From: gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Gabe M Wiener)
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical,news.answers
Subject: rec.music.classical FAQ
Date: 15 Apr 92 15:58:34 GMT
Followup-To: rec.music.classical
Organization: Columbia University

Archive-name: classical-music-faq
Version: 1.3

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file for rec.music.classical
			     Version 1.3

		       Edited and collected by
	      Gabe Wiener (gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu)

Many thanks to all the readers of rec.music.classical who helped in
the compilation of this list.  There are just too many to name.
Special thanks goes to Roger Lustig for his help in fleshing out many
of the repertoire lists.  Comments, corrections, and queries regarding
this file should be sent to the above address.

This file will be posted once approximately twice per month.
Last modified: March 27, 1992

---

Table of contents:

Q1. What are the major periods of "classical" music?
Q2. I'm new to classical music and don't have any classical recordings. 
      What should I listen to so that I can learn more?  
Q3. I heard this melody on the radio.  How do I figure out what it is?  
Q4. When I went to the record store to buy a CD of [insert piece],
      I found dozens of versions.  How do I know which one to buy?
Q5. How do I find out of [insert-piece] has ever been recorded?
Q6. What is that music from [insert TV-show/Movie] called?
Q7. What are the essential reference books to classical music?
Q8. What distinguishes classical music from popular music?
Q9. What is the difference between an opera and a musical?
Q10. What is the history behind Orff's Carmina Burana?
Q11. What are the words to the first movement of Carmina Burana?
Q12. How do you pronounce all those conductors' and composers' names?
Q13. How are composers' works usually indexed?

----------
Q1. What are the major periods of "classical" music?

What the public generally calls "classical" music is actually many
different styles of music that come from many historical periods.  The
usual classifications are: Medieval music, Renaissance, Baroque,
Classical, Romantic, and Modern.  The precise dates of the beginning
and end of each period is a source of major academic debate, and many
argue (and perhaps correctly) that there is no precise date but rather
a long overlap.  It is also quite accurate to say that styles changed
in different places at different rates, so one date isn't necessarily
valid for every region of Europe.

With that disclaimer, here are *approximate* dates that distinguish
each period.  Some of them overlap, as you can see, since certain
composers adopted the new styles before others.

	Medieval:	1100-1430
	Renaissance:	1430-1600
	Baroque:	1600-1750
	Classical:	1750-1827 
	Romantic:	1810-1900
	Modern:		1890+

This breakdown attempts to categorize fundamental shifts in the
attitudes and styles of characteristic composers.  Chances are that if
you like the music of a composer of one period, you will like music by
other composers of the same period, though we *do* encourage you to
experiment and to sample music of all periods.

Q2. I'm new to classical music and want to learn about it.  What should I
	listen to?

Probably the first thing you should listen to is your local classical
radio station.  Because there are so many different types of music
that are usually lumped in as "classical," there is no easy answer to
this question. By listening to a varied program at first, you can
begin to identify the types of music and the eras which are most
interesting to you.  You will then be better armed to purchase
recordings.

Another useful tool is your local public library or university music
library.  If you are wary to plunk down your greenbacks for a composer
who you've never heard, go and check out a CD or throw on a headset in
the library's listening center and check out a sample.  Many people
try to preview entire discs by listening to them first on loan.

Still, the regulars on rec.music.classical have compiled the following
lists to help you get started.  They do make some assumptions,
however, namely that you have some idea of what _periods_ of music
interest you (once again, check out a classical radio station for a
few days if you're not sure).  If you are eager to get started, we
have also provided a general survey of music that covers all the major
periods.

