Archive-name: music/classical-faq
Version: 1.9

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file for rec.music.classical
        Version 1.9

 Edited and collected by Gabe Wiener (gmw1@columbia.edu)

Many thanks to all the readers of rec.music.classical who have helped
in the compilation and upkeep of this list.  Comments, corrections,
and queries regarding this file should be sent to the above address.

Last modified: November 23, 1993

[Ed. note:  There are still a surprising number of editorial changes that
I still have to implement, so if you sent me a change and you don't see it
in this edition, it probably means that I haven't gotten to it yet.  -G]

---

Table of contents:

Q1. What are the major periods of "classical" music?
Q2. I'm new to classical music and don't have any classical recordings. 
      What should I listen to so that I can learn more?  
Q3. I heard this melody on the radio.  How do I figure out what it is?  
Q4. When I went to the record store to buy a CD of [insert piece],
      I found dozens of versions.  How do I know which one to buy?
Q5. How do I find out if [insert-piece] has ever been recorded?
Q6. What is that music from [insert TV-show/Movie] called?
Q7. What are the essential reference books to classical music?
Q8. What distinguishes classical music from popular music?
Q9. What is the difference between an opera and a musical?
Q10. What is the history behind Orff's Carmina Burana?
Q11. What are the words to the first movement of Carmina Burana?
Q12. How do you pronounce all those conductors' and composers' names?
Q13. How are composers' works usually indexed?
Q14. What's the point of having a conductor?
Q15. Will a "DDD" recording always sound better than "ADD" or "AAD"?  What
 do those codes mean anyway?
Q16. What is "authentic performance practice?"

----------
Q1. What are the major periods of "classical" music?

What the public generally calls "classical" music is actually many
different styles of music that come from many historical periods.  The
usual classifications are: Medieval music, Renaissance, Baroque,
Classical, Romantic, and Modern.  The precise dates of the beginning
and end of each period is a source of major academic debate, and many
argue (and perhaps correctly) that there is no precise date but rather
a long overlap.  It is also quite accurate to say that styles changed
in different places at different rates, so one date isn't necessarily
valid for every region of Europe.

With that disclaimer, here are *approximate* dates that distinguish
each period.  Some of them overlap, as you can see, since certain
composers adopted the new styles before others.

 Early:  1100-1300
 Medieval: 1300-1430
 Renaissance: 1430-1600
 Baroque: 1600-1750
 Classical: 1750-1827 
 Romantic: 1810-1900
 Modern:  1890+

This breakdown attempts to categorize fundamental shifts in the
attitudes and styles of characteristic composers.  Chances are that if
you like the music of a composer of one period, you will like music by
other composers of the same period, though we *do* encourage you to
experiment and to sample music of all periods.

Q2. 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 classical
radio station.  Because there are so many different types of music
that are usually lumped in as "classical," there is no easy answer to
this question. By listening to a varied program at first, you can
begin to identify the types of music and the eras which are most
interesting to you.  You will then be better armed to purchase
recordings.

Another useful tool is your local public library or university music
library.  If you are wary to plunk down your greenbacks for a composer
whom you've never heard, go and check out a CD or throw on a headset in
the library's listening center and check out a sample.  Many people
try to preview entire discs by listening to them first on loan.

Still, the regulars on rec.music.classical have compiled the following
lists to help you get started.  We do make some assumptions, however,
namely that you have some idea of what _periods_ of music interest you
(once again, check out a classical radio station for a few days if
you're not sure).  If you are eager to get started, we have also
provided a general survey of music that covers all the major periods.

Table of contents for the lists:

 L1 A list for rank beginners who want a general survey.
 L2 A list of representative medieval/renaissance music
 L3 A list of representative Baroque instrumental works
 L4 A list of representative Baroque choral works
 L5 A list of representative Classical instrumental works
 L6 A list of representative Romantic instrumental works
 L7 A list of representative Lieder
 L8 A list of representative Classical and Romantic
   choral works
 L9 A list of operas spanning the history of the genre
 L10  A list of music written between 1900 and 1918
 L11 A list of music written between 1920 and 1945
 L12 A list of music written since 1945
 L13 A list of piano concerti
 L14 A list of violin concerti
 L15 A list of symphonies
 L16 A list of piano/harpsichord music
 L17 A list of chamber music
 L18 A list of modern chamber music
 L19 A list of viola and cello concerti
 L20 A list of violin and piano music

L1 A list of recommended works for those who have no experience
 with "classical" music.  This list gives representative examples
 of all the major periods, or so we believe.
  1. Machaut:  Messe de Nostre Dame
  2. Dufay:  Chansons
  3. Josquin:  Benedicta es
  4. Palestrina:  Missa Papae Marcelli
  5. Bach:  Brandenburg Concerto #5
  6. Bach:  Cantata #140, "Wachet Auf!"
  7. Handel:  Messiah
  8. Mozart:  Symphony #40, K. 550
  9. Mozart:  Selections from "The Marriage of Figaro"
  10. Haydn:  Op. 76 String Quartets
  11. Beethoven:  Symphonies #5, #6
  12. Berlioz:  Symphonie Fantastique
  13. Chopin:  The "Horowitz Plays Chopin" disc, or
   Rubinstein: "Highlights from the Chopin Collection"
  14. Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
  15. Wagner:  "Ring" cycle selections
  16. Brahms:  Symphony #3
  17. Mahler    Symphony #1
  18. Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite
  19. Schoenberg:  Pierrot Lunaire
  20. Stravinsky:  The Rite of Spring
  21. Prokofiev:  Piano Concerto #3
  22. Bartok:  Concerto for Orchestra
  23. Berg:  Violin Concerto
  24. Reich:   Desert Music

