Tusker Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 What's your favorite classical melody or piece? I'm emphasizing melody because of an experience I had recently. I ran across a cassette of Hooked on Classics and thought that would be fun for my kids (3 and 5). Well I fire it up and within minutes my two wonders are cavorting away. We had a one hour session of giggles and sillyness, with this 'surgically enhanced' music blaring away. Well, I couldn't decide if they had bad taste in rhythm (disco) or good taste in melody. Hopefully the latter. The experience gave me a summarized picture of classical melodies, and I thought how wonderfully clever so many of them are. I wonder if you agree. Got any favorites? Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockitman Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 Do you mean "classical" classical, like in Mozart and Beethoven? If so, trying to pick the best melody out of the plethora of songs out there would be damm tough. I am currently learning Liebestraum by Lizst. It has a very very nice melody. Can't wait to get this one mastered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELP71 Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 Bach - 'Sleepers Awake' Holst - 'Jupiter Hymn' from 'The Planets' Beethoven - 'Ode to Joy' melody in 9th Symphony Borodin - String quartet #2 mvmnt. 3 'Notturno' melody was used in the Broadway musical 'Kismet'; song: 'and This Is My Beloved' Puccini - 'Che gelida manina' from 'La Boheme' Bizet - any melody from 'Carmen' Weasels ripped my flesh. Rzzzzzzz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted August 11, 2004 Author Share Posted August 11, 2004 Originally posted by Rockitman: Do you mean "classical" classical, like in Mozart and Beethoven? If so, trying to pick the best melody out of the plethora of songs out there would be damm tough. I mean "formal" music, which would include a lot more than "classical" (romantic, impressionism, modern, etc.). Yes, it is hard to speak of favorites isn't it? Liebestraum is quite beautiful, and melodically simple. Liszt gets pegged as a technician, people tend to forget his romantic instinct. Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangsu Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 Originally posted by Jerry Aiyathurai: Liszt gets pegged as a technician, people tend to forget his romantic instinct...a romantic technician who totalled almost every piano he sat down to play! I love that Holst hymn too. Rachmaninoff's 18th variation on a theme of Paganini breaks my heart. "........! Try to make It..REAL! compared to what? ! ! ! " - BOPBEEPER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarkus Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 Battle on the Ice from Alexander Nevsky: Prokofiev Salon de Mexico: Copeland Intermezzo: Cavilieri Rusticana : Mascagni Pines of Rome : Respighi Gotterdamerung - Wagner Symphony #2 : Dvorak Symphony #7 : Beethoven Jesu Joy of Man's Desire : JS Bach Piano Concerto #1 : Keith Ememrson O Caro Mio Babbo (Gianni Schicci) : Puccini Kroyka : the fight theme from Star Trek! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DafDuc Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 Bach: Wachet Auf I played in an 8 piece horn band. We would often get bored. So...three words: "Tower of Polka." - Calumet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Zeger Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 Jerry- You should see if the Warner Bros. cartoons "What's Opera, Doc?" and "The Rabbit of Seville" are on DVD. It's something you and your kids would enjoy on different levels. You just have to tell them that Wagner didn't write "Kill the Wabbit! Kill the Wabbit!" My favorite classical melody? It's probably Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immo Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 Originally posted by tarkus: [QB]Salon de Mexico: Copeland MMMmmmmm Solon de Mexico, that piece was a blast when I performed it in a concert band setting. I have a funny memory rehearsing it (besides all the times I jealously laughed at the trumpet player that took the solo). One time our clarinet taking the solo at the beginning tore it up for most of the solo and then played one note that was way off and said awwww @#$%@#. About a week later he was strangely missing when we were rehearsing that piece and the band director hummed most of his solo when he should've been there to play it and then took a dramatic pause and said awww @#$^@# and he pretended to throw a clarinet on the ground. Then he cued us up to come back in. Man if you can play the time signitures on that piece, you're set, I dont think I'll see measures alternating between 2+3/8 and 3+2/8 interjected with 7/8 ever again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clusterchord Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 Stravinsky - Firebird (suite), Symphony In C Ravel - Daphnis Et Chloe (suite), Pavanne For A Dead Princess Debussy - Images, La Mer, Prélude A L'Apres-Midi D'un Faune Bach - Branderbourg Concertos, Mass in B-Minor, Tocatta and Fugue, Goldberg Variations etc Bartok - Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta Borodin - In The Steppes Of Central Asia, Polovtsian Dances, Prince Igor Mascagni - intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana Mussorgsky - Pictures At An Exhibition (Ravel Orch.) Beethoven - fifth, ninth symphony http://www.babic.com - music for film/theatre, audio-post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicaL Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 