Classical/Sacred Music Lovers Club

[WanderAimlessly]

brotherhrolf and I have been discussing this in PM's and I thought it was a good time to start this thread.

There are a number of us here that are lovers of Classical and Sacred Music and it has been discussed on a number of other threads. Time to have a place of our own for it.

BTW: kumbaya is not Sacred Music (sorry, it is the Mudgie in me)

[Katie1723]

Ok. I'll bite. If I were to ask for suggestions as to what is good, what would you recommend?
Kathy

[brotherhrolf]

I got my first two classical albums for my 13th birthday in 1964. I still have them. The first was The 1812 Overture conducted by Antal Dorati and the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra with cannons! The second was Debussey's La Mer with Toscannini and the NBC orchestra. I have never looked back.

I am, however, always looking for new and interesting CDs.

[WanderAimlessly]

For those who do not know, there are different eras of Classical Music:

Early

• Medieval (500 – 1400)
• Renaissance (1400 – 1600)

Common practice

• Baroque (1600 – 1760)
• Classical (1730 – 1820)
• Romantic (1815 – 1910)

Modern and contemporary

• 20th century classical (1900 – 2000)
• Contemporary classical (1975 – present)

Most of the music I like is from the Common practice era. Most of the Modern and contemporary seems like swill to me (If anyone has listened to Takamatsu you would know what I mean).

[brotherhrolf]

Originally Posted by Katie1723

Ok. I'll bite. If I were to ask for suggestions as to what is good, what would you recommend?
Kathy

It would depend upon which period or type of music.

[Katie1723]

Ok.....first time I saw "amadeus" I went out and got the tape of the music. Based on that, I suppose you could say I like Mozart. I also have heard and like some Beethoven.

Kathy

[brotherhrolf]

OK. Mozart is as good a place as any to start. Mozart was a child prodigy and was a prolific writer.

http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Complet...1445486&sr=1-1

My choir sings a lot of Mozart during the year. I particularly like his Ave Verum Corpus motet. I have his Coronation Mass on DVD in an actual Mass setting with JPII celebrating. Awesome.

http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Complet...1445486&sr=1-1

His later symphonies get the most play - particularly #41 - the Jupiter.

Actually, this album is a pretty good overview

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Moza...1446129&sr=1-1

[WanderAimlessly]

When I got back into collecting Classical Music, I started out with the following sampler collection:

Masters of Classical Music (Box Set)

It helped me decide which one I liked and did not like for a reasonable price. It also allowed me to figure which eras I liked the best.

[brotherhrolf]

Originally Posted by WanderAimlessly

When I got back into collecting Classical Music, I started out with the following sampler collection:

Masters of Classical Music (Box Set)

It helped me decide which one I liked and did not like for a reasonable price. It also allowed me to figure which eras I liked the best.

Wander, that's a good suggestion. But it brings up a question. My tastes in music have changed since I was a teenager. I seldom listen to typical "classical music" anymore. I am far more of the Renaissance and Early Baroque period. But I do know that it is possible to follow the development of western music from it's early roots.

For example:

http://www.amazon.com/Music-Crusades...1450610&sr=1-5

This is medieval music from the Crusades - the age of the Troubadors. One of my fondest memories was a concert of early music by the Early Music Consort of London back in the 70s in New Orleans. The music blew me away. Such an intimate setting - lutes, shawms, recorders, harp.

[brotherhrolf]

And then you get to the earliest motets:

http://www.amazon.com/Music-Gothic-E...1451313&sr=1-5

Check our track 3.

There is all sorts of really neat music here that most don't ever hear much less sing.

[WanderAimlessly]

I am going to make a list of the CD I have. Since I have over 10 days worth of music and stuff. It will probably be a long list even for the classical portion.

[WanderAimlessly]

Well, that was faster than I thought. iTunes has an export feature for the library.

Classical

• Bach: Brandenburg Concertos, Violin Concertos
• Bach: Orchestral Suites Nos. 1-4 (Marriner)
• Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies
• Bruch - The Complete Symphonies
• Bruch - The Complete Violin Concertos-Scottish Fantasy
• Concertos & Romance (Mendelssohn, Bruch)
• Haydn: Symphonies 88-92
• Haydn: The London Symphonies Nos. 93-104
• Haydn: The Paris Symphonies Nos. 82-87
• Hungarian Rhapsody no.2 in C sharp monor
• Lang Lang Memory
• Masters Of Classical Music
• Meditation - Classical Relaxation
• Mozart: Complete Piano Concertos
• Mozart: Complete String Quintets
• Mozart: Complete Wind Concertos
• Mozart: The Complete Symphonies (Pinnock)
• Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.2, Paganini Rhapsody
• Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos 1 & 2
• Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos 3 & 4
• Vivaldi: Il Cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione
• Vivaldi: La Cetra Op 9

Religious

• 100 Best Sacred Works
• Beethoven: Missa Solemnis; Mass In C
• Berlioz: Requiem, Op. 5 (Grande messe des morts)
• Bruckner: Motets
• Chant: The Anniversary Edition
• Fauré: Requiem; Poulenc: Mass in G; Durufle: Requiem, Etc.
• Gregorian Book of Silos
• Gregorian Chant
• Gregorian Chants
• Handel: Messiah
• Mozart: Mass C minor K427; Robt. Levin version
• Mozart: Mass in c minor "Great Mass"
• Mozart: Missa in C "Coronation Mass", Requiem
• Verdi: Messa Da Requiem
• Vivaldi Glorias

[WanderAimlessly]

In the above reply, I would suggest the following to get a good sample of classical and sacred music:

• Masters Of Classical Music
• Meditation - Classical Relaxation
• 100 Best Sacred Works

[LilyM]

I wouldn't call myself a classical connoisseur or anything, but I've collected, in my magpie fashion, an awful lot of bits and pieces over the years.

These are the ones that I immediately see in my collection:

Bach:
Brandenburg Concertos (one of my absolute faves)
Mass in C

Mozart:
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 9 in E Flat Major K271
Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra in B Flat Major K191
Concerto for Horn No. 1 in D Major K412
Concertos for Violin and Piano – K304 K378 and K454
Concerto for Clarinet in A Flat
Concerto for Flute and Harp in A Major
‘A Little Night Music’ (of course )
‘Haffner’ Serenade (KV250)

Handel:
Water Music
Music for the Royal Fireworks
Concerto Grosso (one of my other absolute faves)

Haydn:
Trumpet Concerto
Surprise Symphony
Emperor Quartet
Symphony No. 100
Symphony No. 104

Brahms:
Tragic Overture in D minor Op. 81
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in Be Flat Major, Op. 83

Vivaldi:
Concerto in B flat major for 2 violins, strings and continuo
Concerto in E minor for Cello and Orchestra
A whole bunch of other concertos that I can’t be bothered writing down
Four Seasons (of course!)

A whole bunch of Paganini’s stuff – he did write the most extraordinary violin pieces

Opera – ‘La Boheme’ and ‘Madam Butterfly’ by Puccini
A double CD set of excerpts from a load of Verdi’s operas

I really like opera but I prefer to see it live or on TV/DVD when I can. I made an exception for these because I love the operas and the singers and recordings are particularly good.

[brotherhrolf]

Good choice my brother. The hard thing is where to start. So much I gew up with and accepted as the norm. So much to make "music" relevant to my generation. Sorry, but no, I don't think so.

I went to confession w/in pre V II norms. In the end........in the end, we are Catholic.

Blessed art thou amongst all creation.....We sing the same praises as our anceastors sung. Gratias tibi Domine!