ELDER MUSIC: Classical Part 1

EDITORIAL NOTE: When I returned from New York City, I discovered that Peter Tibbles of Melbourne had been hard at work producing Sunday Elder Music posts for me – for which I am most grateful – he knows so much more than I do. This is Part One of a post on classical music which will continue next Sunday.

---

When I’m at home alone I listen mainly to what’s generally called classical music. This may come as a bit of a surprise to anyone who’s read a few of my Sunday Music spots. It’s just that music from the fifties is so much more fun to write about.

What I have for you today is music from the 12th century to the present. That early music wasn’t very well recorded so we just have to use cover versions, but that’s okay.

I’ll start with Johann Sebastian Bach. I use his full name as there were a bunch of musicians called Bach. Old Jo, himself, had 20 kids, half a dozen of whom would normally be considered major composers if it weren’t for dad’s giant shadow. I’m rather keen on the music of Johann Christian, the “London Bach.” There were also his father and uncles and the like who twiddled away on the organ and such.

Back to Johann. Although I had a fair number of his CDs, a year or so back I indulged myself with a giant box set of the complete works. Some hundred and eighty or so CDs (I did the same with Mozart and Beethoven, self-indulgent little devil that I am).

I’m working my way through these. That sounds a bit planned and methodical when really, what I’m doing is opening the box and picking something at random to play. With Bach it’s usually a cantata because there are a lot of those. I know if I go up to the left I can grab a concerto and to the right it’s a passion or the like. Today it’s a cantata from the middle, Cantata BWV 192.

Bringing this right up to the present is Philip Glass. This is one to split the listening public. Love his music or hate it. There seems to be no in between. I really like it, especially his solo piano pieces. That’s not what I have though, as there will be a bit of piano later on. This is the second movement of his violin concerto.

Haydn, the most under-rated composer of them all. That sounds a bit like the intro to the Disneyland TV program: “and Haydn-land, the most under-rated…” Okay, that’s enough.

I’ve chosen a string quartet as he invented this genre. I could have chosen a symphony as he invented that as well. Okay nitpickers, I know there were symphonies before him but these were fiddly little things amounting to nothing much. I haven’t seen a box-set of Haydn’s works, but if such existed I’d need a truck to take it home. And there wouldn’t be any filler.

This is the first movement from the String Quartet No. 66 (Op. 77, No. 1)

Way back to the 12th century. Alas, besides having no recordings from then, there aren’t any photos either. What’s with these people?

This is Hildegard (von Bingen). She was a nun who composed in her spare time (or was a composer who nunned a bit now and then). Not only that, she was also an author, counselor, linguist, naturalist, scientist, philosopher, physician, herbalist, poet and all-round polymath. Makes me feel inadequate.

This is O vis aeternitatis from “Canticles of Ecstasy”.

Comments

[ejanea]

How wonderful is this.
I listen to Haydn most often. I love his music, especially his string quartets...
....and then you go on to talk about Hildegard of Bingen. I have only one cd of her music but it is wonderful.
It is just good for me to think that other people listen to this music also. I live in a country town in SA and there is no access to any classical music other than what I download from the internet... thank goodness for iTunes!

[ejanea]

I'll be waiting for next sunday's post.

[janinsanfran]

Hi Peter -- I am SO with you about Philip Glass. Marvelous!

[Anne Gibert]

Beautiful music, and great pictures. Thanks so much for this. I did not know about Hildegard von Bingen, and am glad to be introduced.

[Darlene]

Oh how I wish my hearing of music would return since my cochlear implant. It is much better now, but orchestrations and string quartets are still hard.

You have chosen some beautiful music and when I am familiar with the selection (as the Bach Cantata) my memory fills in the blanks, but with others (as the Hildegard von Bingen) I hear it as music, but not the way it really sounds. Some instruments or tones are lost,while others are overwhelmed by the bass.

[Gerry]

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the wonderful
classical music post.

The Hildegard music was the icing on the cake.
I had heard of her but was not familiar with all her acomplishments.

A prompt for furthur investigation.

I am looking forward to part 2.

Gerry

[Rich]

You might think me a barbarian, but I pulled out my acoustic guitar and played blues riffs with Philip Glass's piece. Loved it and I will probably go find it somewhere to play in the car on CD.

Thanks,

Rich