Ok, folks, I’m gonna need your input on this one.
I’ve been thinking about the direction of the podcast lately, and I’ve come to a few conclusions, and I’m going to put them down on paper here. First, the episodes I’ve done so far (as infrequent as they’ve been) have a few problems with them.
- Appeal. First, let me be clear: I don’t have any issues with my listeners, who have always been extremely sympathetic and kind. But I’ve never been completely clear about who I’m making the podcast for, and I think its quality and clarity have suffered because of that. As far as I can tell from feedback (though I’m probably wrong about this), outside of people I know personally, I have precisely two listeners. I think, as does Benjamin Zander in this excellent video I blogged about before, that classical music is for everybody, and I really want to spread the word, rather than just being one more show for the established classical-heads.
- Quality. Some of the episodes I’ve been very happy with. Others really not so, and I can only apologise for that. On the Rite of Spring episode, for example, my voice was wrecked, and I was tired too, and improvising without really knowing what my point was, which made the cast extremely boring to listen to. I don’t really think that’s acceptable, given that an awful lot of classical podcasts and radio shows out there already (a) appeal only to people who already listen to classical music, and (b) are pretty insanely dull for people who don’t. I don’t want to be a part of that.
- Output. Not to put too fine a point on it, my output has been piss-poor. Again, were I my boss, I’d be fired by now, and it’s little wonder that I have so few listeners if I can only struggle to put out one episode every couple of months. Yes, I’ve been busy, but I’ve also been lazy, and I don’t want to continue with that in the future.
But:
- As regards appeal, I’m not really that interested in only talking about the basics. I’m not a musicologist at heart, but I do like to get a little way under the skin of the music I’m talking about.
- I’m also sure not only that is classical music for everybody, but all classical music is for everybody. For the sake of audience figures, many outputs of classical music only play the established classics, and (like so much in music education) seem to assume that music history stops in about 1915. This is absurd – there is a wealth of newer music out there, which can be as meaningful as the established stuff to people who open their minds to it. I’ve often found that people who don’t like “classical” music love the stuff from the twentieth century or later, once they’re exposed to it. The fact that they’re not exposed to it is due to several things, but ranked high among them is the fact that classical stations (or any stations) in general just don’t bother promoting it.
So:
What I’m thinking of is this: I have found that I’m able to send out a weekly show, approximately every week, but rather than sending out a single show on a weekly basis, I’ll be doing two, alternating every week, as follows:
- Classical Introductions, version 2: This will be a show for absolute beginners. It will cover the basics of classical music, without getting into anything too deeply. Likely it’ll start off with profiles of the major eras of music history, and the stand-out composers, and the fundamental parts of music, that is, what to listen for.
- Classical Explorations: This will be a show more like the one I’m doing at the moment, where I examine a single piece of music at greater length (again, without getting too deep, but more so than Introductions). It will be for people who have some experience of the basics of classical music, and who want to learn more. I think I’ll also use this show once in a while to talk more generally about the lives of composers and the evolution of different forms of music, like the symphony and so on.
To avoid confusion, I’ll be taking down the episodes of Classical Introductions I’ve done so far, but of course I’ll be re-doing those episodes anyways. The focus, of course, will stay on public domain/creative commons/otherwise free music which can be easily found.
Whatever happens probably won’t happen until July at the earliest. I’m going to be scripting and recording for this month, so that I can build up a store of episodes and hopefully not fall quite so far behind myself.
But, if you have any feedback, tips or pointers, now is the time. The email address is at the end of every show, or you can just leave a comment below.
Thanks again to all my listeners. See you soon.
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download
Episode 11 of Classical Introductions features Beethoven’s fifth symphony. The recording I used for this podcast can be found here.
Few composers can be said to have changed the face of music forever, but Ludwig van Beethoven is one of those rare exceptions. This episode of Classical Introductions looks at his fifth symphony, and specifically at how the incredibly famous four opening notes influence the rest of the symphony. Beethoven’s innovative spirit can be found throughout this masterpiece, from the introduction of entirely new instruments in the trombones and tuba to the conclusion of the third movement which leads without a break into the fourth, but his extensive use of this single, simple motif to build such a complex structure was, at the time, unique, and had a profound impact on later composers.
The recording is by the NBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Arturo Toscanini, and once again has been taken from the amazing online resource archive.org.
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download
Episode 10 of Classical Introductions features the third of J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, in G major. The recording I used for this podcast can be downloaded from here.
This concerto grosso is written for nine solo string instruments, with accompaniment from the basso continuo. It features two bright, exciting ritornello movements sandwiching one of the strangest slow middle movements in all classical music.