Table of contents for the lists:

	L1	A list for rank beginners who want a general survey.
	L2	A list of representative medieval/renaissance music
	L3	A list of representative Baroque instrumental works
	L4	A list of representative Baroque choral works
	L5	A list of representative Classical instrumental works
	L6	A list of representative Romantic instrumental works
	L7	A list of representative Lieder
	L8	A list of representative Classical and Romantic
			choral works
	L9	A list of operas spanning the history of the genre
	L10 	A list of music written between 1900 and 1918
	L11	A list of music written between 1920 and 1945
	L12	A list of music written since 1945
	L13	A list of piano concerti
	L14	A list of violin concerti
	L15	A list of symphonies
	L16	A list of piano/harpsichord music
	L17	A list of chamber music
	L18	A list of modern chamber music

L1	A list of recommended works for those who have no experience
	with "classical" music.  This list gives representative examples
	of all the major periods, or so we believe.
		1. Machaut:	 Messe de Nostre Dame
		2. Dufay:	 Chansons
		3. Josquin:	 Pange Lingua
		4. Palestrina:	 Missa Papae Marcelli
		5. Bach:	 Brandenburg Concerto #5
		6. Bach:	 Cantata #140, "Wachet Auf!"
		7. Handel:	 Messiah
		8. Mozart:	 Symphony #40, K. 550
		9. Mozart:	 Selections from "The Marriage of Figaro"
		10. Haydn:	 Op. 76 String Quartets
		11. Beethoven:	 Symphonies #5, #6
		12. Berlioz:	 Symphonie Fantastique
		13. Chopin:	 The "Horowitz Plays Chopin" disc, or
			Rubinstein: "Highlights from the Chopin Collection"
		14. Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
		15. Wagner:	 "Ring" cycle selections
		16. Brahms:	 Symphony #3
		17. Mahler  	 Symphony #1
		18. Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite
		19. Schoenberg:	 Pierrot Lunaire
		20. Stravinsky:	 The Rite of Spring
		21. Prokofiev:	 Piano Concerto #3
		22. Bartok:	 Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta
		23. Berg:	 Violin Concerto
		24. Reich: 	 Desert Music

L2	A list of representative medieval/renaissance works
		1. A recording of Gregorian chant/organum
		2. Hildegard:	Columba Aspexit
		3. Machaut:	Messe de Nostre Dame
		4. Dufay:	Missa Se la Face ay Pale
		5. Ockeghem:    Missa Prolationum
		6. Josquin:	Pange Lingua
		7: Italian madrigals by Rore, Gesualdo, Monteverdi, etc.
		8. Palestrina:	Missa Papae Marcelli
		9. English madrigals by Morley, Weelkes, Gibbons, etc.
 		10. Byrd:	The Great Service
		11. Dowland:	Lute songs
		12. Gabrieli:	Music for brass

L3	A list of representative Baroque instrumental works
		1. Corelli:	Violin Sonatas
		2. Couperin:	Pieces de Clavecin (harpsichord)
		3. Bach:	The six Brandenburg Concerti
		4. Bach:	Keyboard partitas 
		5. Bach:	Violin Sonata in E Major
		6. Bach:	Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor
		7. Handel:	Water Music
		8. Handel:	Organ Concerto #13 ("Cuckoo & Nightingale")
		9. Handel:	Trio Sonatas
		10. Boyce:	The Eight Symphonies
		11. Vivaldi:	The Four Seasons
		12. Telemann:	Trio Sonatas
		13. Scarlatti:	Harpsichord Sonatas
		14. Pachelbel:	Canon in D
		15. LeClair:	Trio Sonatas

L4	A list of representative Baroque choral works
		1. Monteverdi:	1610 Vespers (Vespro Della Beata Vergine)
		2. Carissimi	Jepthe
		3. Handel:	Messiah
		4. Handel:	Saul
		5. Purcell:	Ode for St. Cecilia's Day
		6. Bach: 	Magnificat
		7. Bach:	Cantata 140, "Wachet Auf!"
		8. Schutz:  	Musikalische Exequien
		9. Vivaldi:	Gloria
		10. Charpentier: Te Deum

L5	A list of representative Classical instrumental works
		1. Mozart:	Symphony #40, K.550
		2. Mozart:	Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K.525
		3. Mozart:	Piano Concerti #20 (K.466), #21 (K.467)
 		4. Mozart:	Clarinet Quintet, K.581
		5. Haydn:	String Quartet, Op. 76 #3
		6. Haydn:	London Symphonies ("Surprise" and "Clock")
		7. Beethoven:	Symphonies #5, #6, #9 (also choral)
		8. Beethoven:	String Quartet, Op. 59 #1
		9. Beethoven:	Piano sonatas, Op. 13

