![]() ![]() ![]() ‘Popular’ music, on the other hand, tends to present its material without development, the music ending when interest is exhausted. One important difference, however, lies in the logical connection that exists in ‘classical’ music between the beginning and end, with the latter a logical extension and development of the former. In general ‘popular’ music may be as clear in expression as the longer examples of ‘classical’ music. How does one encapsulate in just a few words a musical tradition which encompasses such infinite varieties of style and expression, from the monastic intonings of Gregorian chant to the laid-back jazz inflections of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, from the elegant poise of Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik to the despairing, heightened emotionalism of Tchaikovsky’s “Pathetique” Symphony? One is treading on very dangerous ground indeed if one pre-supposes that it is simply ‘superior’ to other musical types such as popular, jazz, rock and the like, let alone the music of other cultures. Whatever your tastes may be, there has never been a better time to start building a ‘classical’ music collection on CD.Īny attempt to define what is meant literally by the term ‘classical’ music is fraught with difficulty. If a full symphony orchestra in overdrive is more to your taste then Tchaikovsky or Richard Strauss could well fit the bill, whereas those who have already warmed to Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ might well try the music of some of the great Italian’s contemporaries such as Handel, Johann Sebastian Bach or Domenico Scarlatti. ![]() For example, those who are particularly excited by hearing instrumentalists working at full stretch will thrill to the likes of Liszt and Paganini, or if something a little more reserved and self-contained is required, the chamber music of Haydn or Mozart would be a good starting point. In the vast and wide-ranging world of ‘classical’ music there is truly something there for everyone - pieces which once discovered represent the start of an exciting and irresistible journey which will provide a lifetime’s listening pleasure. A great deal of film music either directly uses or draws from the ‘classical’ tradition a good example of the former might be ‘2001: Space Odyssey’, and of the latter, the many scores John Williams has composed in recent years for such blockbusters as the Star Wars and Indiana Jones trilogies. Indeed, nowadays it is all around us, whether it be in restaurants, supermarkets, lifts, for advertising or as theme and incidental music on television. Classical music is probably more familiar than we might at first imagine. ![]()
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