The recording is by Musica Florea, playing on period instruments and directed by Marek Štryncl, and available from the Czech radio station rozhlas.cz. Many thanks once again to those involved in the recording and the staff at the website for allowing me to use the recordings for my podcast.
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download
Episode 9 of Classical Introductions features Symphony No. 94, also known as the Surprise Symphony, by Joseph Haydn. The recording I used for this episode can be downloaded here.
Haydn’s 108 symphonies show a gradual evolution of the form from the humble beginnings of the form to the foundation on which all symphonies after his time were built. Symphony No. 94 is one of his mature symphonies, from the twelve London Symphonies he wrote during his time in that city, and it features both his clever musical games as well as some moments of sublime inspiration. In many ways, this symphony is archetypal of the form, and is an ideal introduction to the Classical symphony.
The recording I used in this episode was made by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sergei Koussevitsky, in 1929, and has been released into the public domain. Once again, I am thankful to the users of the excellent online resource archive.org for making so many great early recordings available.
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download
Episode 9 of Classical Introductions features the second of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, in F Major. The recording I used for this podcast can be downloaded from here.
Though the second of the Brandenburg Concertos features is written as a concerto for trumpet, flute, oboe and violin with orchestral accompaniment, it becomes almost a trumpet concerto at parts, and contains some of the most difficult writing in the whole trumpet repertoire. Like the other Brandenburg concertos, the outer movements show brightness and joy, but a more melancholy second movement brings balance and contrast to the piece.
I mentioned in the course of the podcast Aaron Copland’s excellent book What to Listen For in Music, and Amazon links are provided here (US and UK).
The recording is by Musica Florea, playing on period instruments and directed by Marek Štryncl, and available from the Czech radio station rozhlas.cz. Many thanks once again to those involved in the recording and the staff at the website for allowing me to use the recordings for my podcast.
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download
Episode Seven of Classical Introductions features Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 8 in c minor, also known as the ‘Pathétique’. The recording I used for this podcast can be found here.
Though composed relatively early on in his life, Beethoven’s eighth sonata already shows many features of his later style, such as grand gestures, close attention to structural detail and highly involved developments.
The recording I used in this episode was made by the early-Twentieth century virtuoso, Artur Schnabel. It has been released into the public domain, and I am once again using a recording which I discovered on the treasure trove known as the Internet Archive.
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download
Episode Six of Classical Introductions features Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Sonata in A K331. The recording I used for this podcast can be downloaded from here.
This famous sonata demonstrates Mozart as a wellspring of melody, with a wide variety of moods that belie the narrow tonal range of the three movements (the first two being in A Major and the third in a minor). The recording I used was made by the Turkish pianist Idil Biret, and can be downloaded from her website. Many thanks again to Ms Biret and the staff at her website for allowing me to use this recording.
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download
Episode 5 of Classical Introductions features The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky. The recording I used for this episode can be downloaded here.
This groundbreaking ballet from the early twentieth century is best known for its primitive rhythms and for the riot which its premiere inspired. The recording I used was made with Stravinsky himself conducting. It has been released into the public domain, and can be downloaded from the treasure trove, archive.org.
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download
Episode 4 of Classical Introductions features Piano Phase by Steve Reich. The recording I used for this piece can be downloaded here.
One of the main proponents of the minimalist school of contemporary composition, much of Steve Reich’s early work focussed on a technique he called ‘phasing’, wherein near-identical strands of music would begin playing simultaneously and gradually go out of synchronisation. Piano Phase was his first piece to apply this technique to instruments rather than to recorded sounds.
The recording is made in a stunning manner by the Russian pianist Peter Aidu: though the piece was originally written for two pianists, Aidu places his left hand on one piano, and his right on another, and plays the piece by himself.
To prove it, here is a video of him practising.
The recording was released by the netlabel Top-40.org. Many thanks to them for allowing me to use it in this podcast.
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download
Episode 3 of Classical Introductions features the first of the Brandenburg Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach. The recording I used for this podcast can be downloaded from here.
The Brandenburg Concertos are a wellspring of Bach’s imagination and supreme skill as a composer. The first, in F major, features a larger ensemble than the others, consisting of horns, oboes, bassoon, piccolo violin, violins, violas, cellos and the usual continuo section, and is almost an orchestral piece.
The recording is by Musica Florea, playing on period instruments and directed by Marek Štryncl, and available from the Czech radio station rozhlas.cz. Many thanks to those involved in the recording and the staff at the website for allowing me to use the recordings for my podcast.
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download