L6	A list of representative Romantic instrumental works
		1. Schubert:	Impromptus Op. 90
		2. Brahms:	Symphonies #3, #4
		3. Brahms:	Hungarian Dances
		4. Rossini:	Overtures
		5. Mendelssohn:	Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream
		6. Mendelssohn:	Violin Concerto
		7. Berlioz:	Symphonie Fantastique
		8. Chopin:	Preludes Op. 28
		9. Rimsky-Korsakov:
				Scheherazade
		10. Dvorak:	Symphony #8, Slavonic Dances
		11: Saint-Saens:Symphony #3 ("Organ")
		12. Smetana:	The Moldau
		13. Strauss: 	Don Juan
		14. Bruckner: 	4th Symphony
		15. Tchaikovsky: 6th Symphony
		16. Musorgsky: 	Pictures at an Exhibition

L7	A list of representative Romantic vocal works (Lieder)
		1. Schubert:	Erlkonig
		2. Schubert:	Die Schone Muellerin
		3. Mahler: 	Kindertotenlieder
		4. Schumann	Dichterliebe
		5. Wolf:	Spanisches Liederbuch
		6. Brahms:	Liebeslieder Walzer
		7. Berlioz:	Les Nuits d'Ete
		8. Faure:	Melodies
		9. Vaughan Williams: Songs of the Traveller
		10. Ravel: 	Chansons Madecasses

L8	A list of representative Classical and Romantic choral works
		1. Mozart:	Requiem, K.626
		2. Mozart:	Mass in C Minor, K.427
		3. Haydn:	The Creation
		4. Haydn:	Lord Nelson Mass
		5. Beethoven:	Missa Solemnis
		6. Beethoven:	Choral Fantasy, Sym. #9
		7. Mendelssohn:	Elijah
		8. Brahms:	The motets
		9. Brahms:	Ein Deutsches Requiem
		10. Verdi:	Requiem
		11. Berlioz:	Te Deum
		12. Dvorak:	Stabat Mater
		13. Faure:	Requiem
		14. Bruckner:	Mass in E Minor

L9	A listing of operas spanning the history of the genre:
		1. Monteverdi:	Orfeo
		2. Charpentier:	Les Arts Florissants
		3. Lully:	Atys
		4. Handel:	Giulio Cesare
		5. Purcell:	Dido and Aeneas
		6. Mozart:	Don Giovanni, K.527
		7. Mozart:	The Magic Flute, K.620
		8. Beethoven:	Fidelio
		9. Verdi:	La Traviata
		10. Puccini:	La Boheme
		11. Rossini:	The Barber of Seville
		12. Wagner:	Die Walkuere
		13. Bizet:	Carmen
		14. Sullivan:	The Pirates of Penzance
		15. Gershwin:	Porgy and Bess
		16. Weill:  	Threepenny Opera
		17. Strauss: 	Salome
		18. Berg:	Wozzeck
		19. Glass:  	Akhnaten

L10	A list of music written between 1900 and 1918:
		1. Debussy:	 La Mer
		2. Strauss:  	 Salome, Rosenkavalier
		3. Mahler:	 Symphony #9
		4. Schoenberg:	 Pierrot Lunaire, 5 Pieces for Orch.
		5. Sibelius:	 Symphony #2
		6. Stravinsky:	 The Rite of Spring, Petrushka
		7. Webern:  	 6 Pieces, Op. 10
		8. Berg:  	 Altenberg Songs
		9. Holst:	 The Planets
		10. Ives 	 3rd symphony, Concord Sonata
		11. Reger:  	 Clarinet Quintet
		12. Skryabin:	 Piano Sonatas
		13. Rakhmaninov: 2nd Symphony
		14. Bartok:  	 Bagatelles
		15. Prokofiev:   Classical Symphony, Scythian Suite
		16. Satie: 	 Parade

