General Chat

Pat!!! I must also be uncool then because I LOVE Classical Music! At the Nursery where I work with 4 year olds - we have always incorporated classical music into our curriculum and now recent brain research is showing the enormous benefits of the use of classical music in early childhood education. Don't just think of classical music as 'soothing and non-aggressive' because it isn't all like that. Most of it has a strong beat and I defy people NOT to tap their feet to most of Beethoven's symphonies!! Besides playing it as background music, we introduce it during music class. We listen to different styles. Discuss the instruments. The tempo. Whether it is happy or sad or angry or what other emotion it conveys to us. A lot of times you can use different music for certain themes. Saint-Saens' 'Carnival of the Animals' could be used for a circus or animal theme. The children could act out the animals while listening or draw the animals they hear. (And listen to the Aquarium section...for those of us into Disney's Beauty and the Beast it is strangely similar) For Halloween you might listen to Mussorgsky's 'A Night On Bald Mountain' or Saint-Saens' 'Danse Macabre.' Be creative and have a great time with it! What children learn to appreciate now will stay with them their entire lives! I love introducing children to all my old friends: Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Handel, DuParc, Faure, Saint-Saens, etcetera! ;o))) Kim XXXXX

Hiya Pat, we used to have Mozart playing in the background for short periods during school exams. Apparently it helps with concentration levels. Something about the timing in Mozarts particular style stimulates certain areas of the brain. Skated to a fair bit of the stuff back in the day as well. Now, on the rare occassions I get rid of all the family at the same time at night, I love nothing more than to sit in the living room with the classical blaring, soft candles and a bottle of wine. Sure beats some of the crap they call music these days. Rebs x

Hi Kim :-))) I agree with you how can anyone resist Beethoven but there are people who do lol. A friend of my mum and dad's from many years ago who would have been in his fifities at the time was complaining a lot about his neighbour who lived downstairs, this mate was going on about the bloke playing his music really loud, so of course my parents thought he meant pop music but this bloke says no it's that weird stuff lol. Dah dah dah dah, dah dah dah dah turns out it was Beethoven's fifth LMHO it really takes all sorts. I remember Carnival of the Animals from School and I am sure Dance Macabre was used in a film quite surreal but I can't remember the name of the film :-( I really love Saint Saens Symphony No.3. the melody which was adapted for 'If I had words' or is it 'If Only I had Words' ?most people know that now from the film 'Babe' as far as I remember 3 mice sing it in the film :-)Such a lovely melody, the reason I like Tchaikovsky so much is for the melodies.Wish they would let the kids hear even snippets of Classical Music broaden their musical minds Pat x

Hi Huia or do I call you extinct bird lol. In the 1970's a friend of mine brought me to the Albert Hall for the 1812 Overture live it was the most amazing thing I had heard and seen I cannot describe the feeling knowing the music so well it was truly awesome the cannon noises and pyrotechnics well it was just the greatest thing, fantastic, surely there is something that could be a school trip I would say the kids with be amazed at it. Sheila I have been trying to get into Wagner but I do have difficulty tried before and it didn't work :-( Bryan I know what you mean, but when tiredness, stress or just chilling nothing like a little of classical, I have sat and watched a bit of ballet when it's been Tchaikovsky, but then I am biased but have never been able for ballet or Opera :-( except for the odd Aria the one I adore is from Madame Butterfly 'One Fine Day' even liked it when Malcolm MacLaren took it :-))) Elizabeth exactly my thoughts if children are introduced to classical music they either get into it or its at the back of their mind and maybe sometime in the future they can appreciate it :-))) Hi Alter will try that sounds good to me ;-)

Hi Rebs :-) I love Mozart from when I was little, something about his youth I remember I think 1970-71 Waldo Del Los Rios doing what was called a jazzed up version of Mozart 40th I decided to check the way it should be, well not much jazzing went on as the original had plenty of that :-))) Pat x

One of my favourite pieces would have to be Pachelbels Canon, although it does get a bit overdone being used so often for weddings. My daughter learnt it for string quartet a few years back, and I never got tired of listening to the rehearsals.

When I was at Primary School we had lots of different music in School Tchaikovsky was a favourite to be played. Most children growing up in the 1960's were introduced to 'Carnival of The Animals' by Saint Saen and an LP featuring the great Russian composer Prokofievs 'Peter & the Wolf' on the same LP was the brilliant 'Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten :-))) I was in a record shop when I first went to work years later and there in the racks was the very same LP of peter & the Wolf along with Young Persons guide to the Orchestra it's on Argo label & I still have it amongst 1,000's of other records. :-))) Pat x

Pat, I remember exactly the same things being played in my primary school. It must have been standard stuff in 'the old days'. We were encouraged to learn to play instruments as well - mainly the recorder, and those of us who were interested could stay behind after school one afternoon a week for recorder club, where we learned to sight-read music and played simple compositions of our own. We had a very talented pianist as one of our teachers, and his renditions of Chopin left me with lasting memories. He also played Addinsell's 'Warsaw Concerto' and Rachmaninov's 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini'. Even though they were only played on an upright piano in a school hall, they still sounded wonderful. (We kids used to call him 'Cliff' because his name was Mr H Webb. LOL) Bit of a difference from those other favourites of ours - Desmond Dekker and Bob Marley, eh? ;>))) CB >|< X

Terrific CB. Yes the good old days lol. Wonder was it London Schools, I went to two Church Of England Schools and both had same emphasis on Music especially the classics. I adore the Warsaw Concerto It is featured Intermezzo a 1939 film Ingrid Bergman & Leslie Howard lol 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini' aka Theme from South Bank Show love it also. That's the only way I remember some music is it put it with what the stolen one is, I know not an expert but it Love all the same. By the way we have something else in common that I noticed and I answered but don't know if you saw it last time many months ago, in our house when I was growing up we had an Lp of Joan Sutherland the one she sings 'Nuns Chorus from the Casanova Suite By Strauss, I loved the melody of that and the record got scratched searched high and low for a new copy & got one many years later. Also I love the Pensiero Chorus of The Hebrew Slaves. I love so many different styles of music & I think I have mainly Primary School to thank for that. I have found some people think only snobs like Classical music but I don't go with that, I do know there is a lot of snobbery in the very specialist side of classic music but not the popular classics. It really shows you how earlier influences can effect choices in later life. Although Reggae and Soul remain my favourites. Pat x

few years ago pad for 64 cd collction of classical music and also went to salzburg for mozorts bicentenary concert in castle

Sounds great Jim I am sure the concert was brilliant obviously you like Mozart too :-))) So do you listen to classic music a lot then? I think CDs were made for the spoken word and classic music as vinyl used to get cery noisy after lots of plays especially spoken word I have a a few comedy records and luckily they are still ok & listenable :-) Pat x

when i was in glasgow used to go to candleriggs fro opera tickets loved merchant of venice and marriage of figaro ps you have to exscuse my grammar and spelling i got severe dyslexia why i got study support at college, hate when people correct me without first asking why its wrong

i think stravinskys music is excellent as well but have no time for wagner

Hi Jim Love Marriage of Figarro don't know the Merchant of Venice :-( I agree I cannot get into Wagners music just doesn't do anything for me Now Stravinsky that's different, he did tributes to John Kennedy and Dylan Thomas didn't he? modern composers including Irving Berlin, Cole Porter The Gershwins Ira & George were my favourite :-))) Wow the response on this thread has been terrific I wish I had put a thread up just about Classic music rather than the topic i started with as this has been great. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to it. Pat x

do u like bizets carmen as well

do u ever listen to any music by john williams he does all the classical film scores

Jim CB and I were discussing Carmen earlier in the thread as it was adapted for a film called Carmen Jones with the wonderful Pearl Bailey, Harry Belafonte and the Tragic Dorothy Dandridge playing the tragic Carmen, I loved that film so much I still have the album lol It actually got me into the original Bizet Opera :-))) John Williams of 1,000's of film themes Star Wars, Close Encounters, Jaws & ET included lol. Yes I like him but prefer John Barry to be honest :-))) Pat x

just an enquiry pat you ever listen to someone called YANNI ask dea of lea valley who he is think may be kind of music you can listen to, although coudnt know 4 sure ok i going to bed that flash advert for last minute dot com along top of gens give me migraine

ooops forgot to say thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to s that classical music still has a very strong following, thanks for this thread ..jim..... short for jacob... not as others think james...hahah

Hi Pat Jim mentioned Yanni on a thread the other day and I listened to a snatch of the music on the web site he mentioned. I liked what I heard and ordered a CD. Very relaxing. It has been brilliant the number of new authors and different kinds of music I have been introduced to by people on this site, some better than others. Dee xx