# Guide to enjoy classical music - feedback needed!



## nick123 (Nov 1, 2009)

Dear All,

I am new to this blog, however not new to classical music (although I am not a pro, I dont even play an instrument, it's embarassing). I love classical music, and I always found it a pity that only few people have found access to classical music and the great joy it can bring to our lives.

That's why I have recently written an article on how to enable "newbies" an easy access to it. I posted it on my blog and would very much appreciate your comments and ideas on how to make it even easier for beginners to get to know classical music.

The link to the post is http://www.spreadinghappiness.org/2...oy-classical-music-23-enabling-an-easy-entry/

Would be great to hear from you!

Thank you,

Nick


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## Cortision (Aug 4, 2009)

You have made a great contribution to an interesting subject. Everyone develops an interest in music in different ways, but your overall approach of getting your feet wet first rather than jumping in headfirst is probably a good one for most people.

There seems to be almost a sub-genre of classical music CD's devoted to short, easily approachable pieces. Usually they are called 'Golden classics' or 'the world's best ever classical music' or somethong like that. One of these CD's is probably a good place to start, (although for more experienced listeners they are a waste of space).

Another thing to think about is that there are some kinds of classical music that are daunting even for dedicated listeners. Some people may love symphonies, for example, but dislike opera - it is a lot more about plot (which can sometimes be bizarrely far-fetched), and the pronounced vibrato is hard on the ear at first. I myself love some of Puccini's arias, enjoy oratorios, and some of Bizet's opera music, but much of opera still sends me running from the room. This may yet change! 20th Century music is another area that scares many people off - probably not a good starting point for a new listener (except perhaps if they are a metal fan). Even Baroque music presents barriers to listeners whose preference is for more overtly emotional Romantic music. Listening to Classical music, I suppose, is a never-ending journey of exploration.

By the way, you shouldn't be embarrased that you don't play an instrument. What would musicians do without an audience? Probably play music to one another in between foraging for food left in rubbish bins. And besides, its _never_ too late to start. I have only just recently started playing the piano at the age of 23, and I am loving it. I don't know what your age is, but my piano teacher has taught students in their eighties. So unless you are over 90, there is good precedent for beginning to learn an instrument.


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## pavel0622 (Oct 26, 2009)

nik123,you do a good job.thank you very much.And,Cortision,you give us a great opinion.

"Listening to Classical music, I suppose, is a never-ending journey of exploration.
",I love this sentence and the last paragraph of your advise.Yes ,It's never too late to learn.I like music very much and also like imaging I play piano very good some days.Be honest,I don't kown how to play any more.heh,but i can't help myself to imagining.


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## Agatha (Nov 3, 2009)

I am new here, so may not be appropriate for me to give advices, yet ... What made me listen to some pieces is an intrigue or story behind them. For example, violin concerto by Tchaikovsky. Here is an excerpt from a review by his contemporary:
_
The Russian composer Tchaikovsky is surely no ordinary talent, but rather, an inflated one, obsessed with posturing as a man of genius, and lacking all discrimination and taste ... the same can be said for his new, long, and ambitious Violin Concerto. For a while it proceeds soberly, musically, and not mindlessly, but soon vulgarity gains the upper hand and dominates until the end of the first movement. The violin is no longer played: it is tugged about, torn, beaten black and blue ... The Adagio is well on the way to reconciling us and winning us over when, all too soon, it breaks off to make way for a finale that transports us to the brutal and wretched jollity of a Russian church festival. We see a host of gross and savage faces, hear crude curses, and smell the booze. In the course of a discussion of obscener illustrations, Friedrich Vischer once maintained that there were pictures whose stink one could see. Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto confronts us for the first time with the hideous idea that there may be musical compositions whose stink one can hear._

It made me thinking how is it possible? I love this concerto, keep listening to it over and over again.

As any music lover, as Nick you are, I am trying to get my friends listen to what i love. What works the best is intriguing them with something like this excerpt. If you will be told that first performance of Rite of Spring by Stravinsky caused riot, police was called to calm people down, almost without any success. Would you want to listen what did he write there to cause so much trouble? I listened to it, need to listen at least 5-7 times more to understand ... My hubby was intrigued and listened to it too.


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