L11	A list of music written between 1920 and 1945:
		1. Berg:	 Violin Concerto
		2. Gershwin: 	 Rhapsody in Blue
		3. Webern: 	 Symphony
		4. Copland:	 Appalachian Spring, Rodeo
		5. Bartok: 	 Music for Strings
		6. Shostakovich: Symphonies #1, #5
		7. Prokofiev:    Alex. Nevsky
		8. Vaughan-Williams: 
				 Lark Ascending, Tallis Fantasia, etc.
		9. Orff:	 Carmina Burana
		10. Durufle: 	 Requiem
		11. Ellington:   Black and Tan Fantasy
		12. Milhaud: 	 Le creation du monde
		13. Honnegger: 	 Pacific 231
		14. Messiaen: 	 Quartet for the End of Time
		15. Harris: 	 Symphony #3
		16. Hanson: 	 Symphony #2
		17. Janacek: 	 Katya Kabanova
		18. Schoenberg:  Moses und Aron

L12	A list of music written since 1945:
		1. Boulez: 	 Pli selon pli
		2. Babbitt: 	 A Solo Requiem, 2nd Quartet
		3. Carter: 	 A Mirror on Which to Dwell
		4. Bernstein:	 Chichester Psalms
		5. Poulenc:	 Gloria
		6. Britten:	 War Requiem
		7. Riley: 	 In C
		8. Reich: 	 Desert Music
		9. Glass: 	 Glassworks
		10. Rochberg: 	 3rd Quartet
		11. Crumb: 	 Black Angels
		12. Stravinsky:  Requiem Canticles, Rake's Progress
		13. Schoenberg:  A Survivor from Warsaw

L13        A list of piano concertos
		1. Bach:	Brandenburg #5 (Harpsichord)
                1. Mozart:      Piano Concerti #20, #21, #23 (K.466, 467, 488)
                2. Beethoven:   Concerti #4, #5
                3. Chopin:      Concerti #1, #2
                4. Grieg:       Piano Concerto
                5. Schumann:    Piano Concerto
                6. Liszt:       Concerto #1
                7. Tchaikovsky: Concerto #1
                8. Brahms:      Concerti #1, #2
                10. Rachmaninov: Concerti #2, #3
	        11. Bartok	Concerto #2
		12. Prokofiev 	Concerto #3
		13. Mendelssohn Concerto #1

L14        A list of violin concertos
                1. Vivaldi:     The Four Seasons
                2. Bach:        Concerti #1, #2; for 2 violins
                3. Mozart:      Concerti #3-5 (K.216, 218, 219)
                4. Beethoven:   Violin Concerto
                5. Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
                6. Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
                7. Brahms:      Violin Concerto
                8. Bruch:       Concerto #1
		9. Bartok: 	Concerto #2
		10. Prokofiev:	Concerto #1
		11. Stravinsky:	Violin Concerto
           	12. Shostakovich:  Violin Concerto
		13. Sibelius:   Violin Concerto
                14. Elgar:      Violin Concerto

L15        A list of symphonies
                1. Mozart:      Symphony #38, #40, #41 (K.504, 550, 551)
                2. Beethoven:   Symphonies #3, #5, #6, #9 "Choral"
                3. Haydn:       Symphonies #94, #101, #104
                4. Schubert:    Symphonies #8 "Unfinished" & #9 "The Great"
                5. Schumann:    Symphonies #1, #3
                6. Berlioz:     Symphonie Fantastique
                7. Saint-Saens: Symphony #3 ("Organ")
                8. Bruckner:    Symphonies #4, #9
                9: Tchaikovsky: Symphonies #4-6
                10.Brahms:      Symphonies #3, #4
                11.Franck:      Symphony in d
                12.Borodin:     Symphony #2
                13.Dvorak:      Symphony #7, #8, #9 "New World"
                14.Mahler:      Symphonies #5, #9
                15.Sibelius:    Symphony #2
                16.Rachmaninov: Symphony #2
                17.Nielsen:     Symphony #4
                18.Prokofiev:   Symphony #5
                19.Elgar:       Symphony #1
                20.Copland:     Symphony #3

