Classical music--am I alone?

[Deleted]

Is there anybody out there who listens to classical music? I don't know anybody except DS and Whatsisname, The Father of My Children, who does. Nope. Nobody. If the g'kids wander over here while my HD radio is humming along, they'll look puzzled then ask something like "What is that?" or "How can you stand that stuff?"

I know zip about music after eight long and tedious years of piano lessons. I can read music and know that if one sits in the right spot on the piano bench, middle C is directly across from the belly button. When spring rolled around each year, there was a piano recital. I only played in two of them because I was that bad.

Beyond that? I recognize the old war horses like Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and a few others and can usually tell whether I'm hearing Haydn or Mozart. The Waltz of the Flowers from the Nutcracker is a favorite. Many years ago, I was a daffodil in the waltz with shoulder-length green satin gloves to represent my leaves Waiting for the cannons at the end of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and hearing them is still a surprise. 

My mother could play Beethoven's Minuet in G but nothing else. (Really! Nothing. Not even chopsticks.) I was reminded this morning when I heard Minuet in G. When I hear Vivaldi's Four Seasons, I'm reminded that it was the very soft background music at my son's memorial service. Both those pieces bring back pleasant memories of their lives.

The only thing I know about classical music is that the heavy, funereal stuff makes me feel hostile.

[moon/Laura]

I like classical (Dad listened to it a lot when I was growing up) but rarely listen to it. I tend to like something a bit more energetic.

[Deleted]

 If it's some dreary fugue, I turn it off. Or...I tune it to anything except jazz, rap, opera.

Wondering how it is that "music" people always seem to know the name of a piece and the composer? I hear it, it's familiar, what and by whom are usually mysteries to me.

[NoNamePerson]

I am all over the map with music! Listen to everything from A to Z. AC/DC to ZZ TOP. Took piano as kid and we learned to play classical back then. In fact that was about all we learned. I actually had to play Volga Boat Song in a recital. Not sure if it qualifies as classical but I remember it to this day. Wasn’t till in high school did I read about the song in a history class of all places

Back in the P2P file sharing days I added one classical song to every CD I burned along with one song of Pink Floyd. My cd’s have a variety of every kind of music. 

[Deleted]

Dec 4, 2019 13:11:58 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

I am all over the map with music! Listen to everything from A to Z. AC/DC to ZZ TOP. Took piano as kid and we learned to play classical back then. In fact that was about all we learned. I actually had to play Volga Boat Song in a recital. Not sure if it qualifies as classical but I remember it to this day. Wasn’t till in high school did I read about the song in a history class of all places

Back in the P2P file sharing days I added one classical song to every CD I burned along with one song of Pink Floyd. My cd’s have a variety of every kind of music. 

Did you also learn from John Thompson's Teaching Little Fingers to Play? (Yo ho, heave ho...)

I took lessons from the sisters at the Catholic school. The school was on my mother's way home from work so she'd stop and wait for me. Sister told her that it took less than 10% talent to learn to play the piano, the rest was practice, practice, practice. My mother told Sister "I've always wanted to play the piano, and MissRigby is going to learn if it kills me." Sister told her that her money would be better spent on lessons for herself.

[Iggy aka IG]

Similar to NoNamePerson, I like most everything.  Though I identify as a metal head , I do appreciate other genres.  My iPod playlists are eclectic, and sometimes the segues make me LOL when ATVing or working out.  I do appreciate my Mozart and Beethoven cassette tapes on the occasion. 

(As a tween, Grandma tried to teach me how to play piano, but my attention span i..... SQUIRREL!!!)

[Iggy aka IG]

Dec 4, 2019 10:58:02 GMT -5 @missrigby said:

 If it's some dreary fugue, I turn it off. Or...I tune it to anything except jazz, rap, opera.

Wondering how it is that "music" people always seem to know the name of a piece and the composer? I hear it, it's familiar, what and by whom are usually mysteries to me.

I've tried, really tried, to listen to those types with an open mind.  Nope.

[weltschmerz]

Beyond that? I recognize the old war horses like Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and a few others and can usually tell whether I'm hearing Haydn or Mozart. The Waltz of the Flowers from the Nutcracker is a favorite. Many years ago, I was a daffodil in the waltz with shoulder-length green satin gloves to represent my leaves Waiting for the cannons at the end of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and hearing them is still a surprise.

The Arabian dance from the Nutcracker is one of my favourite pieces of music.



I like classical. Aside from that, I like Worldbeat, fusion jazz and French electronica.

[NoNamePerson]

Dec 4, 2019 13:24:56 GMT -5 @missrigby said:

Dec 4, 2019 13:11:58 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

I am all over the map with music! Listen to everything from A to Z. AC/DC to ZZ TOP. Took piano as kid and we learned to play classical back then. In fact that was about all we learned. I actually had to play Volga Boat Song in a recital. Not sure if it qualifies as classical but I remember it to this day. Wasn’t till in high school did I read about the song in a history class of all places

Back in the P2P file sharing days I added one classical song to every CD I burned along with one song of Pink Floyd. My cd’s have a variety of every kind of music. 

Did you also learn from John Thompson's Teaching Little Fingers to Play? (Yo ho, heave ho...)

