What Are You Listening To Now?

[Peter]

This morning on the way to work I heard a string quartet from Haydn's Op. 3 set, which may have actually been by Romanus Hoffstetter, a Benedictine monk. Regardless of who actually composed it, I thought it was an excellent work and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My CD collection is seriously lacking in Haydn (or his imitators), so perhaps I will have to do something about that soon.

The complete Haydn symphonies would be a good place to start - I can highly recommend the following:
http://www.amazon.com/Haydn-Complete.../dp/B00006GA50

[Chris]

The complete Haydn symphonies would be a good place to start - I can highly recommend the following:
http://www.amazon.com/Haydn-Complete.../dp/B00006GA50

I was thinking about that very set, actually. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Chris]

Listening to Don Giovanni right now. My favorite Mozart opera.

[Preston]

Listening to Mozart's Piano Sonata #11, K.331. Such a hopeful piano sonata.

[Quijote]

Listening to Mozart's Piano Sonata #11, K.331. Such a hopeful piano sonata.

Hopeful? I'm sorry to be a bore about this, but where in the music is exactly this "hope" to be found? Again, it smacks of received opinion.

[Preston]

My musical skills are not as good as yours Philip, and my comment was opinion, but the piece reminds me at points of sometype of hope. For one example the opening bars are beautiful to me, really beautiful, which makes me feel hope in the music. Another being the end of the Rondo Alla Turca, when pianist starts pounding the piano.

[Quijote]

My musical skills are not as good as yours Philip, and my comment was opinion, but the piece reminds me at points of sometype of hope. For one example the opening bars are beautiful to me, really beautiful, which makes me feel hope in the music. Another being the end of the Rondo Alla Turca, when pianist starts pounding the piano.

I like you, Preston. You give an honest appreciation of what you hear, and are uncomplicated in your aesthetic perception. I sincerely regret having lost my ability to hear music as you do, and I am not being flippant. My problem is this : how to talk about music without resorting to formalistic / technical aspects; for surely, Beethoven never wrote music just for so-called "specialists". But how are we to talk about music? Have you read the book I recommended to you? It might be a good start, if you could find the time.

By the way, please don't over-estimate my musical skills !

[Preston]

I like you, Preston. You give an honest appreciation of what you hear, and are uncomplicated in your aesthetic perception. I sincerely regret having lost my ability to hear music as you do, and I am not being flippant. My problem is this : how to talk about music without resorting to formalistic / technical aspects; for surely, Beethoven never wrote music just for so-called "specialists". But how are we to talk about music? Have you read the book I recommended to you? It might be a good start, if you could find the time.

By the way, please don't over-estimate my musical skills !

I do not feel that the entire piece could be summed up with one word, "hope", because there are to many different parts and to many different feelings. I don't think that you should regret what you have, because I wouldn't say that my view is good when compared to a musicians though, lol! It is to simple, and to misunderstood. So be glad for what you have, the technical side of music.

No, I have not gotten the book yet.

Best Regards,
Preston

[Sorrano]

I like you, Preston. You give an honest appreciation of what you hear, and are uncomplicated in your aesthetic perception. I sincerely regret having lost my ability to hear music as you do, and I am not being flippant. My problem is this : how to talk about music without resorting to formalistic / technical aspects; for surely, Beethoven never wrote music just for so-called "specialists". But how are we to talk about music? Have you read the book I recommended to you? It might be a good start, if you could find the time.

By the way, please don't over-estimate my musical skills !

Didn't much of this specialized way of talking about music happen in last 150 years?

But to keep on topic, I've been listening to some of Clementi's piano music (sonatas and sonatinas--thanks to Hofrat!) I find them absolutely delightful, fun and frolicking!

[Peter]

Vaughan-Williams night at the Proms in honour of the composer's death this week 50 years ago. Featuring the 9th symphony, Fantasia on theme of Tallis and the Serenade to music.

[Quijote]

Vaughan-Williams night at the Proms in honour of the composer's death this week 50 years ago. Featuring the 9th symphony, Fantasia on theme of Tallis and the Serenade to music.

Talking of V-Williams and Tallis, I read somewhere (I really can't remember where) that it is a recurrent historical trend in Anglophone countries that the expression of melancholy and nostalgia often falls back on modality. Does that ring true?

[Peter]

Talking of V-Williams and Tallis, I read somewhere (I really can't remember where) that it is a recurrent historical trend in Anglophone countries that the expression of melancholy and nostalgia often falls back on modality. Does that ring true?

I don't think so. Dido's lament is probably the most mournful piece I can think of right now, but it's not modal - nor is Elgar!

Listened to VW's 5th with its glorious slow movement and tonight at the proms Lang Lang in a typically theatrical performance - that Horowitz arrangement of the Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody was pretty formidable despite the showmanship.

[Sorrano]

Sibelius' Symphony No. 2. It's hard to listen to that and not come away thrilled.

[Hofrat]

Hans Huber (1852-1921):

Symphonies 1 and 7.

[Chris]

Listening to Fidelio right now.