L16       A list of representative piano/harpsichord music:
		1. Frescobaldi:	Toccatas
                2. Bach:        Goldberg Variations
                3. Scarlatti:   Harpsichord Sonatas
                4. Mozart:      Sonatas #8, #11, #13, #15 (K.310,331,333,545)
				Sonata in D, K.576, Rondo K.511, Adagio K.540
		5. Haydn:	Sonata #52
                6. Chopin:      Ballades, Nocturnes, Etudes, etc.
                7. Mendelssohn: Andante & Rondo Capriccioso
                8. Schubert:    Impromptus Op. 90, 
				Sonatas for Piano D. 959, 960
				F minor fantasy for piano 4-hands
                9. Beethoven:   Piano sonatas #14, 23
		10. Schumann:	Carnaval, Op.9; Fantasy in C, Op. 17
                11. Liszt:       Sonata in b minor
                12. Ravel:       Miroirs, Gaspard de la nuit
                13. Debussy:     Preludes
                14. Liszt:       Transcendental Etudes
                15. Rachmaninov: Etudes, Preludes (inc. Op. 3 #2)

L17      A list of chamber music:
		1. Purcell:	Trio Sonatas
		2. Telemann:	Trio Sonatas
                3. Mozart       Divertimento, K.563
                4. Mozart:      String Quartets #8-13, #17 (K.387,421,428,458,
								464,465,590)
                5. Mozart:      Clarinet Quintet, K.581
                6. Mozart       String Quintets (K.515, 516, 593, 614)
                7. Haydn:       String Quartet, Op. 76 #3
                8. Beethoven:   String Quartets #8, #14
                9. Beethoven:   Piano Quintet
                10. Schubert:   String Quartet #14 "Death & the Maiden"
                11. Schubert:   Piano Quintet "Trout"
                12. Mendelssohn: String Octet
                13. Schumann:   Piano Quintet
                14. Dvorak:     String Quartets #10, #14
                15. Dvorak:     Piano Trio #4
                16. Borodin:    String Quartet #2
                17. Brahms:     Piano Trio #1
		18. Bartok: 	6 quartets

L18	A list of modern chamber music:
		1. Schoenberg: 4 quartets, Op.. 7,10 (w/soprano),30, 37
		2. Berg: 	Lyric Suite
		3. Webern: 	Quartet for Sax, Clarinet, Cello, and Piano.
		4. Debussy: 	Quartet, sonata for flute, viola, harp.
		5. Ravel: 	Quartet, duo for violin and cello
		6. Shostakovich: Quartets, No. 8, 13-15.
		7. Janacek: 	Mladi, Intimate Letters Quartet
		8. Stravinsky:	Octet
		9. Babbitt: 	2nd quartet
		10. Carter: 	3rd uartet
		11. Quartets by Scelsi and Schnittke.

Q3. I have this melody running around in my head.  How do I figure out
what it is?

Well, we are presuming you know a little something about musical
notation or at the very least, musical note names.  Your local music
library will have a number of dictionaries of musical themes that will
help you identify the theme.  See below in the reference books
section.

If after researching you still cannot find the theme, then post to the 
net with the theme represented as note-names.


Q4. I heard this great piece on the radio, but when I went to the
record store to buy a copy, I found dozens of versions.  Which is the
right one to get?

This question is one that often confronts even the most seasoned
record collectors.  The decision of which version of a piece to buy on
record is entirely a matter of taste.  Experienced listeners often
know the style of each conductor and can judge on that basis.  If you
are unfamiliar with a piece or with the versions available to you, you
might want to start off by looking in the Penguin Guide (see
"Reference Books" below).  Though not always 100% on the mark, this
guide will describe the differences between multiple recordings of a
given work, and may enable you to choose the recording that is right
for you.  There are also magazines such as Fanfare, Grammophone,
Stereo Review, Audio, and some of the high-end audio journals that
review new recordings on a regular basis.


Q5. How do I find out of [insert piece] has ever been recorded?

*EVER* been recorded is tough.  To check if there is a current release
of your piece of choice, look in Opus, a publication put out by
Schwamm that lists all works currently available.  Most record stores
will either sell you a copy, or have a desk copy that you can use.  If
you're looking for an old vinyl recording, you'll have to check with a
rare record dealer.  Many maintain very extensive back issues of the
Schwamm catalog and can help you locate that rare gem.


Q6. What is that music in [insert TV show/movie here] ?

We have a little joke in the newsgroup that no matter what movie or TV
show, it's probably either Pachelbel's Canon or Carmina Burana.
Anyway, here is a list of some movies and TV shows and the music they
contain.

