My Classical Notes - Introduction

Ah, welcome. I've been expecting you. Pardon the dust––my
cleaning lady is on holiday. But spend some time over a cup of tea
and meet my old friend, the world of classical music...

I have analyzed the works of famous classical music composers and
can tell you of their tunes and tendencies. While it can be difficult to
reduce a composer's lifetime of work to a page or two, my goal is to
give you a reasonable overview so you can quickly decide who you
like and who to avoid. My analysis is unvarnished, uncompromising
and unapologetic. My classical music taste is fairly typical. If I am
bored, excited or enchanted by a particular composition, chances
are you will be too. Along the way, I may regale you with intriguing
yarns spun from my personal musical journey.

For the beginners, classical music is not 'elevator music'. You hear it
all the time but don't recognize it as classical music. Spooky organ
music in old black & white horror flicks may be the work of J. S. Bach.
You get married to the music of Felix Mendelssohn (A Midsummer
Night's Dream - Wedding March). Even cartoons make use of
Beethoven (Für Elise), Brahms (Wiegenlied) and Mussorgsky (St.
John's Night on the Bare Mountain). It's all around you. It can make
you happy, sad, inspired, relaxed, and everything in between. And
the composers who wrote it all are as interesting and varied as the
music itself.

If you are new to musical terms, I encourage you to sift through the
musical jargon section so you understand our lingo. While I try to
avoid technical discussions, sometimes they are warranted and you
really should understand words and phrases like 'dynamics' and
'chord progression'.

So enjoy your stay. But know this––you may not want to leave.