L2 A list of representative medieval/renaissance works
  1. A recording of Gregorian chant/organum
  2. Hildegard: Columba Aspexit
  3. Machaut: Messe de Nostre Dame
  4. Dufay: Missa Se la Face ay Pale
  5. Ockeghem:    Chansons
  6. Josquin: Benedicta es
  7: Italian madrigals by Rore, Gesualdo, Monteverdi, etc.
  8. Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli
  9. English madrigals by Morley, Weelkes, Gibbons, etc.
   10. Byrd: The Great Service
  11. Dowland: Lute songs
  12. Gabrieli: Canzonas for brass

L3 A list of representative Baroque instrumental works
  1. Corelli: Violin Sonatas
  2. Couperin: Pieces de Clavecin (harpsichord)
  3. Bach: The six Brandenburg Concerti
  4. Bach: Keyboard partitas 
  5. Bach: Sonata in E major for Violin
  6. Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor
  7. Handel: Water Music, Music for the Royal Fireworks
  8. Handel: Organ Concerto #13 ("Cuckoo & Nightingale")
  9. Handel: Trio Sonatas
  10. Boyce: The Eight Symphonies
  11. Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
  12. Telemann: Trio Sonatas
  13. Scarlatti: Harpsichord Sonatas
  14. Pachelbel: Canon in D
  15. LeClair: Trio Sonatas

L4 A list of representative Baroque choral works
  1. Monteverdi: 1610 Vespers (Vespro Della Beata Vergine)
  2. Carissimi Jepthe
  3. Handel: Messiah
  4. Handel: Saul
  5. Purcell: Ode for St. Cecilia's Day
  6. Bach:  Magnificat
  7. Bach: Cantata 140, "Wachet Auf!"
  8. Schutz:   Musikalische Exequien
  9. Vivaldi: Gloria
  10. Charpentier: Te Deum

L5 A list of representative Classical instrumental works
  1. Mozart: Symphony #40, K.550
  2. Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K.525
  3. Mozart: Piano Concerti #20 (K.466), #21 (K.467)
   4. Mozart: Clarinet Quintet, K.581
  5. Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 76 #3
  6. Haydn: London Symphonies ("Surprise" and "Clock")
  7. Beethoven: Symphonies #5, #6, #9 (also choral)
  8. Beethoven: String Quartet, Op. 59 #1
  9. Beethoven: Piano sonatas, Op. 13

L6 A list of representative Romantic instrumental works
  1. Schubert: Impromptus Op. 90
  2. Brahms: Symphonies #3, #4
  3. Brahms: Hungarian Dances
  4. Rossini: Overtures
  5. Mendelssohn: Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream
  6. Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
  7. Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
  8. Chopin: Preludes Op. 28
  9. Liszt: Les Preludes
  10. Rimsky-Korsakov:
    Scheherazade
  11. Dvorak: Symphony #8, Slavonic Dances
  12: Saint-Saens:Symphony #3 ("Organ")
  13. Smetana: The Moldau
  14. Strauss:  Don Juan
  15. Bruckner:  4th Symphony
  16. Tchaikovsky: 6th Symphony
  17. Moussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
                18. Barber: Adagio for strings

L7 A list of representative Romantic vocal works (Lieder)
  1. Schubert: Erlkonig
  2. Schubert: Die Schone Muellerin
  3. Mahler:  Kindertotenlieder
  4. Schumann Dichterliebe
  5. Wolf: Spanisches Liederbuch
  6. Brahms: Liebeslieder Walzer
  7. Berlioz: Les Nuits d'Ete
  8. Faure: Melodies
  9. Vaughan Williams: Songs of Travel
  10. Ravel:  Chansons Madecasses
                11. Strauss:    Four Last Songs
                12. Canteloube: Songs of the Auvergne

L8 A list of representative Classical and Romantic choral works
  1. Mozart: Requiem, K.626
  2. Mozart: Mass in C Minor, K.427
  3. Haydn: The Creation
  4. Haydn: Lord Nelson Mass
  5. Beethoven: Missa Solemnis
  6. Beethoven: Choral Fantasy, Sym. #9
  7. Mendelssohn: Elijah
  8. Brahms: Liebeslieder Waltzer


  9. Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem
  10. Verdi: Requiem
  11. Berlioz: Te Deum
  12. Dvorak: Stabat Mater
  13. Faure: Requiem
  14. Bruckner: Te Deum

L9 A listing of operas spanning the history of the genre:
  1. Monteverdi: Orfeo
  2. Charpentier: Les Arts Florissants
  3. Lully: Atys
  4. Handel: Giulio Cesare
  5. Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
  6. Mozart: Don Giovanni, K.527
  7. Mozart: The Magic Flute, K.620
  8. Beethoven: Fidelio
  9. Verdi: La Traviata
  10. Puccini: La Boheme
  11. Rossini: The Barber of Seville
  12. Wagner: Die Walkuere
  13. Bizet: Carmen
  14. Sullivan: The Pirates of Penzance
  15. Gershwin: Porgy and Bess
  16. Weill:   Threepenny Opera
  17. Strauss:  Salome
  18. Berg: Wozzeck
  19. Britten: Billy Budd
  20. Glass:   Akhnaten

