The Vine: September 27, 2013
I am someone who never was really exposed to classical music, or any kind of musical theory, growing up.
Quite frankly if I go to an orchestral concert I usually fall asleep. However I would like to learn to appreciate it, as I think it would add a new dimension to my life. I am a very audio-oriented learner, so what I am looking for is a podcast or an audio book which incorporates actual music into the text, if that makes sense. It doesn’t do me much good to hear that
“a sonata-allegro form is usually described as [insert verbal description]”
What I am looking for is something like
“a sonata-allegro form is [insert piece of music] which can be described thusly [insert verbal description].”
I hope that makes sense. I am willing to pay for something like that, and I also welcome any other suggestions about how I can learn to appreciate classical music.
Thank you!
Woefully Ignorant
Tags: Ask The Readers popcult
Is there a college extension or community centre near you offering a music appreciation course? Most such classes make frequent use of audio examples. I agree it’s frustrating to try to learn about music from books, unless you read music. It seems to me you could probably find online resources that use audio illustrations, as well, but I don’t have experience with those.
Believe it or not, the Classical Music For Dummies entry from that series of books (are they still available?) is actually pretty decent at giving historical context and some basics of music theory for the general audience member. And it comes with a CD of samples! Or it used to.
I’m not familiar with recorded courses, but I wonder about a Music Appreciation class! Perhaps there is one at your local community college? Good luck!
This is not exactly what you were asking for, but might be better, as it’s free.
I took this class in college years and years ago, and left it with a much better understanding of the structure of classical music and why the greats (mozart, etc) are truly brilliant. Before the class, I would have described myself similarly to you: I could enjoy classical music to some extent as background music, or when it had particularly amazing melody, but beyond that I was lost.
Anyway, it’s now being offered as an open course online: http://oyc.yale.edu/music/musi-112
It’s video of a full semester of lectures, but you can choose audio if you prefer, and there’s optional reading too. It’s also free!
They’re old, but they’re now on dvd, and They. Are. Awesome. They are Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts, which combine performance and explication. With Lenny and the NY Phil, with whom you do not go wrong. My middle school used them, and boy howdy did they do the trick.
The whole collection is kinda spendy, but maybe your local public library has ’em (or can be persuaded to plonk for them).
I’m not sure you need technical information so much as just plain exposure. I mean….It’s really not important to be able to identify a sonata-allegro in order to appreciate music. So my vague advice would be to just listen to some. Preferably from a variety of time periods and styles.
Straight up classical radio might give you enough little bits of information mixed with the music. Something like This is My Music (http://music.cbc.ca/#/This-is-My-Music) sometimes has an interesting human touch that might give you some useful context.
It’s not really technical details of the style that you’ve listed in your examples though. Probably because that kind of technical detail isn’t really useful for anyone who just wants to listen.
Alex Ross’ books might be a good start – they’re a little more history and a little less direct description, but each of them has an accompanying website with illustrative clips from the pieces he discusses. The Rest is Noise is my favorite of his – it’s a history of 20th century classical music, but his book of essays, Listen to This, is great, too.
You could also check out the Exploring Music radio show – it’s on 5 nights a week here in NYC. Each week is themed and each hour-long show includes 4 or 5 pieces that fit the theme, with discussion of how they work.
There’s also a Coursera course starting next week called “From the Repertoire: Western Music History through Performance” that you might want to check out.
Oh, great idea! I’ll be interested to see what the Nation suggests. In the meantime, I recommend checking with your local opera and/or symphony to see if they have lecture series (sometimes these will be pre-performance lectures that you can attend whether or not you go to the show).
My entree into classical music was singing opera, but that means I tend to focus more on what the sopranos are doing than on what the music is doing. So I went to a Seattle Opera lecture on The Ring before seeing Das Rheingold, and it was exactly as you described: “Fire always has this leitmotif [plays piano]. Sometimes you’ll hear it like this [piano] and sometimes it’ll sound like that [piano].” It really helped me to hear the orchestra in a way I usually don’t do.
Also, this one’s just for fun: Anna Russell has a CD called “The Anna Russell Album” where she spoofs many classical music styles. The tracks “How to Write Your Own Gilbert and Sullivan Opera” and “The Ring of the Nibelungs (an analysis)” involve Russell singing every part and explaining every motif. You can probably find them on YouTube. Although she’s using her gift for comedy, she is a classically trained singer, and she does break down what makes a kind of music that kind of music (…if that makes any sense).
Robert Greenberg’s audio lecture series, How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, is excellent. The lectures are comprehensive, clear, and very entertaining. You might be able to find them on CD at your library, and it looks like you can get it used at relatively reasonable prices on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Teaching-Company-Understand-Guidebooks/dp/1565853717.
Bill McGlaughlin is an accomplished musician who has also hosted a number of classical music radio shows over the years. He’s a good explainer, and he illustrates what he’s talking about with musical examples. He doesn’t assume his audience is a bunch of classical music snobs who already know everything, but he also doesn’t talk to the them as if they are idiots either. He currently has a weekly program called “Exploring Music,” which you can listen to on-line or on the radio if you happen to live in a city with a classical station broadcasts the show. The web site can tell you if the show is broadcast in your area. The web site also has lots of older programs that you can listen to, although there is a charge for accessing the archive ($50/year or $7/month). I highly recommend this program.
