Bluffer's Guide to Classical Music 1
TobiasEver thought that you might like classical music but have no idea where to start? First rule: don’t worry about it. Let’s face it, rock music has basically forty-five years of history to digest but get to classical and there’s hundreds of years of stuff to wade through. Even the experts don’t know it all so don’t be intimidated…
Over the next however long it takes, we at Mouvement Nouveauwill gently guide you through the peaks and valleys of a basic classical music library. Now, when we say basic, we mean basic. This is no definitive list; this is simply a starting point from which you can launch yourself into the uncharted territory that is classical. Every instalment we’ll introduce just one or two key composers and tell you which bits to buy so as to impress your friends.
Part 1: Starting at the Beginning
You can pretty much divide the classical music into two: the bits before Bach and the bits after. Here are some of the bits before…
Early music, which we’ll define as everything before Bach (1685-1750), is a minefield. The styles are incredibly diverse and musical scholars argue endlessly amongst themselves about how the stuff should be performed. A major problem is that early composers rarely left indications on performance practice. It was expected that musicians would know how to play something in keeping with the style of the times. This means that musicians would know when a composer expected them to improvise and composers tended to leave a lot unwritten, assuming the performers would fill in the gaps. Nevertheless, there’s some great early music available in the shops, whether it’s performed as intended or not.
You could do worse than to start with Josquin Desprez. He lived from about 1440 until 1521, worked mostly in Northern France, and is considered by many to be the first truly great composer. So far as we know, all of his music was written for voices and most of his important works were religious.
If you’re after a sample of the finest unaccompanied vocal music of the Renaissance period then go for Josquin’s late masses, Missa de beata virgine and, even better, the Missa ‘Pange Lingua’. For a fine recording of the former, try the one by the vocal group A Sei Voci on the French label, Astree. For the latter, the best recording is by the Tallis Scholars on Gimell, made in 1987.
Just a bit later in date than Josquin was Thomas Tallis (c1505-1585). He wasn’t the first great English composer but he was probably the best until Purcell came along 150 years later. All you need to convince you can be found in his most famous piece, Spem in Alium. Written for 40 voices without accompaniment, it’s considered one of the finest pieces of a capella music ever written. Hear it performed by The Magnificat Choir directed by Philip Cave. It’s on the Linn label so expect to pay over $40. Consider it money well spent.
By Richard Betts
Thanks to Megan Johnson of Thread for the Support