L10 A list of music written between 1900 and 1918:
  1. Debussy:  La Mer
  2. Strauss:    Salome, Rosenkavalier
  3. Mahler:  Symphony #9
  4. Schoenberg:  Pierrot Lunaire, 5 Pieces for Orch.
  5. Sibelius:  Symphony #2
  6. Stravinsky:  The Rite of Spring, Petrushka
  7. Webern:    6 Pieces, Op. 10
  8. Berg:    Altenberg Songs
  9. Holst:  The Planets
  10. Ives   3rd symphony, Concord Sonata
  11. Reger:    Clarinet Quintet
  12. Scriabin:  Piano Sonatas
  13. Rachmaninov: 2nd Symphony
  14. Bartok:    Bagatelles
  15. Prokofiev:   Classical Symphony, Scythian Suite
  16. Satie:   Parade
  17. Vaughan-Williams:  Lark Ascending

L11 A list of music written between 1920 and 1945:
  1. Berg:  Violin Concerto
  2. Gershwin:   Rhapsody in Blue
  3. Webern:   Symphony
  4. Copland:  Appalachian Spring, Rodeo
  5. Bartok:   Music for Strings
  6. Shostakovich: Symphonies #1, #5
  7. Prokofiev:    Alex. Nevsky
  8. Vaughan-Williams: Fantaisa on a theme by Thomas Tallis
         9. Orff:  Carmina Burana
  10. Durufle:   Requiem
  11. Ellington:   Black and Tan Fantasy
  12. Milhaud:   Le creation du monde
  13. Honnegger:   Pacific 231
  14. Messiaen:   Quartet for the End of Time
  15. Harris:   Symphony #3
  16. Hanson:   Symphony #2
  17. Janacek:   Katya Kabanova
  18. Schoenberg:  Moses und Aron
  19. Sibelius:   Symphony #7

L12 A list of music written since 1945:
  1. Boulez:   Pli selon pli
  2. Babbitt:   A Solo Requiem, 2nd Quartet
  3. Carter:   A Mirror on Which to Dwell
  4. Bernstein:  Chichester Psalms
  5. Poulenc:  Gloria
  6. Britten:  War Requiem
  7. Riley:   In C
  8. Reich:   Desert Music
  9. Glass:   Glassworks
  10. Rochberg:   3rd Quartet
  11. Crumb:   Black Angels
  12. Stravinsky:  Requiem Canticles, Rake's Progress
  13. Schoenberg:  A Survivor from Warsaw

L13        A list of piano concerti
  1. Bach: Brandenburg #5 (Harpsichord)
                2. Mozart:      Piano Concerti #20, #21, #23 (K.466, 467, 488)
                3. Beethoven:   Concerti #4, #5
                4. Chopin:      Concerti #1, #2
                5. Grieg:       Piano Concerto
                6. Schumann:    Piano Concerto
                7. Liszt:       Concerto #1
                8. Tchaikovsky: Concerto #1
                9. Brahms:      Concerti #1, #2
                10. Rachmaninov: Concerti #2, #3
         11. Bartok Concerto #2
  12. Prokofiev  Concerto #3
  13. Mendelssohn Concerto #1

L14        A list of violin concerti
                1. Vivaldi:     The Four Seasons
                2. Bach:        Concerti #1, #2; for 2 violins
                3. Mozart:      Concerti #3-5 (K.216, 218, 219)
                4. Beethoven:   Violin Concerto
                5. Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
                6. Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
                7. Brahms:      Violin Concerto
                8. Bruch:       Concerto #1
  9. Bartok:  Concerto #2
  10. Prokofiev: Concerto #1
  11. Stravinsky: Violin Concerto
            12. Shostakovich:  Violin Concerto
  13. Sibelius:   Violin Concerto
                14. Elgar:      Violin Concerto

L15        A list of symphonies
                1. Mozart:      Symphony #38, #40, #41 (K.504, 550, 551)
                2. Beethoven:   Symphonies #3, #5, #6, #9 ("Choral")
                3. Haydn:       Symphonies #94, #101, #104
                4. Schubert:    Symphonies #8 "Unfinished" & #9 "The Great"
                5. Schumann:    Symphonies #1, #3
                6. Berlioz:     Symphonie Fantastique
                7. Saint-Saens: Symphony #3 ("Organ")
                8. Bruckner:    Symphonies #4, #9
                9: Tchaikovsky: Symphonies #4-6
                10.Brahms:      Symphonies #3, #4
                11.Franck:      Symphony in d
                12.Borodin:     Symphony #2
                13.Dvorak:      Symphony #7, #8, #9 "New World"
                14.Mahler:      Symphonies #5, #9
                15.Sibelius:    Symphony #2
                16.Rachmaninov: Symphony #2
                17.Nielsen:     Symphony #4
                18.Prokofiev:   Symphony #5
                19.Elgar:       Symphony #1
                20.Copland:     Symphony #3

L16       A list of representative piano/harpsichord music:
  1. Frescobaldi: Toccatas
                2. Bach:        Goldberg Variations
                3. Scarlatti:   Harpsichord Sonatas
                4. Mozart:      Sonatas #8, #11, #13, #15 (K.310,331,333,545)
    Sonata in D, K.576, Rondo K.511, Adagio K.540
  5. Haydn: Sonata #52
                6. Chopin:      Ballades, Nocturnes, Etudes, etc.
                7. Mendelssohn: Songs without Words
                8. Schubert:    Impromptus Op. 90, 
    Sonatas for Piano D. 959, 960
    F minor fantasy for piano 4-hands
                9. Beethoven:   Piano sonatas #14, 23
  10. Schumann: Carnaval, Op.9; Fantasy in C, Op. 17
                11. Liszt:       Sonata in b minor
                12. Ravel:       Miroirs, Gaspard de la nuit
                13. Debussy:     Preludes
                14. Liszt:       Transcendental Etudes
                15. Rachmaninov: Etudes, Preludes (inc. Op. 3 #2)

