What to wear for classical music event - Page 2

Wait a minute. You're going around humming "Ode to Joy" and I'm elitist?

And I don't want to be responsible for a gigantic hijack, but no, classical music -- even using the incorrect yet common definition of anything from before WWI -- is not meant to be hummable. Some bits of it might be catchy, especially pieces from operas. But there is a huge amount of stuff going on in one of Beethoven's symphonies or a Mozart concerto. That some of the themes might be hummable is almost beside the point. Good luck humming the expositions or modulating bridges. The point is that if you have a little bit of understanding as to what Mozart and Beethoven were doing it makes listening to classical music much more interesting and enjoyable.

Certainly, lots of people are familiar with bits and pieces of classical music. But just because you can hum "Here Comes the Bride" doesn't mean you are a fan of Wagner. I can, and I hate Wagner.

While I enjoyed breaking down pieces when I was taking theory in college, the visceral experience is what makes it interesting and fun. There is very little difference in the adrenaline thrill I get during Berlioz's requiem and a "rock" concert. Same emotional experience different form.

If you're missing that, then something's wrong. And that experience requires no understanding of sonata form or even, really, pitch.

Also, Wagner is great.

Well there you go. That's really all it takes. If there's something you particularly like, certain composer, form, etc, just pick up some more.

Most composers evolve as they got older so listening to their progression can be interesting and exciting. Especially the ones that bridge periods.

Modulating...what? Had to look that one up on Wikipedia. Still didn't really understand what it was about, seemed extremely technical and heavy music theory.

I did music appreciation when I was in school, Still remember some of the pieces we listened to. A Midsummer Night's Dream by Mendelssohn was one of them. Planets Suite by Holst was another. That's what got me into classical in the first place. But I don't know anything about music theory though. I just enjoy listening to it, and I know what I like.

Now I love Wagner. But I wouldn't sit down and listen to the whole Der Ring des Nibelungen.

I attend close to 50 classical concerts per year. Except for the Opera in San Francisco on weekends, where one can actually see many SF- approved suits/jackets, you'll be fine.

I remember when this thread was about clothing.

It might be useful to know something about what you're listening to at the concert, especially those modulating bridges.

^ the ability to discern passing and neighboring tones from chord structure is also a must. Also, if you aren't familiar with the fingered bass of the music you're listening to, you shouldn't be listening. Basically, I recommend doing a full harmonic analysis of the music before you see the concert, both to better appreciate the music, and to make sure that the work ends in the tonic in root position (if it doesn't, you will be begging for resolution at the end of the concert - a terrible feeling!). Perhaps the best thing for you to do is to get a BA in music from a conservatory first, and then go see the concert.

Continuing Education courses from a good music school, if that's available to you.

If not, and if you're serious about Understanding music, buy the Just the Facts books and a few music dictionaries, and start at the beginning.

Also, just start listening to lots of music! Bach's Well Tempered Clavier, Beethoven's symphonies and sonatas, operas by Mozart and Puccini... There is a lot of great music out there, and you can't develop your taste and appreciation of classical music unless you start listening.

Performing music is another huge step in music appreciation. For instance, I never really appreciated the difficulty of Beethoven's sonatas until I started studying them. Of course, I doubt you are so serious about wanting to appreciate music that you would throw away your sanity and financial security, so you should probably just forget about trying to learn that cool Paganini caprice you heard on the radio - stick to listening.

Proper attire for classical performances are rare these days, you barely see them even in suits. So your choice of attire would be fine in Santa Barbara.

Yes! Exactly! This is what I'm talking about!

Or not.

Yes, it is. Your sarcasm notwithstanding.

This doesn't take all the much effort and it's not that intellectually challenging. People forget that classical music was the pop music of its day. Your great-great-great-great grandparents were perfectly conversant with the forms and had no trouble following along. Are you stupider than they were?

Baroque and classical music (usually) make use of certain forms. If you have even a slight understanding of them -- and we are talking about five or ten minutes of effort here -- you will get much more out of a classical concert. The composer wasn't just trying to write something that sounded nice, he was engaged in an intellectual exercise something akin to poetry in that there were certain "rules" and structures that had to be respected even while bending them. If you understand what the composer was trying to do, you can follow along as he does it and the entire experience becomes much more satisfying and enjoyable. Let me put it this way; If you like classical music because it sounds nice but you think that a sonata is some sort of car, you are in for a real treat.

BTW, the modulating bridge is the bit where the composer changes keys between themes.

The point is, it is still on topic because the whole thing is in fact about cultural development. The degradation of a broader cultural comprehension of complexer concepts as in classical music and classic clothing has a common cause.

Our interpretation of culture today means to go for the lowest common denominator where even the most simple of people are able to get to with a modicum of effort because only the widespread impact means business. What's useless for business is useless for society. Bye bye Beethoven, bye bye Savile Row, say hello to Britney Spears and Abercrombie & Fitch, it's a brave new world.

Fine, hardly a formal occasion - being daytime many will probably wear jeans. Ignore views that some how because classical music is involved it will make one iota of difference to attire.

Quite possibly, but many, including myself, wish they wouldn't! True, no doubt - but what a pity!

 

 

I started playing violin last year and am still somewhat new to classical music, but here are a few recommendations from one beginner to another.

 

I suggest starting with music from the Baroque period and moving towards the present from there - some fans of classical music consider the pieces from this era to be slightly repetitive, but I think they bridge the gap between today's music and more complex classical music (repetitive=catchy!).  Vivaldi's four seasons is a very well known violin concerto (you'll know it when you hear it, even if you don't recognize the name), and (Johann Sebastian) Bach has a nearly endless catalog featuring a variety of instruments.  If you like solo piano I recommend Bach's Goldberg Variations by Gould, or if you like violin then I would suggest his three concertos (the new album by Anne Akiko Meyers is excellent and contains all of them).  The Brandenburg Concertos are also great, and if you really enjoy violin you could get a copy of his solo sonatas and partitas (the one I own is Arthur Grumiaux's version, it's a good price and pretty good quality).  Handel is another Baroque composer who wrote some well-known compositions (Water Music, Messiah).

 

Once you find a few recordings you like from this period, you can move on to the Classical era...Beethoven and Mozart are the big ones, but there are many others of course (Haydn and Schubert come to mind).  Following that came the Romantic period...I suggest Brahms as a first choice, his music is very cinematic and easy to enjoy, but there are so many other composers that it's hard to just pick a couple (Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Camille Saint-Saens, Dvorak, Mendelssohn).  I feel I should give special mention to Gustav Mahler - his symphonies seem to be experiencing a surge in popularity right now, so if you want to be one of the cool kids be sure to pick up a collection of these.