Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Thursday, October 30. 2014

A note to my friend and blog colleague Bulldog

You think you cannot appreciate art music. Well, you have not been properly introduced. Pop music needs little introduction but art music does because we do not automatically know our way around it. You know your way around a Lacrosse field (and so do I - played it like a redskin, lost a tooth).


This is an excellent intro, much better than I got in college: The 30 Greatest Orchestral Works. Readers know how much we love Bob Greenberg. My Mom loved him too. Buy it, or ask me to lend you my copy (which is actually on loan from a friend with whom we exchange Great Courses).


The Great Courses is one of the most life-enriching things we know of. We generally do one session of some course every evening.

Posted by Bird Dog in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 10:39 | Comments (12) | Trackbacks (0)

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Haydn, Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, and Mozart - my favorites. I used to comb the classical section of record stores that were closing to buy random CDs of their music. Some are now my very favorites.

Like this: http://www.allmusic.com/album/mozart-horn-concerto-no-3-bassoon-concerto-oboe-concerto-haydn-trumpet-concerto-mw0001851226

The movie "Amadeus" is a better introduction to classical music than most kids get in public school.
#1 NJSoldier on 2014-10-30 11:18 (Reply)
And lets not forget, Disney's Fantasia (Mussorgsky's Night on Witch Mountain) and many other bits of entertainment that lead to things like the "20 greatest hits of classical music" CD then for some to scouring thrift stores and obscure corners of the internet for dusty 78's.
#1.1 walt moffett on 2014-10-30 12:04 (Reply)
That's "Night on Bald Mountain."
#1.1.1 Rothstein on 2014-10-31 10:58 (Reply)
You can find some excellent introductions to classical music if you google for books (some are out of print) by David Dubal. David is a tireless promoter of classical music, particularly piano music, and never gives up trying to introduce it to neophytes.
#2 peter (Link) on 2014-10-30 13:10 (Reply)
Thank you. Appreciate it, and I'll make an effort.

I have a tin ear, however.

It's not that I can't appreciate art music, but as you pointed out I've never been properly introduced.

Or I have been, to some degree (the nuns were adamant that we learn classical music), but I resisted due to my age and temperament at the time.

But thank you for this start.
#3 Bulldog on 2014-10-30 14:52 (Reply)
Bulldog,
Not on any list here, but tops on my list is Telemann. Music of the Baroque is the best to me, and Telemann was / is top dog.
Telemann is to baroque what Freddy Mercury is to Rock and Roll.
#4 I.......... on 2014-10-30 18:10 (Reply)
My God! How could anyone leave out Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A major K622! or the Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K466?
#5 Quig on 2014-10-30 18:38 (Reply)
If I might suggest, many of "The Great Courses" series are found on eBay, used, at very reasonable prices.
#6 rkeva on 2014-10-30 19:49 (Reply)
Blauers' City of Glass and Longmont, Windjammer.
#7 Hood on 2014-10-30 20:56 (Reply)
Otto Scheer's "Panzer musik", a neo-Baroque composition in the sonata da chiesa form of the trio sonata, concludes with a lovely descant. Big Band leader Harry James adopted part of the melody line in his version of "Cry Me A River".
#8 Rothstein on 2014-10-31 03:56 (Reply)
Why not try avant-garde classical? The 27 Yarders is an interpretation of the "Coro di zingari" ("the Anvil Chorus") from Giuseppe Verdi's 1853 opera il trovatore with shotguns.
#9 Reno on 2014-10-31 19:36 (Reply)
I love The Great Courses! What are some of your favorites? One of mine is Introduction to Greek Philosophy by David Roochnik. I studied engineering and business in college. Didn't get much philosophy or literature, and am making up for lost time with The Great Courses. Bird Dog, this post may inspire me to broaden my horizons into classical music. Thanks for the post.
#10 George Putnam (Link) on 2014-10-31 20:16 (Reply)

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