Anything Chopin, but among them: Waltz in C# m, Op.64 Nº.2 and all the Polonaises. aL Gear: Yamaha MODX8, Mojo 61, NS2 73, C. Bechstein baby grand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockitman Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 Hey Al, I probably play 64 #2 more than any song I know. It's a great warmup piece to boot. I used to play the Pia Mosso part too loud and over time have learned to play it much softer which of course makes the part sound so much nicer. Of course, if you're gonna play 64 #2, you gotta also play #1. Not too tough to play technically, but to play it at proper blinding fast speed, that's another story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Analogaddict Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 I love the Satie stuff, Chopin of course, Debussy - espescially 'La Mer', and Dvoraks American symphony, the Largo reminds me of Bacharach - or the other way around. Messiaen always moves me with his early Brazilian influences, and Händel´s 'Israel in Egypt' contains some of the nicest chord progressions I´ve ever heard. I´m a sucker for late romanticism, the Russian five, and all the impressionists. Among the modern composers, I dig Copeland and Cage. Interesting topic, I´ve never quite thought of it this way before! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyman_sam Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 Moonlight Sonata by beethoven Magnetic Rag by Scott Joplin (if any of u guyz think that these are begginer pieces, plz. plz. tell me real tough ones) puleez.. real tough ones. Dont follow me....i'm lost too.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangsu Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 Hey Sam, tricky melody to sing, that Moonlight Sonata . It's tough to play all that stuff well, nevermind what they say. "........! Try to make It..REAL! compared to what? ! ! ! " - BOPBEEPER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 I assume this means our favorite 'melodies' from classical pieces, or best 'melodic' classical tunes. William Byrd: Coranto. A wonderful example of pre-baroque melodic composition. Haendel: Passacaglia in G min. Scarlatti: Lots of sonatas are melodically wonderful - I have a preference for the famous one in D min., in 6/8. Can't remember the number, sorry. Bach: Too many to mention. My favorite (in *all* music, maybe) is the three-part Invention in Eb. The beginning of the Magnificat also comes to mind. Mozart: Ha... How can you choose *one* Mozart melody? Let's say the Queen of Night air from the Magic Flute, and the Andante in G from the Sonata in C K545... And the Lacrimosa from the Requiem - no wait, *all* the Requiem... and... Beethoven: As pure melody, to me the Sixth Symphony is an endless resource. Melodic and hummable from beginning to end, like a long, ever-evolving song. Also, the middle movement of the Patetique is a classic among classics. Chopin: The usual suspect; Etude in E, Berceuse, Polonaise in Ab... I would add all four Scherzi, maybe the most 'controlled' Chopin pieces, in the sense of a perfect form. Schumann: I love the Arabesque and Forest Scenes more than the more famous Carnaval or Papillons. Schubert: He's the melody itself, but the beginning of Fantasy in F min. for piano four hands always hits me hard. Brahms: Not the best melodist maybe, but a few things like the Capriccio in B min. for piano (horribly difficult to play, BTW) are highly melodic. I also absolutely love the Intermezzi in A and Bb min. Satie: Gymnopedies, Gnossiennes. My favorite Gnossiennes are in G and F min. Also check the poem "Socrates". Debussy: Le Plus que Lente, many songs Ravel: If by chance you've never heard the three songs from "Don Chisciotte a Dulcinea" (not sure about the French spelling), please do it soon, and treat yourself to some of the most touching music ever written by an human being. Also, "Popular Greek Songs", and, of course, "Bolero". Bartok: "Rumanian Folk Dances" of course, but also the orchestral "Dance Suite". What can I say... I adore his music. Hindemith: A good part of Hindemith's music, except his beginning, is highly melodic, but of varying quality... The exception is the poem cycle "Marienlieben" (from Rilke). If you can find the version with Glenn Gould and Elizabeth Schwarzop, it's breathtaking. Rimsky-Korsakof: There's the usual Sad Song from Sadko, one of the most original songs in all literature. Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov Tchaikowsky: Piano Concerto n.1 - hummable like an opera! Strawinsky: Firebird Ives: The Unanswered Question. The melodic "question" played by the solo trumpet is one of the most chilling musical motifs of all time. Berio: Folksongs. Another little-known masterwork from an important musician who died recently. The recording he did with Cathy Berberian is undescribable. Fantastic. Stockhausen: Melody in Stockhausen?! Check the cycle "Tierkreis", originally written for music boxes (!) - it's quite 'plain' and melodic. etc. etc. Originally posted by tarkus: O Caro Mio Babbo (Gianni Schicci) : Puccini That's "O Mio Babbino Caro" and it's wonderful. I also subscribe for "Pines of Rome"; lot of great melodies there! ...Whew... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 Lots of great replies...many of my faves in there. A few more classical pieces that have melodies I love: Danse Macabre - Saint-Saens Scheherezade - Rimsky-Korsakov Sinfonia to Cantata #29 - J.S. Bach Pathetique - Beethoven The Bell Song from Lakmé - Delibés Concierto de Aranjuez - Rodrigo Piano concerto in A minor - Grieg Die Moldau - Smetana dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Analogaddict Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 Originally posted by Dave Bryce: Concierto de Aranjuez - Rodrigo dBI can only listen to the Miles Davis/Quincy Jones version on Sketches of Spain, Miles sounds so good on that recording that it feels like his piece to me! Absolutely beautiful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulliver Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 R. Wagner - Tannhäuser (the overture) N. Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherezade C. Debussy - Prelude a l'Apres-midi d'une Faune J.S. Bach - almost anything I am back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarkus Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 Originally posted by marino: Originally posted by tarkus: O Caro Mio Babbo (Gianni Schicci) : Puccini That's "O Mio Babbino Caro" and it's wonderful. I also subscribe for "Pines of Rome"; lot of great melodies there! ...Whew...I think what I wrote translates into " My dear little rum pastrie" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFunkman Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 MacDowell - To a Wild Rose. Wagner - Ride of the Valkyries ("Kill the Wabbit!" from What's Opera, Doc?) also, the Overture to Lohengrin. Copeland's "Fanfare for the Common Man." Tchaikovsky - Romeo & Juliet, but watch out: I played this for my kids when they were too young, and the "stormy" sections freaked 'em out!! http://www.animationusa.com/picts/wbpict/2_Whats-Opera-Giclee.jpg "If more of us valued food, cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." - J. R. R. Tolkien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzyprof Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 If I limit myself to keyboard works, my top two pieces would be: 1. Chopin, E Major Etude, Op. 10 No. 3 2. J. S. Bach, Sinfonia No. 2 in C minor "Playing the piano is my greatest joy, next to my wife; it is my most absorbing interest, next to my work." ...Charles Cooke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrancedelicBlues Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 I think it's the one that goes: RH: Doodle doodle doodle doo doo doooo LH: Bum Bum Bum Bummm RH: Do do do dooo LH: Bum Bum Bum Bummm RH: Do do do dooo... (silence, then repeat) does anyone recognise that one? I think it's a beethoven piece Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoLights Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 Wow - what a great list. I'd add Prokofiev's Lt. Kije Suite, Faure's Sicilian and John Ireland's Symphony Pastorale. _______________________________________________ Kurzweil PC4; Yamaha P515; EV ZXA1s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmplifierExperts Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 I definately would have to say Camille Saint-saens' Organ Symphony, as performed in 1959 in Symphony Hall, Boston, with Charles Munch conducting, and Berj Zamkochian as the organist. The Adagio part was always my favorite, but this performance gave it FEELING and emotion that is lacking in all versions I've heard since then. Best Regards, Mark A. Weiss, P.E. www.ampexperts.com - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 Originally posted by tarkus: Originally posted by marino: Originally posted by tarkus: O Caro Mio Babbo (Gianni Schicci) : Puccini That's "O Mio Babbino Caro" and it's wonderful. I also subscribe for "Pines of Rome"; lot of great melodies there! ...Whew...I think what I wrote translates into " My dear little rum pastrie"Eh... no, what you wrote is correct from a grammar point of view, it's just that the title of that air has the words in a different order, plus a diminutive suffix ("Babbino"). The rum pastry is a "babà" (a speciality from Neaples). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 Originally posted by TheFunkman: Copeland's "Fanfare for the Common Man." I'd like to add my vote here... I've always thought it's an incredible tune. (The original, not the ELP version) Tchaikovsky - Romeo & Juliet, but watch out: I played this for my kids when they were too young, and the "stormy" sections freaked 'em out!! He... you could always try to play them the Prokofiev ballet with the same title instead. In fact, I prefer it to the Tchaikowsky... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moj Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 Piano Sonata No. 8 In C Minor, Op.13 'Pathetique' (II. Adagio cantabile) - Beethoven Clair de Lune - Debussy A Fala da Paixâo - Egberto Gismonti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangsu Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 Originally posted by TrancedelicBlues: I think it's the one that goes: RH: Doodle doodle doodle doo doo doooo LH: Bum Bum Bum Bummm RH: Do do do dooo LH: Bum Bum Bum Bummm RH: Do do do dooo... (silence, then repeat) does anyone recognise that one? I think it's a beethoven piece That's Beethoven's Fur Elise. "........! Try to make It..REAL! compared to what? ! ! ! " - BOPBEEPER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangsu Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 Originally posted by tarkus: I think what I wrote translates into " My dear little rum pastrie" I'm sticking with that one. "........! Try to make It..REAL! compared to what? ! ! ! " - BOPBEEPER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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