L17      A list of chamber music:
  1. Purcell: Trio Sonatas
  2. Telemann: Trio Sonatas
                3. Mozart       Divertimento, K.563
                4. Mozart:      String Quartets K.387,421,428,458,464,465,590
                5. Mozart:      Clarinet Quintet, K.581
                6. Mozart       String Quintets (K.515, 516, 593, 614)
                7. Haydn:       String Quartet, Op. 76 #3
                8. Beethoven:   String Quartets #8, #14
                9. Beethoven:   Piano Quintet
                10. Schubert:   String Quartet #14 "Death & the Maiden"
                11. Schubert:   Piano Quintet "Trout"
                12. Mendelssohn: String Octet
                13. Schumann:   Piano Quintet
                14. Dvorak:     String Quartets #10, #14
                15. Dvorak:     Piano Trio #4
                16. Borodin:    String Quartet #2
                17. Brahms:     Piano Trio #1

L18 A list of modern chamber music:
  1. Bartok: 6 quartets
  2. Schoenberg: 4 quartets, Op.. 7,10 (w/soprano),30, 37
  3. Berg:  Lyric Suite
  4. Webern:  Quartet for Sax, Clarinet, Cello, and Piano.
  5. Debussy:  Quartet, sonata for flute, viola, harp.
  6. Ravel:  Quartet, duo for violin and cello
  7. Shostakovich: Quartets, No. 8, 13-15.
  8. Janacek:  Mladi, Intimate Letters Quartet
  9. Stravinsky: Octet
  10. Babbitt:  2nd quartet
  11. Carter:  3rd quartet
  12. Quartets by Scelsi and Schnittke.

L19        A list of viola and cello concerti
  1. Telemann: Viola Concerto
                2. Haydn:       Cello concerto in D op.101
                3. Boccherini:  Cello concerto in B flat
                4. Schumann:    Cello concerto
                3. Dvorak:      Cello concerto op.104
                5. Tchaikovsky: Variations on a rococo theme
                6. Saint Saens: Cello Concerto #1
                7. Lalo:        Cello Concerto
                8. Walton:      Viola Concerto, Cello Concerto
                9. Bartok:      Viola Concerto
                10. Elgar:       Cello Concerto op.85
                11. Hindemith:  Viola Concerto
                12. Barber:     Cello Concerto
                13. Shostakovitch:      Cello Concerto #1
                14. Khachaturian:       Cello Concerto
                15. Moeran:     Cello Concerto
                16. Delius:     Cello Concerto
                17. Bloch:      Schelomo
                18. Penderecki: Cello Concerto #2

L20      A list of violin and piano music
                1. Mozart:      Sonata K.454
                2. Beethoven:   Sonata #5 op.24 "Spring"
                3. Schumann:    Sonatas op.105 & 121
                3. Brahms:      Sonata #3
                4. Franck:      Sonata in A
                5. Faure:       Sonata #1
                6. Lekeu:       Sonata in G
                7. Strauss:     Sonata in E flat
                8. Respighi:    Sonata in B minor
                9. Saint-Saens: Sonata op.75
                10. Lalo:       Sonata
                11. Grieg:      Sonata #3
                12. Pierne:     Sonata
                13. Debussy:    Sonata
                14. Elgar:      Sonata
                15. Janacek:    Sonata
                16. Walton:     Sonata
                17. Bartok:     Sonata #2

-----

Q3. I heard this melody on the radio.  How do I figure out what it is?

First option:  Call the radio station and ask.  They're usually quite
helpful about this sort of thing.

Second option: Most mainstream-market classical stations publish a
monthly program guide.  If you are a regular listener, you might
consider subscribing for just this reason.

Beyond that, we are presuming you know a little something about musical
notation or at the very least, musical note names.  Your local music
library will have a number of dictionaries of musical themes that will
help you identify the theme.  See below in the reference books
section.

If after researching you still cannot find the theme, then post to the 
net with the theme represented as note-names.




Q4. 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?

This question is one that often confronts even the most seasoned
record collectors.  The decision of which version of a piece to buy on
record is entirely a matter of taste.  Experienced listeners often
know the style of each conductor and can judge on that basis.  If you
are unfamiliar with a piece or with the versions available to you, you
might want to start off by looking in the Penguin Guide (see
"Reference Books" below).  Though not always 100% on the mark, this
guide will describe the differences between multiple recordings of a
given work, and may enable you to choose the recording that is right
for you.  There are also magazines such as Fanfare, Grammophone,
Stereo Review, Audio, and some of the high-end audio journals that
review new recordings on a regular basis.


Q5. How do I find out if [insert piece] has ever been recorded?

*EVER* been recorded is tough.  To check if there is a current release
of your piece of choice, look in Opus, a publication put out by
Schwann that lists all works currently available.  Most record stores
will either sell you a copy, or have a desk copy that you can use.  If
you're looking for an old vinyl recording, you'll have to check with a
rare record dealer.  Many maintain very extensive back issues of the
Schwann catalog and can help you locate that rare gem.

Current discs in print can be found in Phonolog, a large looseleaf book
available at all record dealers.  Akin to "Books in Print."


Q6. What is that music in [insert TV show/movie here] ?

We have a little joke in the newsgroup that no matter what movie or TV
show, it's probably either Pachelbel's Canon or Carmina Burana.
Anyway, here is a list of some movies and TV shows and the music they
contain.

