- Quick, name a famous composer.
I'm guessing that you thought Mozart or Beethoven, right?
There is an obvious reason for that.
It's that they're giants of music,
and the biggest influencers to come out of
what we call the Classical Era.
Not classical music at large,
but specifically the late 18th century.
(classical music)
Contemporary pop music encompasses many diverse
types of content, only one of which is the actual music.
The artist's story and personality and performance style
also play into a song's popularity
and cultural significance.
Remember, though, this has always been the case for music,
even with what we call classical music.
It's easy to forget, frankly,
because all of these people are dead,
but some famous composers lived lives so controversial
and eccentric and tragic that it is essential
to fully appreciating their music.
As you work to add more classical music
into your musical diet, go ahead and read up
on these icons like you would for any pop star.
It's exactly what audiences did
when they heard these composers for the first time.
They just didn't have Google to help.
For instance, everyone knows that Mozart
was a prodigy and a genius, but did you also know
that he's rumored to have loved a good poop joke?
Yeah, that's right.
In letters to friends and family,
he shows a flair for scatological humor,
and he even wrote a few songs for parties
with dirty lyrics, such as
K. 231 Canon in B-flat Major, (Leck mich im Arsch).
Is it okay to say that?
It's in German.
Regardless of what his humor may have been,
Mozart's music is undeniably genius,
as is Beethoven's, who wrote much of his work
in the shadow of Mozart's postmortem celebrity.
Beethoven is probably most famous for his nine symphonies.
In fact, you probably know most of them already.
(classical music)
Cool, so what exactly is a symphony?
Simply put, a symphony is a dramatic exploration
of a musical subject using melody, harmony,
rhythm, dynamics, and timbre.
It has three or four full movements of music,
with each movement structured in contrast to the others
to tell a wide sonic narrative.
First, there's the opening sonata allegro, or fast.
(rapid symphonic music)
Then, a second adagio piece, slow and expressive.
(slow symphonic music)
That's followed by a minuet, or a dance piece.
(mid-tempo symphonic music)
And concluded by another sonata allegro.
(rapid symphonic music)
Where a sonata is for one or a few instruments,
a symphony uses all four sections of an orchestra:
winds, brass, percussions, and strings.
And remember, the technology of each individual instrument
in an orchestra has its own history,
so as new musical technologies emerged,
the orchestras and the music written for them
evolved drastically.
For example, any piano piece you hear from Bach,
it was really written for the harpsichord
or for the clavichord.
There's so much to sink your teeth into
with classical music, from the history
to the artistry to the celebrity.
So next time you hear
(hums Beethoven's Symphony No. 5)
you will know there's plenty more after that.
For a great place to start,
check out our Lifehacker Spotify playlist
with some excellent classical pieces.