constraining me from trying out new pieces. I instead end up listening to the same pieces over and over again.
> I was hoping that someone might have some tips that could help me overcome this irksome situation!


It depends on what new is and how much you "know" already. There may be some obvious steps like listening to another symphony by a composer who you already like and in that case just play it a few times.

Or it may be that you want to explore composers who are new to you but even then you probably know what periods you like and it is probably not that difficult to work out which are the composers who have a strong _*mainstream *_reputations. Go for them first. Again, try something out and having it on a few times.

Or you may want to branch out into a new period. Again it won't be that hard to identify the major works and to try a few of them.

In all cases first hearings can be only in the background. Concentration can come later. If you don't like something or some composer or some period then just put it aside for now. You will probably find yourself listening afresh after some time and maybe liking it. Or you could try a different performance.

I do strongly believe in focusing on the better known and more mainstream music of whatever era you enjoy rather than going for the more obscure first. Those works have a more reliable pedigree. Don't become one of those who want to hear the obscure first and want a reputation as a champion of the "unjustly neglected"! There are plenty of time for those when you know enough of the mainstream to evaluate the less well known pieces properly.

As for performances, you do need to get a good one but there is no need to try to identify "the best". There is probably no such thing and, really, all the differences between different performances can wait until you know more music. I think many relative newcomers tend not to like performances of their favourite works that are very different to the one they fell in love with. That is normal and changes once you know your way around classical music quite well.


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

Hear, hear, Enthusiast!

The canon is the canon for a reason - it has consistently entertained and moved a large, discerning audience for over 200 years.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

The canon is a great way to start the journey into classical music, and will keep you occupied for a few years at least. Just do not expect that you will like it all (let alone love it), and realize that you are not obliged to.

At a certain moment it's good to start checking outside the canon, because there's a world of gems there as well. Which ones are gems will again be a personal matter.


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## SacredBolero (May 20, 2019)

Thank you so much for the post, Enthusiast, which truly answers the essence of my question, which I'm aware might have been slightly too vague. In particular this bit has helped clear my mind significantly:


> In all cases first hearings can be only in the background. Concentration can come later. If you don't like something or some composer or some period then just put it aside for now. You will probably find yourself listening afresh after some time and maybe liking it. Or you could try a different performance.


Once again my gratitude cannot be expressed most fully in words.
P.S. can anyone help with how to get that "originally posted by ..." bit?


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## Open Book (Aug 14, 2018)

SacredBolero said:


> I regard myself to be a classical music enthusiast, but I am no veteran. I am sometimes left baffled when people start to compare 20 different renditions of a symphony written by a composer I've never even heard of.
> For that exact reason, and also because I'm currently on school holiday, I've decided to expand my listening and listen to new pieces I've never listened to before. Unfortunately, I'm almost... "intimidated". There's this bit of aura of "not willing to go to hitherto unseen alleys" constraining me from trying out new pieces. I instead end up listening to the same pieces over and over again.
> I was hoping that someone might have some tips that could help me overcome this irksome situation!


Some people have an enormous capacity for remembering what they hear. These people can build up catalogs in their minds of multiple renditions of many works and discuss and compare them.

I am not one of these people and I envy them. They are useful and often helpful when it comes to recommendations when I am seeking recordings. I listen a lot and don't retain as much as some people, but maybe more than others. Everyone's different. It takes me a while to learn something new, it takes repetition. I don't remember every detail of every version I hear, nor can I always distinguish these versions easily when I rehear them. For these reasons I get a bit lazy and stick with the music and performances I already know, which can be a rut.

I think some of us have to accept that we are not these encyclopedic minds and never will be. I envy others that they are experiencing and retaining more than me, but in the end I have to accept myself as I am. It's all about enjoying what you hear.

The best introduction to new music is with a good radio station if you are within range of one. Youtube is great for seeking out something specific but it's too easy to give up on things and flit like a butterfly that never lights on anything for long.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

SacredBolero said:


> P.S. can anyone help with how to get that "originally posted by ..." bit?


Click "reply with quote" under the post you want to quote. It will automatically paste the whole post into the reply box; you can then trim/edit it yourself and add to the reply outside the [/ Quote]


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

It can be a great help to read up on the lives of the great composers and the works they are most known for, at least as a starting point. To do so can stimulate one's curiosity and a natural interest in hearing their most famous works. One of the great pleasures in life for music lovers is to read a biography while listening to that composer's music. There are many anthologies available, but this one is a personal favorite: https://www.amazon.com/Lives-Great-Composers-Harold-Schonberg/dp/0393038572. It's also possible that your community library might have it or others to choose from. Such biographies stimulate the imagination and can lay the groundwork for understanding the music's fascinating developments and history.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

_I was hoping that someone might have some tips that could help me overcome this irksome situation! _

Yes -- stay with it, stay curious, and try to keep an open mind. If you are young enough to be on "school holiday" I assume you are either in secondary school or college. In either case you are young enough to have an open mind about the universe of classical music in front of you, even if you only "end up listening to the same pieces over and over again."

You will naturally stop that practice as you mature and as your musical taste matures. When I was a young collector in my 20s I could listen to Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Tchaikovsky and some others all day long. Their music almost universally registered with me. However, I was years away from hearing and understanding more complex composers like Mahler, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Berg, and even Sibelius.

It wasn't until I was in my 50s that I began to understand a lot of what those composers had to say. It's just been in the last year or two that I have become comfortable enough with some of the Sibelius symphonies (Nos. 3, 4, 6 and 7) that I could enjoy them anytime. I am 68 years of age.

The reasons this happened I think, are because I needed all that time to:

1. Become somewhat bored with the music I'd been listening to the first 20 years as a collector.
2. Become more mature and sophisticated about music I could like and understand.
3. Become more interested in composers that weren't necessarily on the Mt. Olympus of composers.

It takes time, effort and usually money to learn new music, especially music that doesn't necessarily strike you the first time you hear it. Everybody "gets" Beethoven's 5th symphony the first time they hear it but almost nobody gets the Shostakovich 8th symphony the first time.

I'd say don't worry if you can only listen to selected music now because that will change later. Eventually, if you continue listening to classical music, you will change and become attracted to different kinds of music.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

SacredBolero said:


> I was hoping that someone might have some tips that could help me overcome this irksome situation!


No need to be intimidated....music is for the enjoyment of the listener....if possible, make yourself comfortable, no distractions, and put on the music you want to hear....clear your mind, no pre-suppositions....it is like listening to a story - the composer conductor/performers are going to take you on a sonic/musical journey...just let it wash over you, and follow it thru....it's great music for a reason - let it go to work on you...
as you become more familiar with things like form, melody, harmony, listening will become easier for you...
don't feel you have to listen to an entire opera, or Mahler symphony at one sitting...take in what you can comfortably...one or two movements, an act, or a few scenes, etc...


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