2001, A Space Odyssey  Also sprach Zarathustra  R. Strauss
2001, A Space Odyssey  Blue Danube Waltz  J. Strauss
2001, A Space Odyssey  Lux Eterna   Ligeti
Acura commercial  Romeo & Juliet   Prokofeiv
All That Jazz   Spring from The Four Seasons Vivaldi
Apocalypse Now   Die Walkure   Wagner
Babette's Feast   Don Giovanni   Mozart
Breaking Away   Barber of Seville  Rossini
A Clockwork Orange  Symphony #9   Beethoven
A Clockwork Orange  William Tell Overture  Rossini
A Clockwork Orange  Barber of Seville overture Rossini
A Clockwork Orange  La Gazza Ladra overture  Rossini
Dark Eyes   Barber of Seville  Rossini
Death in Venice   Symphony #5   Mahler 
Die Hard   Symphony #9   Beethoven
Diva    La Wally   Catalani
Elvira Madigan   Piano Cto. #21    Mozart
Empire of The Sun  Suo Gan (Welsh folksong...circumflex on the a)
Excalibur   Carmina Burana   Carl Orff
Fatal Attraction  Madama Butterfly  Puccini 
Foul Play   The Mikado   Sullivan
Forbidden Games   Romance    Yepes
A Fish Called Wanda  Barber of Seville  Rossini
Gallipoli   Les Pecheurs de Perles  Bizet
Glory    Original music    James Horner
Grey Fox   Martha    Flotow 
Heaven Help Us   Hallelujah Chorus (Messiah) Handel
Hannah and Her Sisters  Manon Lescaut   Puccini 
Huntley/Brinkley Report  Symphony #9   Beethoven
Hopscotch   Barber of Seville  Rossini
Hopscotch   Eine kleine Nachtmusik  Mozart
Jean de Florette  Forza del Destino  Verdi 
Kramer vs. Kramer  Concerto for 2 Mandolins Vivaldi
Lone Ranger theme  William Tell Overture finale Rossini
Masterpiece Theater theme Symphonie de Fanfare  Mouret
Moderns    Marriage of Figaro  Mozart 
Moonstruck   La Boheme   Puccini 
My Brilliant Career  "Of Foreign Land and Peoples"
       from Kinderszenen  Schumann
Olympic Music ('84)  Olympic Fanfare   John Williams
Olympic Music (Every year) Bugler's Dream   Leo Arnaud
Ordinary people/GE lightbulb Canon in D   Pachelbel
Platoon    Adagio for Strings  Barber
Pretty Woman   La Traviata   Verdi
Prizzi's Honor   L'Elisir d'Amore  Donizetti
Prizzi's Honor   Barber of Seville  Rossini 
Raging Bull   Cavalleria Rusticana  Mascagni
Room with a View  Gianni Schicchi   Puccini 
Room with a View  La Rondine   Puccini 
Sammy and Rosie   Der Erlkonig   Schubert
The Shining   Music for Strings  Bartok
Slam Dance   Samson et Delilah  Saint-Saens
Someone To Watch Over Me Lakme    Delibes 
Someone To Watch Over Me Gloria    Vivaldi
Somewhere in Time  Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini Rachmaninoff
Sophie's Choice   Kinderszenen   Schumann
The Four Seasons  The Four Seasons  Vivaldi
Trading Places   The Marriage of Figaro  Mozart
Traffik    String Quartet #8  Shostakovich
Untouchables   Pagliacci   Leoncavallo
Wall Street   Rigoletto   Verdi 
Witches of Eastwick  Turandot   Puccini 
Year of Living Dangerously Four Last Songs   Strauss, R.

Many of opera cuts can be found on one of the following recordings by Angel:
 Opera Goes to the Movies
 Son of Opera Goes to the Movies


Q7. What are the best reference works on music in general?

The supreme musical references is probably the New Grove Dictionary of
Music and Musicians.  This is a multi-volume set, about as large as
your average encyclopedia, so you'll probably have to trek to your
local library to find a copy.

Two more obtainable books are a) the New Harvard Dictionary of Music
(and the paperback version, the Concise Harvard Dictionary of Music),
and b) The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music.  Both of these are
invaluable for all musicians and music enthusiasts.

David Mason Greene: Greene's Biographical Encyclopedia of Composers
(David Mason Greene) is a good choice for interested amateurs and
general listeners (those needing less than Grove's, in other words),
Greene is a great source because it's compact and includes a huge
number of composers (2400).  His information could be refined in a
number of places, but there are few other source that fill the same
need.

There are composer biographies, almost all of them excellent,
published by Norton/Grove.  These are the dictionary articles, with
worklist, bibliography, and index, and slightly updated.  Some volumes
cover several composers, e.g., Bach Family, Northern European Baroque
Masters.

Grove also has multi-volume special dictionaries for opera, American
music, and musical instruments.

When picking recorded performances with which you are unfamiliar, you
might wish to consult the Penguin Guide.  This book provides a good
starting point, and while it doesn't get everything right, it does
have some excellent reviews, and can do a lot to help you identify the
differences between the myriad versions of any particular piece. Be
warned, though.  The Penguin folks have been known to have what some
consider an unfair bias against some early-instrument recordings.  So
read some of the reviews with a grain of salt.  There are also the
"Opus" catalogs put out by Schwann, the musical version of "Books in
Print."  Many people also swear by magazines like Fanfare, Grammophone,
etc.  for reviews.

