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From:  John Alexander Blyth <BLYTHE@B...>
John Alexander Blyth <BLYTHE@B...>
Date:  Tue May 29, 2001  8:25 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] Classical music


Classical is a number of things.
In music, broadly, anything in the art music and operatic repertoire, and
also the kind of church music that the congragation is left out of!
In music, specifically, distinguishing itself from the preceding baroque
and rococco and the ensuing romantic ethos; characterised by clear key
relations, relatively slow harmonic motion and adherence to principles of
balance and clarity. Notable in the music of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven
and many of their contemporaries.
Also called Viennese Classics, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven to which
Schubert is sometimes added. These are the "classical masters" of music.
Sometimes the great composers of the ages from Josquin and Palestrina
onwards through to the 19th C masters are considered to be a sort of
pantheon, whose work constitutes a canon exemplifying principles worthy of
attempts at emulation. Sure that was a real sentence.
john




At 12:06 AM 5/29/01 -0400, you wrote:
>Okay vocalisters, I have been asked a question by my ten year old prodigy.
>She asked me what defines "classical music" i.e. how is classical music
>defined in today's world? She continued, "I looked up classical music in my
>school dictionary and this is what it said: (she showed me the quote) '3 a :
>of or relating to music of the late 18th and early 19th centuries
>characterized by an emphasis on balance, clarity, and moderation b: of,
>relating to, or being music in the educated European tradition that includes
>such forms as art song, chamber music, opera, and symphony as distinguished
>from folk or popular music or jazz.'"
>
>"But you told me that "Peter & The Wolf is classical and you said that 'The
>Pines of Rome' and 'Grand Canyon Suite' and 'The Planets' and Malotte's
>'Lord's Prayer' and 'When Darkness Stills To Grey' is all classical. But
>this is all after the 18th and 19th centuries. So what makes 'The Lord's
>Prayer' classical and 'The Wind Beneath my Wings' not classical?"
>
>Duh! I thought I knew what Classical Music was but I cannot answer this
>question from my gifted ten year old. Can anyone on the vocalist help?
>
>Dean FH Macy
>
>
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>
John Blyth
Baritono robusto e lirico
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada

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