How can people not like classical music?

[Lurknomore]

Originally posted by: ironwing
I like early polyphonic music, Hildagard von Bergen, for example. The "great" composers (Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart) do nothing for me. The traditional European symphony orchestra is grossly overrated. Arvo Part's vocal music is totally bitchin' but his instrumental music is dull at best and irritating at worst. The piano should be used as a percussion instrument a la Professor Long Hair or not at all. Mongolian, some Chinese, some Iranian, most Turkish classical is great. Mongolian and Chinese opera is good, western opera is painful. The gamelan makes me yearn for another tsunami.

:shocked:

 

[IronWing]

Originally posted by: Lurknomore

Originally posted by: ironwing
The gamelan makes me yearn for another tsunami.

:shocked:

Okay, not that bad, but close.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Shadow Conception
Most classical is extremely boring to me. What I look for in music is mainly a distinct melody, usually a verse and a chorus. That's why I love Canon in D Major and hate pretty much all other classical I've heard.

You're just not that well experienced in classical music. All but the most progressive pieces have very defined melodies. The Sonata which is talked about so much in here is a relatively specific structure to the music that places the melody at its heart.

The difference is that Canon in D is a canon as the name says, and it has a "melody" so obvious and repetitive that you don't have to listen very closely to get it.

I don't mean that to be dismissive.

 

[Imdmn04]

Believe it or not, Cannon in D is acutally regarded as melodically uninteresting to most professional musicians.

Canon is more pop flavored than classical, with a catchy and repetitive chorus.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: Imdmn04
Believe it or not, Cannon in D is acutally regarded as melodically uninteresting to most professional musicians.

Canon is more pop flavored than classical, with a catchy and repetitive chorus.

That '80s pop..good stuff.

 

[JJChicken]

heh..ATOTers, $1m salaries, driving masaratis and now listening to classical music :roll:

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: Barack Obama
heh..ATOTers, $1m salaries, driving masaratis and now listening to classical music :roll:

Uh, sub-$40k, driving Toyotas and grew up on classical music.

Nice try, though.

 

[dbk]

I was into it when i was really young and learning to play to piano... like 15 years ago

 

[Nik]

Originally posted by: Barack Obama
heh..ATOTers, $1m salaries, driving masaratis and now listening to classical music :roll:

Where are you getting this from?

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Barack Obama
heh..ATOTers, $1m salaries, driving masaratis and now listening to classical music :roll:

Good lord, ATOT never fails. Listening to classical music is high brow? God forbid.

 

[Arcadio]

I love listening to the old Ludwig Van.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: Arcadio
I love listening to the old Ludwig Van.

Beetoven?

 

[ruu]

Originally posted by: Descartes
I think I link to this in every classical music related thread, but for your listening enjoyment: Evgeny Kissin playing La Campanella. Not a particularly interesting piece, but it's fun to watch a pianist like Kissin play it. He used to have a really big fro that would dance around when he played. It's a little more conservative now

Guh. Evgeny Kissin is mesmerizing. He's so frenetic that he almost comes off as sloppy... but not quite. I love the energy.

His rendition of Rage Over a Lost Penny is in fact sloppy, but I love love love it. Not enough classical pianists are sloppy and musical and entertaining.

 

[JJChicken]

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: Arcadio
I love listening to the old Ludwig Van.

Beetoven?

:laugh: I see what you did there.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: Arcadio
I love listening to the old Ludwig Van.

Did they cure you, too?

 

[SlitheryDee]

Originally posted by: Descartes

It's interesting you go for the 3rd movement. It's usually too dynamic for most new listeners.

Any of Beethoven's piano sonatas would interest you if you like the 14th. The 8th especially famous and for good reason. One of my favorites is his 23rd, the Appassionata.

Other than that, look to Hummel, Chopin, maybe even lesser known Scarlatti, Scriabin and others. This is a fun piece by Scriabin and Horowitz is an outstanding pianist.

If you like the mere mechanical nature of these more difficult pieces, you'll look to Etudes as that's primarily the point. Chopin is famous for his etudes.