If you don't have time to read all those magazines, you might want to
check out Stevenson's Guide to classical recordings.  This publication
synthesizes the reviews of about 30 different magazines.  Thus you
aren't getting only one opinion, but an overview of what all the
various critics thought about a given disc.  The Guide also contains a
CD Guide Honor Roll, which lists the performances that have received a
three-plus (+++) rating from at least four critics, with no negative
reviews given from any other critic. In other words, if you buy based
on this honor roll list, you're pretty much assured of getting a
decent recording.  This very useful publication is available at some
record stores, or else you can order it from Stevenson Classical Disk
Guide, P.O. Box 53286, Indianapolis, IN 46253. Subscription price is
$31 per year, four editions per year.

When trying to identify that theme you have running around in your
head, consult Barlow & Morgenstern's dictionaries.  "A Dictionary of
Musical Themes" and "A Dictionary of Opera and Song Themes" are
essential references.

A good all-around historical reference book is "A History of Western
Music" by Donald Jay Grout and Claude V. Palisca.  More than one grad
student has curled up by the fireplace with this tome in preparation
for qualifiers.

The Music Research Division of the New York Public Library has a 
telephone reference service.  The number is +1 212 870 1650.


Q8. What distinguishes classical music from popular music?

Scholars go round and round on this one.  Some say that classical
music has more structure and "form" than popular music, but everyone
knows that there is plenty of form in popular music.  Others say that
"classical music is an art, and popular music is entertainment."
While that may in part be true, to make that assertion is perhaps to
scoff at some of the artistry that exists in the popular venues.

Today, classical music has an elite patronage, whereas popular music
has more universal appeal.  Also, classical music is generally
considered to have a more unified and rigorous body of theory.  Of
course, these concepts did not exist at the time that most of the
"classical" music was written.  

"Classical" music is repertoire music; when two artists play a piece,
the results will be similar, the differences subtle.  Compare
different jazz versions or different pop versions of a song.  One is
likely to find much more difference there.


Q9. What is the difference between an opera and a musical?

Generally, a musical has dialogue with interspersed songs.  Opera is
generally sung through, the dialogue portions being replaced with
recitatives (music which is intoned in a way that resembles speech).
There are notable exceptions to this rule, e.g. Carmen (Bizet) and The
Magic Flute (Mozart), both of which have spoken dialogue. The German
name for operas with spoken dialogue is singspiel (pronounced
ZING-shpeel).  German productions pre-Wagner were almost always
singspiel

Many musicals, such as Les Miserables, Chess, Joseph, etc. are sung
through, and are, in the classical world, often referred to as
"popular operas" or "rock operas" to signify that they do bear some
resemblance to "classical" opera.

Another important difference is that in musicals, the principal
singers also dance.  In opera that never happens.


Q10. What is the history behind Orff's Carmina Burana?

"Carmina Burana" was originally a cycle of medieval songs. The text is
rather risque poetry written by medieval students.  Carl Orff adapted
some of them into the best known arrangement, not surprisingly called
"Carmina Burana," in the 1930s.  Of the songs he adapted, some are in
Latin and some are in Middle High German (much as Chaucer's "Canterbury 
Tales" is in Middle English).  The best known of the songs he used is 
"Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi" (a.k.a. "O Fortuna"), which was heavily used 
in the film EXCALIBUR.

Carmina Burana is a wonderful introduction to classical music for the
Bruce Springsteen generation.  When novice listeners are told s that
it's all about sex, drinking, gambling, and more sex, it breaks down a
few of their preconceived notions about the classics.  

The full texts to Carmina Burana, both original languages and English
translation can be found in the internet music archives, accessible by
Gopher or FTP (ftp.uwp.edu).  We include the first movement here owing
to the frequency with which the request is made.

Q11. What are the words to the first movement? (the one in all the movies)

Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi               Fortune, Empress of the World
1. O Fortuna                           1. O Fortune
  Coro                                   Chorus

O fortuna,                             O fortune,
velut Luna                             like the moon
statu variabilis,                      you are changeable,
semper crescis,                        ever waxing
aut decrescis                          and waning;


vita detesabilis                       hateful life
nunc obdurat                           first oppresses
et tunc curat                          and then soothes
ludo mentis aciem;                     as fancy takes it;
egestatem,                             poverty
potestatem                             and power
dissolvit ut glaciem.                  it melts them like ice.

Sors immanis                           Fate - monstrous
et inanis.                             and empty.
rota tu volubilis.                     you whirling wheel,
status malus                           you are malevolent,
vana salus                             well-being is in vain
semper dissolubilis,                   and always fades to nothing.
obumbrata                              shadowed
et velata                              and veiled
mihi quoque niteris;                   you plague me too;
nunc per ludum                         now through the game
dorsum nudum                           I bring my bare back
fero tui sceleris.                     to your villainy.

Sors salutis                           Fate is against me
et virtutis                            in health
mihi nunc contraria                    and virtue,
est affectus                           driven on
et defectus                            and weighted down,
semper in angaria.                     always enslaved.
Hac in hora                            So at this hour
sine mora                              without delay
cordum pulsum tangite;                 pluck the vibrating strings;
quod per sortem                        since Fate
sternit fortem,                        strikes down the strong man,
mecum omnes plangite !                 everyone weep with me !


Q12. How do you pronounce all those conductors', composers', and
performers' names?