I would link you to the web site, but I can never get the url tag thing to work (because I am inept); just search for “Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin” on your friendly neighborhood search engine, and it should be easy to find.
THAT SOUNDS FABULOUS !
I love music, but know almost nothing about it, and am nowhere close to thinking about music theory. If none of the Nation knows of something like you are talking about, maybe someone will start a website like that.
The Teaching Company ( http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/search/search.aspx?searchphrase=music )
has either 64 or 116 audio or video courses on music, depending on which search function you use. One of them might be what you are looking for, but since I haven’t heard any of their music courses, I don’t know. But it is a potential place to start, if there are no better suggestions. At any rate, one of the classes is Music Theory.
I would suggest checking with a local community college or state university to see what they have or might recommend. Most community colleges and state colleges will allow people in their district or state to come into the library and use resources there for free.
When I worked at a community college I know we had an electronic resource like that…this was about eleven years ago so I don’t remember the name or I’d pass it on. :)
A public library may have some good recommendations as well.
Good luck!
Aw, you’re not woefully ignorant! You’re willing to try new things which is awesome! A few recommendations (and I’m betting your public library will have at least one)
How to listen to and understand great music, by Robert Greenberg. It’s one of the Great Courses on CD (which I love!)
The Symphony, by Robert Greenberg. Another Great Courses offering.
A history of music in Western civilization,fascinating discussions by 15 prominent music authorities, with musical examples.
Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts with the New York Philharmonic–DVD of the TV series which ran in the 1960s and 70s. The book is also fabulous, reprints of the 15 of the most popular lectures.
Finally, when you’re ready to just flat out listen, I’d try the classical music for people who hate classical music CDs. And Brian Setzer Orchestra–Wolfgang’s Big Night Out has fabulous swing versions of many classical faves.
Enjoy!
I don’t know where you are, geographically, but this might be interesting from a historic perspective?
http://beyondthescore.org/ The Chicago Symphony Orchestra started this program to look at specific pieces of music and give the audience a better understanding of what was happening when it was composed – historic/political movements as well as what it meant to the composer and his audience. The website has videos from previous performances.
As far as a greater appreciation of form/structure of music, I’m at a loss. I had hoped for a Young Person’s Guide (Benjamin Britten)-type discussion but without luck.
I will say that in my experience, people who have had difficulties engaging with concerts have had better luck with opera or staged performances. The visual component really helps to keep it interesting. And there are opera companies that offer pre-performance lectures which are less scholarly and more about the piece, the performers and the director.
This is YouTube, not a podcast, but a grad student at my school has started a series of YouTube videos (only 3 so far) where he plays a piece on the piano and narrates through it (he’s a composer/music theorist). This playlist has his videos, and then after his narration he links to a video of the piece being played by a full orchestra.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLmDYYtuEUI7xqxGt1HcT20QPdwFRfrGXB&v=GR30Aw-CFC0
The textbook from my college music theory class for non-majors was the Norton Anthology of Western Music and I thought it was very easy to understand. It looks like they have an audiobook version that comes with music, so that might be worth a look.
Robert Greenberg’s “How to Listen to Great Music” lectures are exactly what you’re looking for. I listened to several volumes on a road trip last fall; he’s a lively lecturer who gets pretty in-depth and also provides some nice biographical sketches of the various composers, which helps me retain things in historical context.
There are also these Leonard Bernstein lectures, which I’ve not watched but sound like they cover similar territory in slightly less time.
Have fun!
I don’t know of a podcast/audiobook like that, but you should check out the “Children’s Classics” recording by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic–he introduces the instruments, explains what effect/mood is being communicated by each piece of music, etc.
I also would suggest that before you start trying to learn the difference between allegro and adagio, etc., you first spend some time sampling different kinds of orchestral music and just finding out what you respond to. If, say, Bach and Beethoven aren’t doing it for you, maybe you would like more recent composers such as Britten or Rutter, or maybe try some Mexican compositions (I really like “Mexico Sinfonico” by the Orchestra of the Americas. Even listening to some film scores, like from Beasts of the Southern Wild or The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings, might help you bridge the gap in your mind between popular music and classical music. Just hit Spotify and see what happens. I think that will help your ultimate project feel less like homework, if that makes sense, and more like exploring something you’ve sparked to.
This might get you started. Jeffrey Siegel does a series of concerts called Keyboard Conversations and some of them are available on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Keyboard-Conversations%C2%AE-Romance-Conversations-Jeffrey/dp/0739332678/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1380309739&sr=8-2&keywords=jeffrey+siegel) or possibly from your public library as an audio download. He plays a bit, talks a bit — might be the type of thing you’re after.