It WAS the mechanical nature of the 3rd movement that initially got me listening to it. In particular, there was a thread in which a video of Wilhelm Kampff playing it was posted. Naturally what struck me first was this really elderly dude playing such a fast and apparently difficult piece, but something made me listen to it again, and again.

I remember by the end of that thread I was arguing that we should just forget about contemporary music altogether. I can listen to this and then put on what would normally be perfectly acceptable music and get the distinct feeling that what I was listening to was terrible by comparison. People need to listen to classical and every other type of music they can, if for no other reason than to maintain their sense of perspective. Sometimes I think we get perilously close to arguing seriously about why one shitty band is slightly less shitty than another shitty band without even knowing it. If all the music you listen to is shitty then slightly less shitty is the new genius.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: Barack Obama
heh..ATOTers, $1m salaries, driving masaratis and now listening to classical music :roll:

Uh, sub-$40k, driving Toyotas and grew up on classical music.

Nice try, though.

Yeah, I grew up on classical too, almost to the exclusion of other music. The reason for that was my brother was a child prodigy on the piano. He won all sorts for competitions when he was young and has played with the national symphony several times in the Kennedy Center. My motgher wouldn't let us listen to anything but oldies and classical music until I was ~13.

 

[Babbles]

I enjoy classical music and all, but I do have a tendency to dislike other people who enjoy classical music. My dislike of many of those people can be exemplified by the pretentiousness of many people in this thread.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: Babbles
I enjoy classical music and all, but I do have a tendency to dislike other people who enjoy classical music. My dislike of many of those people can be exemplified by the pretentiousness of many people in this thread.

Do elaborate..

 

[ruu]

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: Babbles
I enjoy classical music and all, but I do have a tendency to dislike other people who enjoy classical music. My dislike of many of those people can be exemplified by the pretentiousness of many people in this thread.

Do elaborate..

No kidding. Who was being pretentious?

C'mon, call 'em out so we can verbally flog them!

 

[Moonbeam]

Originally posted by: ruu

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: Babbles
I enjoy classical music and all, but I do have a tendency to dislike other people who enjoy classical music. My dislike of many of those people can be exemplified by the pretentiousness of many people in this thread.

Do elaborate..

No kidding. Who was being pretentious?

C'mon, call 'em out so we can verbally flog them!

He meant he doesn't like people like himself, people who look down on others for various traits like people who don't like clasical music or are pretentious, as two examples.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Babbles
I enjoy classical music and all, but I do have a tendency to dislike other people who enjoy classical music. My dislike of many of those people can be exemplified by the pretentiousness of many people in this thread.

Sounds like an inferiority complex to me. No one in this thread has been pretentious. In fact, in most classical music related threads I've seen on ATOT there have been helpful replies with examples, suggestions, etc.

 

[Cheeseplug]

One of the absolutely most sublime moments of my life was at a performance of the Cincinnati symphony orchestra a few years ago. It was an all-Rachmaninoff concert, which is f*cking sweet, and the piece was the second symphony. After the third movement finished playing the audience was completely stunned and there was about 20 seconds of silence and the whole crowd started applauding, even though there were two more movements to play. Instead of putting his hand out to signal to stop applauding the conductor turned around to acknowledge what had just happened. He was crying, and so was I!

Classical music is so powerful, it might sound all the same to many people (philistines!) but there is a huge difference between baroque, classical, romanticism, impressionism and all of the different styles and composers. The emotion that can be conveyed surpasses anything that can be found on the radio today, and can only be rivaled by Jazz. Though jazz conveys a different kind of emotion, more wild and uninhibited. Plus the musicians are supremely talented. Even in the lower tiers of professional orchestras the musicians are virtuosos.

It sucks that my room mate this year is a metal head, that crap is just unpleasant to listen to.

 

[EGGO]

I love orchestral music. Classical, though, I either have to see live in concert or be relaxing sitting in a very comfy chair or bed. It really depends on my mood. I don't have a favorite movement or anything like that, I like them all...well except Chopin. He bores me.

 

[dds14u]

Let me generalize and ask, why do people dislike any type of music?

I think all types of music are good for a certain mood. Classical is good for relaxing. Hip Hop is good for dance. Aboriginee when you're getting ready for a hunt.