We don't have schwas and umlauts in ASCII, so I'll do my best.  A *k
indicates that the guttural k sound (as in chutzpah or Bach) should be
used. #k indicates a palatal "ch" sound as in "reich."  *n is the
french "n" as in "bon."  *r is the French r. "zh" as in "vision"  

 Claudio Abbado   ah-BAH-do
 Earnest Ansermet  ahn-sair-MAY
 Arleen Auger   Au-ZHAY
 Daniel Barenboim  BARE-'n-boim
 Berlioz    Bair-lee-OHZ
 Leonard Bernstein  BURN-stine
 Bizet    BI-zay
 Pierre Boulez   BU-lez
 Dietrich Buxtehude  DEE-tri#k BOOKS-te-hoo-de
 Chailly    CHI-yee
 Chopin    Sho-PA(*)N
 Couperin   COU-peh*r-a*n
 Debussy    De-bu-SEE
 Antal Dorati             Ahn-TAHL DOH-rah-tee
 Charles Dutoit   Du-TWAH
 Dukas    DU-kahss
 Dvorak    D'VOR-zhack
 Faure    FAU-*ray
 Cesar Franck             Say-ZAHR Frahnk
 Wilhelm Furtwangler  VIL-helm FOORT-veng-ler
 Bernard Haitink   BURN-ard HIGH-tink
 Haydn    HIDE-in
 Herbert von Karajan  HAIR-bairt Fawn KAHR-ay-ahn.
 Kodaly    KO-dai
 Raymond Leppard   LEP-pard
 James Levine   Luh-VINE
 Liszt    List
 Charles Mackerras  Muh-KAHR-ass
 Neville Marriner  NEH-vul MARR-in-er
 Kurt Masur   Mah-ZOOR
 Zubin Mehta   ZOO-bin MAY-tuh
 Monteverdi   Mon-te-VARE-dee (not Mon-te-VUR-dee)
 Mozart    MOH-tsart
 Johann Pachelbel  YO-hahn Pa-*KEL-bel
 Poulenc    POO-lenk (that's how he pronounced it)
 Ravel    Ruh-VEL
 Reiner    RHINE-er
 Saint-Saens   Sa*n-SOH*N
 Schubert   SHOO-bert
 Shostakovitch   shash-teh-KOH-vich
 Smetana    SMET-nuh
 Georg Solti   jorj SHOL-tee
 George Szell   jorj sell
 Tchaikovsky        Chiy-KAHF-skee
 Verdi    VARE-dee (not VUR-dee)
 Richard Wagner   *RI#K-art VAHG-ner
 Bruno Walter   VAHL-ter
 Webern    VAY-bairn
 Weelkes    Weelks
 Wilbye    WILL-bee

(Please do not send mail "correcting" the French pronunciations.  I
know there are many schools of thought on them.  I finally settled it
for the FAQ by asking a native Frenchman.  Unless you can offer a very
compelling argument the other way, it's staying.  Sue me.  Sorry, but
I'm sick to death of my mailbox flooding every month with thirty
opinions on how to pronounce Debussy. Thank you for your cooperation.)


Q13. How are composers' works usually indexed?

That depends on the composer.  Many of the significant composers'
works have been organized into thematic catalogs.  For example,
Mozart's works are generally catalogged according to the Koechel
Verzeichnis ("Koechel Catalog"), and thus you will often see a work of
Mozart referred to by its K (or KV) number (The Requiem, for example,
is K.626).  Bach's works are usually indexed with BWV (Bach Werke
Verzeichnis) numbers.  Similarly, Vivaldi's works are referred to with
RV numbers, Buxtehude's with BuxWV numbers, etc.

Other composers who published their works in collections have opus
numbers.  Thus, for instance, a Haydn string quartet might be Op. 77
#1.  Some composers such as Handel have compositions referenced both
by opus numbers and by a thematic catalog code (in the case of Handel,
it's the HWV).

Here is a list of the major thematic catalogs...

  B      - Catalog of the works of Dvorak by Burghauser
  BeRI   - Catalog of the works of Roman by Bengtsson
  BuxWV  - "Buxtehude-Werke-Verzeichnis" Catalog of the works of
            Buxtehude by Karstadt
  BWV    - "Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis" Catalog of the works of J.S. Bach
            by Schmeider (sometimes designated by "S.")
  D      - Catalog of the works of Schubert by Deutsch
  D      - Catalog of the violin concertos of Tartini by Dounias
  E      - Catalog of the symphonies of L. Mozart by Eisen
  F      - Catalog of the works of Vivaldi by Fanna
  F      - Catalog of the works of W.F. Bach by Falck
  G      - Catalog of the works of Boccherini by Gerard
  G      - Catalog of the works of Torelli by Giegling
  G      - Catalog of the violin concertos of Viotti by Giazotto
  H      - Catalog of the unpublished works of Beethoven by Hess
  H      - Catalog of the works of Charpentier by Hitchcock
  Hob    - Catalog of the works of F.J. Haydn by Hoboken
  HW     - Catalog of the works of J.C.F. Bach by H. Wohlforth
  HWV    - "Handel-Werke-Verzeichnis" Catalog of the works of Handel by Baselt
  J      - Catalog of the works C.M. von Weber by Jahns
  K      - Catalog of the works of W.A. Mozart by Koechel (same as KV below)
  K      - Catalog of the works of Rosetti
  K      - Catalog of the works of D. Scarlatti by Kirkpatrick
  KV     - "Koechel-Verzeichnis" Catalog of the works of W.A. Mozart by Koechel
  L      - Catalog of the works of D. Scarlatti by Longo
  L      - Catalog of the works of Debussy by Lesure
  LWV    - "Lully-Werke-Verzeichnis" Catalog of the works of Lully by Schneider
  M      - Catalog of the works of Vivaldi by Malipiero
  MS     - Catalog of the works of Molter
  Op     - Opus number, generally a chronological publication number that may
            have been assigned by either the publisher or composer
  P      - Catalog of the works of J.M. Haydn by Perger
  P      - Catalog of the works of Vivaldi by Pincherle
  R      - Catalog of the works of Vivaldi by Malipiero as published by Ricordi
  R      - Catalog of the works of Gottleib Muffat by Riedl
  RO     - Catalog of the works of Gottschalk
  RV     - Catalog of the works of Vivaldi by Ryom
  S      - Catalog of the works of Liszt by Searle
  SR     - Catalog of the works of Soler by Padre Samuel Rubio
  SWV    - "Schutz-Werke-Verzeichnis" Catalog of the works of Schutz by
            Bittinger
  TWV    - "Telemann-Werke-Verzeichnis" Catalog of the works of Telemann
            by Kassel
  VB     - "Valentini Bakfark Opera Omnia" Catalog of the works of Balint
            Bakfark
  WoO    - "Werk ohne Opuszahl" or "Work without opus number", typically
            unpublished works or works that were not assigned an opus number
            by the composer
  Wq     - Catalog of the works of C.P.E. Bach by Wotquenne
  WWV    - "Wagner-Werke-Verzeichnis" Catalog of the works of Wagner by
            Deatheridge, Geck & Voss
  Z      - Catalog of the works of Purcell by Zimmerman


