Jholiday's guide to classical music

Many of us enjoy classical music, however, many (most) of us are wholly ignorant to the classical musical vocabulary needed to both express enjoyment of the genre and to move in the social circles of other classical fans. This can actually keep us as closeted classical fans until we're confident enough in our terminology to converse with someone about Bach without fear of embarassment. I think Stuffwhitepeoplelike.com put it best when they said:

If a white person starts talking to you about classical music, it’s essential that you tread very lightly. This is because white people are all petrified that they will be exposed as someone who has only a moderate understanding of classical music. When a white person encounters another white person who actually enjoys classical music (exceptionally rare), it is often considered to be one of the most traumatic experiences they can go through.

“Really? Beethoven’s 5th Symphony….that’s your favorite.”
“um, no, I mean…”
“You sure it’s not Pachebel’s Canon?”
“well, ah, I like that, ah, song”
“sigh, of course you do.”

Stuff White People Like #108 Appearing to Like Classical Music

So I present to you: Julia's Very Basic Primer to All Things Classical

What does the title "classical music" really mean?
Classical music is difficult to define, but it is of European tradition, utilizing orchestral instruments(and voice), and must be distinguished from popular music and jazz. This applies to music created in the last 700 years, and it encompasses many styles.

What do you mean by "many styles?"
Alright, so chronologically you've got:

Medieval-mostly religious chants, no one really listens to this stuff.Pre1400

Renaissance-here we see instrumentation as the new focus, as well as multiple melodies. You probably won't recognize any famous composers from this era, and if you do, you shouldn't be reading this because you probably know more about this than I do. 1400-1600

Baroque-alright, now we're getting somewhere. You probably have a lot of these guys(no girlz yet) in your collection. Recognize the names Bach, Vivaldi and Pachabel? They're my boiiiz and they all fall under the stylistic umbrella of baroque music. Music becomes much more complex and we see the creation of "tonality" as a way to categorize music, for example, a concerto in G minor. This is also the birth period of the opera! 1600-1750

Classical-the namesake period, it's the summit of classical music. Piano is now the dominant instrument, and we have the beginning of the SYMPHONY. Big, big, deal. Basically, they tightened up everything from the baroque era and made it BIGGER. Mozart really overshadows all other composers from this epoch.1750-1820

Romantic-If the Classical Period is the parent, then Romantic is the unruly teenager. These guys broke all the rules, then set them on fire. We see flamboyant orchestration and wild experimentation that really departs from the strict rules of the Classical period. Think: Tchaikovsky, Strauss. Beethoven was instrumental(pun intended) in the transition to this period.1820-1900

YES!! Love this

I found a little video that humorously shows a slight flaw in the reasoning of those who oppose gay marriage. If gay Californians aren't allowed to degrade the sanctity of marriage, why should strait couples be allowed to divorce? Isn't that much worse? The 2010 California Marriage Protection Act is currently collecting signatures to be included on the ballot. Ha!



My favorite bit from this clip is "If we allow anyone to get divorced, before you know it people will be divorcing their dogs."




Learn more at RescueMarriage.org