2001, A Space Odyssey		Also sprach Zarathustra		R. Strauss
2001, A Space Odyssey		Blue Danube Waltz		J. Strauss
2001, A Space Odyssey		Lux Eterna			Ligetti
All That Jazz			Spring from The Four Seasons	Vivaldi
Apocalypse Now			Die Walkure			Wagner
Babette's Feast			Don Giovanni			Mozart
Breaking Away			Barber of Seville		Rossini
A Clockwork Orange		Symphony #9			Beethoven
Dark Eyes			Barber of Seville		Rossini
Death in Venice			Symphony #5			Mahler	
Die Hard			Symphony #9			Beethoven
Diva				La Wally			Catalani
Elvira Madigan			Piano Cto. #21 			Mozart
Excalibur			Carmina Burana			Carl Orff
Fatal Attraction		Madama Butterfly		Puccini	
Foul Play			The Mikado			Sullivan
Forbidden Games			Romance				Yepes
Gallipoli			Le Pecheurs de Perles		Bizet
Glory				Original music	 		James Horner
Grey Fox			Martha				Flotow	
Heaven Help Us			Hallelujah Chorus (Messiah)	Handel
Hannah and Her Sisters		Manon Lescaut			Puccini	
Huntley/Brinkley Report		Symphony #9			Beethoven
Hopscotch			Barber of Seville		Rossini
Hopscotch			Eine kleine Nachtmusik		Mozart
Jean de Florette		Forza del Destino		Verdi	
Kramer vs. Kramer		Concerto for 2 Mandolins	Vivaldi
Lone Ranger theme		William Tell Overture finale	Rossini
Masterpiece Theater theme	Symphonie de Fanfare		Mouret
Moderns				Marriage of Figaro		Mozart	
Moonstruck			La Boheme			Puccini	
My Brilliant Career		"Of Foreign Land and Peoples"
				   from Kinderszenen		Schumann
Ordinary people/GE lightbulb	Canon in D			Pachelbel
Pretty Woman			La Traviata			Verdi
Prizzi's Honor			L'Elisir d'Amore		Donizetti
Prizzi's Honor			Barber of Seville		Rossini	
Raging Bull			Cavalleria Rusticana		Mascagni
Room with a View		Gianni Schicchi			Puccini	
Room with a View		La Rondine			Puccini	
Sammy and Rosie			Der Erlkonig			Schubert
The Shining			Music for Strings		Bartok
Slam Dance			Samson et Delilah		Saint-Saens
Someone To Watch Over Me	Lakme				Delibes	
Somewhere in Time		Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini	Rachmaninoff
The Four Seasons		The Four Seasons		Vivaldi
Trading Places			The Marriage of Figaro		Mozart
Untouchables			Pagliacci			Leoncavallo
Wall Street			Rigoletto			Verdi	
Witches of Eastwick		Turandot			Puccini	
Year of Living Dangerously	Four Last Songs			Strauss, R.

Many of opera cuts can be found on one of the following recordings by Angel:
	Opera Goes to the Movies
	Son of Opera Goes to the Movies


Q7. What are the best reference works on music in general?

The supreme musical references is probably the New Grove Dictionary of
Music and Musicians.  This is a multi-volume set, about as large as
your average encyclopedia, so you'll probably have to trek to your
local library to find a copy.

A more obtainable book is the New Harvard Dictionary of Music, and the
paperback version, the Concise Harvard Dictionary of Music.  These are
invaluable for all musicians and music enthusiasts.

There are composer biographies, almost all of them excellent,
published by Norton/Grove.  These are the dictionary articles, with
worklist, bibliography, and index, and slightly updated.  Some volumes
cover several composers, e.g., Bach Family, Northern European Baroque
Masters.

Grove also has multi-volume special dictionaries for opera, American
music, and musical instruments.

When picking recorded performances with which you are unfamiliar, you
might wish to consult the Penguin Guide.  This book provides a good
starting point, and while it doesn't get everything right, it does
have some excellent reviews, and can do a lot to help you identify the
differences between the myriad versions of any particular piece. Be
warned, though.  The Penguin folks have been known to have what some
consider an unfair bias against some early-instrument recordings.  So
read some of the reviews with a grain of salt.  There are also the
"Opus" catalogs put out by Schwamm, the musical version of "Books in
Print."  Many people also swear by magazines like Fanfare, Grammophone,
etc.  for reviews.

