Classical Music FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about Classical music.
This FAQ about Classical music
was compiled and written by Gabe M. Wiener gabe@panix.com
with numerous contributions by others.
Copyright (C) 1995 by Gabe M. Wiener. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
This compilation document is copyrighted. Permission is hereby granted
for electronic distribution by non-commercial services such as
internet. Any other use, or any commercial use of this document
without permission is prohibited by law. Inquire to gabe@panix.com.
1. What are the major periods of "classical" music?- What the public generally calls classical music is actually ...
2. 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 ...
3. I heard this melody on the radio. How do I figure out what it is? (Classical music)- First option: Call the radio station and ask. They're usually ...
4. 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? (Classical music)- This question is one that often confronts even the most ...
5. Why are there so many recordings of the same piece? (Classical music)- The question of interpretation is addressed in Q15. Briefly though,...
6. How do I find out if [insert piece] has ever been recorded? (Classical music)- *EVER* been recorded is tough. To check if there is a current ...
7. What is that music in [insert TV show/movie here] ? (Classical music)- We have a little joke in the newsgroup that no matter what movie or ...
8. What are the best reference works on music in general?- The supreme musical references is probably the New Grove Dictionary ...
9. What distinguishes classical music from popular music?- Scholars go round and round on this one. Some say that ...
10. What is the difference between an opera and a musical?- Generally, a musical has dialogue with interspersed songs. Opera ...
11. What is the history behind Orff's Carmina Burana? (Classical music)- Carmina Burana was originally a cycle of medieval songs. The text ...
12. What are the words to the first movement? (the one in all the movies) (Classical music)
13. How do you pronounce all those conductors', composers', and performers' names? (Classical music)- We don't have schwas and umlauts in ASCII, so I'll do my best. A *...
14. How are composers' works usually indexed? Why so many ways? (Classical music)- I just heard this radio guy announce Foobar's string quartet #...
15. What's the point of having a conductor? Can't professional musicians keep time by themselves? (Classical music)- Yes, professional musicians can keep time by themselves, but ...
16. Will a "DDD" recording always sound better than "ADD" or "AAD"? What do those codes mean anyway? (Classical music)- In the early days of the CD, the Society of Professional ...
17. What is "authentic performance practice"? (Classical music)- Any musical work can be interpreted in a variety of different ways....