Old School

So I've been on an orchestral music binge lately. I think I need to share some stuff

with people before this fades. This week's entry is a bit soon after the last one, but

I guess you can never listen to too much music. So pack a bowl and put on your

headphones, because the next hour is going to school you on your grandparents

shit.

Starting off is the 2nd movement from Shostakovich's 5th. I've been loving this one

lately, even so much as to learn it on guitar (channeling my creativity somehow I

guess?). Track two is Mars from Holst's The Planets. It's pretty much orchestral

heavy metal- 5/4 timing, heavy riffs, overall darkness. Next comes a familiar piece

by Rossini; I think if you've ever seen Looney Tunes you'll like that track. A bit of

Mozart is always nice for catchy themes too. Debussy's Prelude... is a phenomenal

symphonic poem that tells the story of (you guessed it) the afternoon of a faun. I

threw in some Beethoven because he's objectively the best composer ever, and his

5th symphony is one of the most significant symphonies in history (dun dun dun

duuuuuuuuuun). Finally, The Moldau by Smetana, which is another tone poem that

describes a river.

http://www.medi/afire.com/?y9i0128rhk6hkkz

1. Symphony #5 in D minor, Movement 2 - Dmitri Shostakovich

2. Mars, The Bringer of War - Gustav Holst - The Planets

3. The Barber of Seville - Gioachino Rossini - Il Barbiere di Siviglia

4. Symphony #40 in G minor, Movement 4 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

5. Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun - Claude Debussy

- Prelude a L'apres-Midi D'un Faune

6. Symphony #5 in C Minor, Movement 4 - Ludwig Van Beethoven

7. The Moldau - Bedrich Smetana - Ma Vlast (2nd movement-The Moldau)

For those interested, here's some more info on Beethoven's 5th:

You've no doubt heard the opening motive from Beethoven's 5th symphony. It's so

deeply rooted in society that even toddlers recognize it. Beethoven premiered it in

Vienna in 1808 to a packed house. At this point, people recognized Beethoven as

both a Classical and Romantic composer*. When this piece premiered, it blew

everyone's minds. The music was exceptional, but it was the form that Ludwig Van

used to change history. Normally, symphonies are 4 movements long with pauses

in between each. The first and last are typically faster, the second slower, and the

third a scherzo (or a waltz). L.V.B. said "nah fuck that" and decided break the

standard form and segue from the third movement to the fourth. At this point,

people were already crying and orgasming because of how great it was.

The fourth movement kicks in with a regal brass theme that jump-starts the finale

of the 5th symphony. I strongly recommend listening to the whole symphony if

you can get your hands on it. See if you can hear the (dun dun dun duuuuun)

motive throughout, because it's totally present in just about every section of the

symphony.

*Brief rundown of the eras of orchestral music:

First you have Gregorian which is basically hymnal/church music, but it's all a

capella and very somber. It was essentially all a bunch of monks chanting shit that

sounded really cool. Next came the Baroque period, which was spearheaded by

guys like Johann Sebastian Bach. Baroque is really ornamental music, very

decorated and busy. Next came the Classical period, to which Mozart belonged.

The music from this period is very catchy, very memorable and easy to listen to.

For example, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT7_Y1pIBb4 ). Following the Classical era

was the Romantic Period. This period is characterized by complex, emotional

music that was not necessarily as easily memorable. It was a period characterized

by expression and devoted to conjuring up images that fit the music (imagine

listening to a Looney Tunes episode and trying to picture in your head what was

happening). Beethoven was such a badass because he practically started the

Romantic period by bridging the Classical period into more expressive areas.

After that came impressionism (like the Debussy piece above), expressionism

(crazy german music akin to Dalí paintings), and even minimalism (early techno),

jazz, and Brokencyde http://www.myspace.com/brokencyde

Hope you enjoyed that :D