If you don't have time to read all those magazines, you might want to
check out Stevenson's Guide to classical recordings?  This publication
synthesizes the reviews of about 30 different magazines.  Thus you
aren't getting only one opinion, but an overview of what all the
various critics thought about a given disc.  The Guide also contains a
CD Guide Honor Roll, which lists the performances that have received a
three-plus (+++) rating from at least four critics, with no negative
reviews given from any other critic. In other words, if you buy based
on this honor roll list, you're pretty much assured of getting a
decent recording.  This very useful publication is available at some
record stores, or else you can order it from Stevenson Classical Disk
Guide, P.O. Box 53286, Indianapolis, IN 46253. Subscription price is
$31 per year, four editions per year.

When trying to identify that theme you have running around in your
head, consult Barlow & Morgenstern's dictionaries.  "A Dictionary of
Musical Themes" and "A Dictionary of Opera and Song Themes" are
essential references.

A good all-around historical reference book is "A History of Western
Music" by Donald Jay Grout and Claude V. Palisca.  More than one grad
student has curled up by the fireplace with this tome in preparation
for qualifiers.


Q8. What distinguishes classical music from popular music?

Scholars go round and round on this one.  Some say that classical
music has more structure and "form" than popular music, but everyone
knows that there is plenty of form in popular music.  Others say that
"classical music is an art, and popular music is entertainment."
While that may in part be true, to make that assertion is perhaps to
scoff at some of the artistry that exists in the popular venues.

Today, classical music has an elite patronage, whereas popular music
has more universal appeal.  Also, classical music is generally
considered to have a more unified and rigorous body of theory.  Of
course, these concepts did not exist at the time that most of the
"classical" music was written.  

"Classical" music is repertoire music; when two artists play a piece,
the results will be similar, the differences subtle.  Compare
different jazz versions or different pop versions of a song.  One is
likely to find much more difference there.


Q9. What is the difference between an opera and a musical?

Generally, a musical has dialogue with interspersed songs.  Opera is
generally sung through, the dialogue portions being replaced with
recitatives (music which is intoned in a way that resembles speech).
There are notable exceptions to this rule, namely Carmen (Bizet) and
The Magic Flute (Mozart), both of which have spoken dialogue. The
German name for operas with spoken dialogue is singspiel (pronounced
ZING-shpeel).  German productions pre-Wagner were always singspiel

Many musicals, such as Les Miserables, Chess, Joseph, etc. are sung
through, and are, in the classical world, often referred to as
"popular operas" to signify that they do bear some resemblance to
"classical" opera.

Another important difference is that in musicals, the principal
singers also dance.  In opera that never happens.


Q10. What is the history behind Orff's Carmina Burana?

"Carmina Burana" was originally a cycle of medieval songs. The text is
rather risque poetry written by medieval students.  Carl Orff adapted
some of them into the best known arrangement, not surprisingly called
"Carmina Burana," in the 1930s.  Of the songs he adapted, some are in
Latin and some are in Middle High German (much as Chaucer's
"Canterbury Tales" is in Middle English).  The best known of the songs
he used is "Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi" (a.k.a. "O Fortuna"), which was
heavily used in the film EXCALIBUR.


Q11. What are the words to the first movement?

Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi               Fortune, Empress of the World
1. O Fortuna                           1. O Fortune
  Coro                                   Chorus

O fortuna,                             O fortune,
velut Luna                             like the moon
statu variabilis,                      you are changeable,
semper crescis,                        ever waxing
aut decrescis                          and waning;
vita detesabilis                       hateful life
nunc obdurat                           first oppresses
et tunc curat                          and then soothes
ludo mentis aciem;                     as fancy takes it;
egestatem,                             poverty
potestatem                             and power
dissolvit ut glaciem.                  it melts them like ice.

Sors immanis                           Fate - monstrous
et inanis.                             and empty.
rota tu volubilis.                     you whirling wheel,
status malus                           you are malevolent,
vana salus                             well-being is in vain
semper dissolubilis,                   and always fades to nothing.
obumbrata                              shadowed
et velata                              and veiled
michi quoque niteris;                  you plague me too;
nunc per ludum                         now through the game
dorsum nudum                           I bring my bare back
fero tui sceleris.                     to your villainy.

