September is Classical Music Month
Many/most of us enjoy listening to classical music, especially as we mature past our pop music years, though I’m sure some children and young people were attracted to it from an early age. One of the better definitions of classical music I could find can be read from this link: CLASSICAL MUSIC MONTH – September
Though I enjoy all classical music, I particularly enjoy the peaceful, soothing sound of Gregorian Chant. I have been surprised on occasion when people ask me “what’s that?” Many people don’t know that our modern musical notation first started when Pope Gregory ordered that this chant be codified and written down in some form. For more information on Gregorian Chant, see the Encyclopedia Britannica article.
I recommend Gregorian Chant: A Guide to the History and Liturgy by Dom Daniel Saulnier, OSB, one of several books on the subject in our library system. A number of sound recordings (both on CD and hoopla) in our collection on this topic can found through the library catalog: Gregorian chant. Gregorian chant evolved to polyphony and then to the glorious choral music of the Renaissance Mass, my favorite composers being Palestrina and de Victoria. Several books and CDs in our collection on that subject are found here: Liturgical music.
Moving up to more ‘modern’ classical music, roughly 1600 to the 1800s…
Obviously entire books have been written on this subject, so here are two websites with basic information on the 50 greatest composers of all time and 10 classical music composers to know.
The library has a plethora of books and music recordings which you can easily search using subject or title keywords. Here are a few our collection has to offer:
Year of wonder: Classical Music to Enjoy Day by Day by Clemency Burton-Hill
"For many of us, classical music is something serious-something we study in school, something played by cultivated musicians at fancy gatherings. In Language of the Spirit, renowned music scholar Jan Swafford argues that we have it all wrong: classical music has something for everyone and is accessible to all. Ranging from Gregorian chant to Handel's Messiah, from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons to the postmodern work of Philip Glass, Swafford is an affable and expert guide to the genre."
The Indispensable Composers by Anthony Tommasini
Though I enjoy all classical music, I particularly enjoy the peaceful, soothing sound of Gregorian Chant. I have been surprised on occasion when people ask me “what’s that?” Many people don’t know that our modern musical notation first started when Pope Gregory ordered that this chant be codified and written down in some form. For more information on Gregorian Chant, see the Encyclopedia Britannica article.
Moving up to more ‘modern’ classical music, roughly 1600 to the 1800s…
Obviously entire books have been written on this subject, so here are two websites with basic information on the 50 greatest composers of all time and 10 classical music composers to know.
The library has a plethora of books and music recordings which you can easily search using subject or title keywords. Here are a few our collection has to offer:
"In this unique celebration of classical music, one inspirational piece is showcased for each day of the year. Classical music has a reputation for being stuffy, boring, and largely inaccessible, but Burton-Hill introduces readers to pieces that are artfully selected from across genres, time periods, and composers. Her short introductions contextualize each piece, and makes the music come alive in modern and playful ways. And in some cases the pieces are tied in to a particular date (the composer's birth or death; the anniversary of the piece's premiere; a seasonal theme)."
Language of the Spirit: An Introduction to Classical Music by Jan Swadfford
"For many of us, classical music is something serious-something we study in school, something played by cultivated musicians at fancy gatherings. In Language of the Spirit, renowned music scholar Jan Swafford argues that we have it all wrong: classical music has something for everyone and is accessible to all. Ranging from Gregorian chant to Handel's Messiah, from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons to the postmodern work of Philip Glass, Swafford is an affable and expert guide to the genre."
"The chief classical music critic of The New York Times explores the concept of greatness in relation to composers, considering elements of biography, influence, and shifting attitudes toward a composer's work over time."
- by G. Calderone, Ewing Branch
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