Try http://www.classicsforkids.com. Despite its ’90s-style graphics design, the site’s information is good. The radio programs are entertaining (they have to be, given the target audience), and for extra points, you can complete the activity sheets and review the lesson plans for teachers. You’ll be a connoisseur of classical music in no time.
Hi Woeful,
You might want to check out .
The company offers lectures and courses that might fit the bill.
Although the cost is high, each course goes on sale at least once a year. I haven’t taken any of the music courses (tone deaf), but the courses I have taken have been very interesting and I’ve learned a great deal. I usually wait for the 70% off sale.
Good luck!
Wow, thanks everyone! I am really excited about all the responses and I will be looking into all these resources.
I don’t want to become an music theorist or anything, but intellectually engagement tends to help me with appreciation of different art forms, so I am looking forward to learning more.
Classically trained pianist here. Norton Anthology is great for fundamentals if you are ready to commit some serious sit-down time. The textbook comes with write-ups of influential classical pieces with audio. Can be dry at times but the authors have down a great job of selecting culturally significant pieces across periods and styles and explaining them from a historical and compositional perspective.
Happy to help if you have any further questions re: where to start.
I love classical music, but discovered that I have a real hard time sitting through a two hour concert of nothing but – I need something else.
Eg a story (love children’s stuff like Peter & the wolf, Mozart’s magic flute etc)
Movie soundtracks
A funny or interesting conductor along with shorter pieces (ie a “Pops” series)
Dance or musical theatre – something to watch at the same time
Playing or singing it myself! I never really liked Handel’s Messiah until my mom dragged me to a sing along performance.
Anyway, you don’t have to start with “pure” classical music necessarily, is what I’m saying. (Oh, and if you hate opera like I did, start with opera without singing. I grew to love the music and now don’t mind the singing either :)
I teach this for a living! *rolls around in classical music* So if you ever want a consultation over Skype, let me know!
Which is to say: music history / theory. :D
——-
Dude, DUDE, I totally teach this for a living! *rolls around in classical music* *makes classical music into a boat and water-skis behind it* So if you ever want a consultation over Skype, let me know – yay!
[nb this was a da capo aria, in 2-comment form.]
Sorry for the major URL problem.
The site I recommended is:
http://www.thegreatcourses.com
Run, don’t walk, to the Greenberg courses mentioned above starting with How To Listen and Understand Great music. Get the audio version, no need for the DVDs (and in fact audio is better at getting you focused). I guarantee you it’s exactly what you are looking for, having inflicted it with great success on friends in the same situation.
If you actually take any classes, make sure to read course descriptions. “Music Theory” is going to be more about reading/writing music than anything you want to learn (Like, you’d learn the difference between the different types of scales and stuff like that). But a music appreciation or music history class might be fun. Classes like that probably would teach you things like which composers liked to write for string quartet and then play you a piece so you can hear whatever it is that’s unique about that composer’s style.
I’m loving all the resources suggested by others. @Rivikah, I don’t know why I didn’t think of This Is My Music – nice one. To Suzanne I simply say “Brava!”
Have fun, Woe.
This is not a podcast, nor is it explicitly about classical music, but I enjoyed Howard Goodall’s How Music Works immensely and I want to recommend it to anybody who is interested in learning more about music. It can be found on http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/how-music-works/
This is going to sound strange, but this article highlights the awesomeness of Amazon.com reviewers–they go into massive detail and can into really heated discussions of music. I think they’re great because you get multiple perspectives, loads of context, and Amazon often has that feature where you can listen to a sample of the song directly.
http://www.psmag.com/culture/the-cult-of-amazon-reviews-reviewers-classical-music-movies-television-63115/
One more thing to note – many of the Great Courses lectures are available through an Audible subscription, for a single credit. Greenberg’s music appreciation course is one of those listed.
@Woeful, maybe you’re listening to the wrong kind of classical music? By that, I mean a type that’s just not your thing. I like some classical, and I tend to favor the more soothing types, rather than the Beethoven-ish symphonies. But if I had to sit through a classical concert? I’d be snoozing, too. Other than Tchiakovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite” at Christmas (which I love because you can hear the story behind the music), most older classical music is ‘meh’ to me.
I now look to movie scores for my ‘classical’ music. There are some wonderful modern composers out there currently doing movie scores, who are amazing. James Newton Howard, Alexandre Desplat, even Michael Giacchino. If you like piano, there are some great Italian classical pianists like Giovanni Allevi that you may like.
This is a link to a book related to a course I took as an undergrad that was really great for expanding my music appreciation and knowledge! I found it really helped me to have access to a couple of very famous pieces and then a few I didn’t really know, with both the bits of music theory AND the historical context around them.
There are many related videos and clips online – just search for Thomas Kelly. He’s an exceptional teacher!
http://www.amazon.com/First-Nights-Five-Musical-Premiers/dp/0300091052
Here’s a fun music appreciation piece-slash cheat sheet on Verdi, in honour of the composer’s two hundredth anniversary, courtesy of NPR’s classical music blog: http://tinyurl.com/ll5j2kw
I thought it tied in nicely to Woe’s question. Hope you enjoy it!