Sors salutis                           Fate is against me
et virtutis                            in health
michi nunc contraria                   and virtue,
est affectus                           driven on
et defectus                            and weighted down,
semper in angaria.                     always enslaved.
Hac in hora                            So at this hour
sine mora                              without delay
cordum pulsum tangite;                 pluck the vibrating strings;
quod per sortem                        since Fate
sternit fortem,                        strikes down the strong man,
mecum omnes plangite !                 everyone weep with me !


Q12. How do you pronounce all those conductors', composers', and
performers' names?

We don't have schwas and umlauts in ASCII, so I'll do my best.  A *k
indicates that the guttural k sound (as in chutzpah or Bach) should be
used. #k indicates a palatal "ch" sound as in "reich."  *n is the
french "n" as in "bon."  *r is the French r. "zh" as in "vision"  

	Claudio Abbado			ah-BAH-do
	Earnest Ansermet		ahn-sair-MAY
	Arleen Auger			Au-ZHAY
	Daniel Barenboim		BARE-'n-boim
	Berlioz				BAIR-lee-ohz
	Leonard Bernstein		BURN-stine
	Bizet				Bi-ZAY
	Dietrich Buxtehude		DEE-tri#k BOOKS-tuh-hoo-duh
	Chopin				SHO-pa(*)n
	Couperin			Cou-peh*r-A*N
	Debussy				Deb-yuh-SEE
	Antal Dorati          	 	Ahn-TAHL DOH-rah-tee
	Charles Dutoit			Du-TWAH
	Dukas				Du-KAH
	Dvorak				D'VOR-zhack
	Faure				FOR-ay
	Cesar Franck           		Say-ZAHR Frahnk
	Wilhelm Furtwangler		VIL-helm FOORT-vang-ler
	Bernard Haitink			BURN-ard HIGH-tink
	Haydn				HIDE-in
	Herbert von Karajan		Fawn KAHR-ay-ahn.
	Raymond Leppard			LEP-pard
	James Levine			Luh-VINE
	Liszt				List
	Charles Mackerras		Muh-KAHR-ass
	Neville Marriner		NEH-vul MARR-in-er
	Kurt Masur			Mah-ZOOR
	Zubin Mehta			ZOO-bin MAY-tuh
	Monteverdi			Mon-te-VARE-dee (not Mon-te-VUR-dee)
	Johann Pachelbel		YO-hahn Pa-*KEL-bel
	Ravel				Ruh-VEL
	Reiner				RHINE-er
	Saint-Saens			Sa*n-SOH*N
	Schubert			SHOO-bert
	Shostakovitch			shash-teh-KOH-vich
	Georg Solti			George SHOL-tee
	Tchaikovsky      		Chiy-KAHF-skee
	Verdi				VARE-dee (not VUR-dee)
	Richard Wagner			*RI#K-art VAHG-ner
	Bruno Walter			VAHL-ter
	Weelkes				Weelks
	Wilbye				WILL-bee


Q13. How are composers' works usually indexed?

That depends on the composer.  Many of the significant composers'
works have been organized into thematic catalogs.  For example,
Mozart's works are generally catalogged according to the Koechel
Verzeichnis ("Koechel Catalog"), and thus you will often see a work of
Mozart refered to by its K number (The Requiem, for example, is
K.626).  Bach's works are usually indexed with BWV (Bach Werke
Verzeichnis) numbers.  Similarly, Vivaldi's works are referred to with
RV numbers, Buxtehude's with BuxWV numbers, etc.

Other composers who published their works in collections have opus
numbers.  Thus, for instance, a Haydn string quartet might be Op. 77
#1.  Some composers such as Handel have compositions referenced both
by opus numbers and by a thematic catalog code (in the case of Handel,
it's the HWV).





Gabe Wiener - Columbia Univ.     "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings 
gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu       to be seriously considered as a means of 
N2GPZ in ham radio circles        communication. The device is inherently of
72355,1226 on CI$                 no value to us." -Western Union memo, 1877
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical