Classical music fans?

[Primula Baggins]

Hey, Nel hasn't been back since yesterday morning. She can't blame us for what we did to her rumpus room.

[Inanna]

There was an interesting article in a recent New Yorker pointing out that "concert etiquette" is a fairly recent development—that audiences used to wander around and chatter during concerts, and that it was very rare to hear more than a single movement of a symphony or concerto; concerts were made up of excerpts and famous bits, and it wasn't unheard of for people to shout requests at soloists—and not for encores, either. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was daringly innovative in that it starts softly—it assumes the audience is already listening, which was not common then.

Now, of course, we all know not to clap between movements (also a new development) and not to applaud at the end until the conductor lowers his or her baton. But we weren't always so well trained.

oooh-ooh, thanks for the tip.

[axordil]

Prim--

OK, the people whom I KNOW are trained. Or remember off the top of my head.

I'm going to get more coffee now.

[Whistler]

Prim:

As for concert hall etiquette...

When the impressionist composer Satie performed, he actually wanted his audience to let their minds (and bodies) wander. He was the originator of what we'd now call "background music," and was perhaps the only serious artist ever to compose music meant to be heard while otherwise occupied.

Well-behaved audiences would be stunned when, while performing, he would shout: Don't just sit there! Get up and do something!

[axordil]

When we say classical music, do we mean music of the classical era or all the different genres that fall under the umbrella of "classical"?

Music designed to be played by a full orchestra or a subset thereof, with or without solo instrumental, solo vocal and/or choral assistance. There, that was easy.

[Primula Baggins]

Shocking!

But he certainly did write some lovely "background music."

[Whistler]

"Music never heard in a bowling alley."

[nerdanel]

Wouldn't we want to try to drag in some of the more musically inclined folks around into the discussion? You know, the ones with training? I mean, we have writers talking about reading...

*waives*

[edited detailed description of classical qualifications ]

I respectfully request Ax's permission to participate in my thread.

[axordil]

Don't make me reach out there and trout you.

Besides, everyone knows I can't be held for anything I post around (checks time stamp of problem post) 8:26 AM. Server time.

What were we going to listen to again??

[Crucifer]

Music designed to be played by a full orchestra or a subset thereof, with or without solo instrumental, solo vocal and/or choral assistance.

What about chamber choral music? A cappella, as it were.

I just want to know how far the range of what we might be listening to will extend...

[Primula Baggins]

There is also classical music for solo instruments—sonatas and such.

It might be easier to define it as Whistler began to—by saying what it isn't.

[axordil]

A subset of an orchestra could be a single instrument. Or none, with a choir.

[River]

I've lost track of the requirements, so allow me to plug Schumann's Marchenbilder. Yes, it's a sonata for the lowly viola, but give it a listen. It's magic. The second movement never fails to make me smile and skip (but the latter only happens if no one is watching).

[Primula Baggins]

That's cheating. The empty set is a subset of all sets.

And there are "classical" instruments not used in orchestras as a rule—the organ, the harpsichord, and of course the sackbut.

[Whistler]

Let's see...

It never has Britney Spears on the cover.

It never involves musicians who are regularly involved in shootouts or Girls Gone Wild videos.

It's never performed on American Idol.

It's never heard blaring out at traffic lights.

It's never heard at the end of movies based on video games.

It's never heard at tractor pulls, monster truck rallies or cage wrestling matches.

Oh, this is too easy. Not worthy of me.

[Primula Baggins]

It's never heard blaring out at traffic lights.

Clearly you've never been behind my minivan at a traffic light, especially toward the end of the Dona Nobis Pacem in Bach's B minor Mass.

[Whistler]

Oh, of course.

But usually that sort of thing is done in self-defense.

[Crucifer]

It's never heard blaring out at traffic lights.

Clearly you've never been behind my minivan at a traffic light, especially toward the end of the Dona Nobis Pacem in Bach's B minor Mass.

Or my friend Carmel and I... Somehow, Monteverdi isn't the same at millions of Decibels...

Ok, I get the idea of what the parameters are.

So what are we listening to?

[Alatar]

I recommend Ravel's Bolero.

I have "10" queued up in my VHS... you with me Holby?

[Whistler]

Holby would be as happy to have it with the sound turned off.