September is Classical Music Appreciation Month. In this post you will find a brief history of classical music and some fall music recommendations. We also included some tips to help you get into listening to Classcial Music.
What is Classical Music?
Classical Music often refers to music of the Western world but it can include music from the eastern world. What sets classical music apart from modern music is the complex musical style and harmonic placements. It stemmed from the patronage of churches and royalty in Europe and dates back to the early Empires. As time went on, music teaching was associated with churches. Classical music is broken down into seven periods.
Periods of Classical Music
Classical music is broken up into periods
Medieval
Renaissance
Baroque – 1580 – 1750 – Bach
Classical – 1730-1820 – Mozart
Romantic – 1800-1910 Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy
20th Century – 1910 – 1945
Post 1945 – now
Opera
Opera tells a story through music and singing. Opera singers do not use microphones like in musical theater and is completely live. The first opera house was in Venice and quickly became the main centre. for opera in Europe. Most operas are based off pre existing stories with many composers adapting popular books and authors such as Shakespeare. The lyrics in Opera are first given to a librettist who then gives the poetic verses to the composer for the music. Famous opera composers include Mozart, Bizet and Britten.
Classical Music Today
You can hear several classical pieces today on commercials. The main reason that commercials use so much classical music is that the majority of the works are in the public domain. Next time you see a new commerical be sure to listen to hear the music.
In movies, classical music has been used in some of the famous scenes starting in the 2oth century. Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 A Space Odyssey uses “Also sprach Zarathustra” by Richard Strauss in the iconic opening scene. The King’s Speech in 2010 uses parts of the second movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 during one of Colin Firth’s long monologues. Other examples are, Barber’s Adagio for Strings in Platoon (1986) during the death scene of Willem Dafoe and Ride of the Valkyries in Apocalypse Now (1979.)
In children’s media, Looney Tunes has several shorts that feature some classical music. One Looney Tunes cartoon is Rhapsody Rabbit. It uses Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 throughout the cartoon. The second cartoon, Be Vewy Quiet, I’m Hunting Wabbits! Showcases Elmer and Bugs in a version of Richard Wagner’s Ring cycle. Walt Disney released his third feature film, Fantasia in 1940, an animated film consisting of eight pieces of music set to various settings. The most well-known segment is the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. This segment stars Mickey Mouse as the apprentice. When the sorcerer leaves Mickey alone, he grabs the magic hat and things quickly get out of hand.
How to get into Classical Music
Here are some helpful tips to get into listening to Classical Music.
When I was starting to learn classical music it was helpful to listen to one piece a day. I felt that it was useful to focus on one piece so I could find all the moving parts. I use Clemency Burton-Hill’s “Year of Wonder Classical Music to enjoy day by day”. The book is broken up by each month and you can start at any day of your choosing. Burton-Hill also includes a few paragarph on each day to explain the piece as well as some notes on the composer. This book is available through the BCCLS catalog.
Also, scientists have found that they are health benefits to listening to classical music. Some of the benefits include : Brain activity boost, dementia help, reduce stress, sleep improvement, pain relief, emotion, and lower blood pressure.
Tips for Classical Music
- Listen to the melody and the rhythm – This is a great way to get your ears used to the music. I think the best place to start is Mozart’s variations on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. If you are familiar with the tune you can start to pick out the subtle differences within the movements.
- How do you feel emotionally – Music is very much an emotionally experience. We all have music we listen to that comforts us or have pump up music. When your listening, you can write down how a certain piece makes you feel and if you would continue listening.
- Visualize the music – This works great when listening to Opera and Symphonies. For symphonies you can hear the various parts of the orchestra moving around the melody which can make your listening experience better.
- Trust your judgment – If you don’t like a particular piece you do not have to keep going. There are plenty of other options out there.
- Repetition – One of the important tips I can give is replaying the song multiple times. I recomend at least 2 play throughs. This way you can hear the full piece and then go back and listen for the melody.
- Go to a Classical concert – Nothing better to be emersed in a performance of your choosing
Try out these classical pieces for Autumn and Halloween!
Autumn – The Four Seasons by Vivaldi
September, October, and November – Das Jahr by Fanny Mendelssohn
Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin
Autumn – The Four Seasons of Beunos Aires by Astor Piazzolla
Autumn Gardens – Einojuhani Rautavara
Sorcerer’s Apprentice – Paul Dukas
A night on Bare Mountain – Modest Mussorgsky
Hall of the Mountain King – Edvard Grieg
Dance Macabre – Camile Saint Saens
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