Q14. What's the point of having a conductor?  Can't professional
     musicians keep time by themselves?

Yes, professional musicians can keep time by themselves, but a
conductor does significantly more than just beat time.  A good
conductor will add interpretation and shape to a piece of music by
controlling the dynamics of the music and by indicating entrances
and cutoffs with great precision.  There are some orchestras that
play without a conductor (the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra springs to
mind), but even in that case, there is usually one instrumentalist
who functions as the "leader" and who the other musicians look to
for cues.  Many pieces change tempo in mid-stride, and a single 
person making the choice of exactly when and how can make the 
transition occur with great precision.

In a large symphony orchestra there is also the additional problem
that very often the acoustics of the hall are such that the musicians
on, for instance, the extreme right of the orchestra simply cannot
hear what the musicians on the extreme left are doing, and thus it is
necessary to have a common reference, namely, the conductor.  While it
is true that each musician can keep time, the accumulated error would 
eventually cause the rhythm to become murky.

The conductor has yet another purpose, and that is to set the "tone"
of a piece.  Whether the conductor uses sudden, forceful movements or
smooth and delicate strokes will in many ways affect the way the
musicians interpret the music and subsequently, the overall color of
the work.

Listen for yourself to the effects of the conductor.  Pick any work
that you know well and listen to a particular recording many times...
until you really feel you *know* it.  Then buy or borrow recordings of
the same piece under other conductors.  How is it different?  Is the
conductor interpreting the music differently?  Is he adding color to
certain areas and letting other areas speak for themselves?  With
practice it becomes relatively easy to differentiate conductors'
styles.


Q15. Will a "DDD" recording always sound better than "ADD" or "AAD"?  What
        do those codes mean anyway?

In the early days of the CD, the Society of Professional Audio
Recording Services (SPARS) [pronounced "sparz" not "sparse"] developed
a three-letter coding system to distinguish between the types of
recording equipment used at different junctures of the making of a CD.
The D indicates digital equipment, and the A indicates analog
equipment.

The first letter indicates the type of equipment used in the initial
recording.  The second letter indicates the type of equipment used for
mixing and editing.  The third letter is superfluous.  It indicates
the type of equipment used for mastering, which in the case of a CD
can only be digital.

Many people use the SPARS code as a barometer of the sound quality of
a CD, and this is a wrong thing to do.  The SPARS code doesn't, nor
was it ever meant to reflect the actual quality of the CD.  Between
digital and analog recorders, neither intrinsically sounds better than
the other.  A recording made on a good Studer A820 fitted out with
Dolby SR will generally sound better than a recording made on a cheap
Sony TCD-D3 DATman, though the DATman will sound better than many
cheap analog systems.

In the end, both analog and digital systems have the ability to sound
great or to sound awful.  It all depends on the type of equipment and
the skill of the engineer operating it.  Many modern DDD recordings
are so carelessly made that they don't sound nearly as good as
recordings made 20 years ago.  Then again, a good DDD can sound
*excellent*, as can a good analog recording.  You get the idea.

Of course, neither method of recording says anything about miking.
Even if the engineer uses the best digital equipment, if the mikes are
not placed properly, the recording won't sound very good, and a good
mic technique recorded to a walkman will in all likelyhood be more
aesthetically pleasing.




Q15. What is "authentic performance practice"?

Any musical work can be interpreted in a variety of different ways.
Authentic performance practice stresses scholarship and an
understanding of the performance characteristics actually intended by
the composer.  Therefore, a performance of the Chicago Symphony
playing a Bach orchestral suite, for instance, would probably fail to
impress the authentic performance aficionados, because Bach never
intended for such a large ensemble.

Authentic performance practice can extend to instrument construction,
string material, tuning and temperament, seating arrangements, trills
and figures, numbers of performers on a given part, tempo, doublings,
and of course, overall playing technique.  Compare an authentic
performance and a modern performance of the same work.  One is likely
to notice substantial differences between them.  The choice as to which
one prefers is left as an exercise for the reader.


--
     Gabe Wiener -- gmw1@columbia.edu -- N2GPZ -- PGP on request
 Sound engineering, recording, and digital mastering for classical music
   "I am terrified at the thought that so much hideous and bad music
  will be put on records forever."  --Sir Arthur Sullivan

******************************************************************************