I took lessons from the sisters at the Catholic school. The school was on my mother's way home from work so she'd stop and wait for me. Sister told her that it took less than 10% talent to learn to play the piano, the rest was practice, practice, practice. My mother told Sister "I've always wanted to play the piano, and MissRigby is going to learn if it kills me." Sister told her that her money would be better spent on lessons for herself.

Don’t remember John! I didn’t keep any of my old music books!

[Deleted]

So I just turned on the HD radio and there's a Tchaikovsky etude playing. The only way I know this is that the digital display says so.

Is there anybody who hears classical music and knows what the piece is? Music appreciation isn't a class I took. Is it something that's learned there or is it something that musicians know, like a foreign language? Do musicians absorb it via osmosis?

[taz157]

When I was in college or studying for the CPA exam, I listened to a lot of classical music. I couldn’t stand it quiet but needed something without words. I liked Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach. There were others I liked too, but I can’t remember the names now.

[mollyanna58]

A few years ago, I had a lot of stress in my life.  I started listening to the classical public radio station, because I found the music soothing.  I moved back to pop music, starting with 50's music and going from there.

When I was listening to the classical station, I recognized a few pieces from Bugs Bunny cartoons. 

[mroped]

I’m in the category ”a bit from all genres”. It’s just that lately I’ve been listening less and less music and I’m not sure why! Guess life got in the way!
Classical, I listen to relax. Be it Beethoven, Bach or Mozart or sometimes a Gershwin, it relaxes me! I’ve tried to introduce classical to m6 children too but I’m not sure how much it caught. I know that my son listens to some form of classical - Legends of Zelda or something that was actually written recently.
Overall, amongst my favorites when it comes to classical are Bolero, Flight of the Bumblebee, Cavaleria Rusticana, The Vth(5th) Symphony of Beethoven and almost anything by Mozart.
Im not sure how but I can almost without fail name the composer of a classical piece(the bigger names Ofcourse) just by listening to it. And I don’t have any formal training in music, I can’t even read it!
My love and liking for the classical was inspired by a gym teacher in 6th grade that for the hour that we were in her class she would have vinyl records of classical composers blasting through the speakers. There were always good stories and commentaries going along with it while we would do stretches or running or whatever else!
At the end of the year, as a “bonus points” thing she would play a piece and have as name it!

[Deleted]

Maybe it's one of those things like art: I don't know much about it, but I know what I like.

[moon/Laura]

Dec 10, 2019 21:51:09 GMT -5 @missrigby said:

So I just turned on the HD radio and there's a Tchaikovsky etude playing. The only way I know this is that the digital display says so.

Is there anybody who hears classical music and knows what the piece is? Music appreciation isn't a class I took. Is it something that's learned there or is it something that musicians know, like a foreign language? Do musicians absorb it via osmosis?

Aside from some easily recognizable John Phillip Sousa marches, there's only one piece I can think of that I know both name and composer - Gerwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

We played that in high school, quite well I might add, and is probably my favorite of everything we performed. My high school band director was my favorite teacher, and also inspired a love of drum and bugle corps. So geeky, I know.

[Deleted]

Dec 4, 2019 8:02:54 GMT -5 @missrigby said:

Is there anybody out there who listens to classical music? I don't know anybody except DS and Whatsisname, The Father of My Children, who does. Nope. Nobody. If the g'kids wander over here while my HD radio is humming along, they'll look puzzled then ask something like "What is that?" or "How can you stand that stuff?"

I know zip about music after eight long and tedious years of piano lessons. I can read music and know that if one sits in the right spot on the piano bench, middle C is directly across from the belly button. When spring rolled around each year, there was a piano recital. I only played in two of them because I was that bad.

Beyond that? I recognize the old war horses like Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and a few others and can usually tell whether I'm hearing Haydn or Mozart. The Waltz of the Flowers from the Nutcracker is a favorite. Many years ago, I was a daffodil in the waltz with shoulder-length green satin gloves to represent my leaves Waiting for the cannons at the end of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and hearing them is still a surprise. 

My mother could play Beethoven's Minuet in G but nothing else. (Really! Nothing. Not even chopsticks.) I was reminded this morning when I heard Minuet in G. When I hear Vivaldi's Four Seasons, I'm reminded that it was the very soft background music at my son's memorial service. Both those pieces bring back pleasant memories of their lives.

The only thing I know about classical music is that the heavy, funereal stuff makes me feel hostile.

I constantly have music from the nutcracker playing in my head.  

Even more so around the holidays.  

I probably here snippets of it from commercials this time of year.  

That gets it started. 

[Deleted]

lol.....I like "Greensleeves"......and since it's from 1580, I would consider it Classical.

[I Am Caine]

Does Classic Rock count?

[busymom]

I was a music major for awhile in college before switching over to business.  I like some classic composers, like Mozart, but trust me when I tell you that you get force-fed all of the classic composers:  Beethoven, Bach, etc.  when in the music department.  I like all types of music. In fact you should see the variety of categories I have for my YouTube account.  

[djAdvocate]

Classical in common parlance is a misnomer.  Classical is period specific.  it refers to music from 1730-1820

what most people think of as classical is ORCHESTRAL music which has existed from that time to today.  but it would also include piano and trio music which bears a resemblance to classical and post classical periods such as Romantic.  my personal favourite from the post classical period is Romantic period piano music, particularly NOCTURES.