"Music" Topic

I love the 18th Century for everything about it, the literature, manners, mores, art, and culture. One of the chief things accessible to us is the music. We've talked about this before. What music, composers pieces and so forth do you like to listen to? What do you consider the most beautiful.

How about Frederick the Great? He wrote some very nice chamber symphonies and at least one flute concerto.

Mainly Bach and Vivaldi, with a sprinkle of french (Lully, Marais, Sainte-Colombe). Fritz wrote some nice pieces, but his taste are more Rococò than Baroque. Nothing wrong with this: simply I prefer Baroque.

Jim, admittedly rococo but Frederician rococo, like his house! Wouldn't you say that baroque was pretty much done in the first quarter of the 18th century though? It was then rococo all the way until neoclassical came in at the end of the century. Fritz was a thoroughly modern 18th century man!

I love the baroque. My fav composers would begin with: Telemann, Haydn, Vivaldi, JS Bach, CPE Bach, Lully some Beethoven

Mozart for me, especially his Requiem.

kinda partial to Haydn's chamber music; simple and delicate

What does this have to do with wargaming?!?!

Just kidding.

Corelli

Mozart for me, but his operas and Symphonies Can listen tot he operas for hours-- hell know all of them by heart. Of course the "Pappagena" glockenspiel number with the Slaves in Die Zauberflotte is the most delightful thing one can hear and of course topping the list "The Cherubino" aria by Figaro in "La Nozze"

but Hayden is probably the best and easiest to. Love his symphonies. His 101, "the Clock" 2nd movement is for me the epitome of 18th century maneuver. A graceful minuet at the time of the clock.

Paisello too, and though a bit out of the period, Auber.

I also like Salieri, Scarlatti, Green, LeDuc, and Corelli.

It's strange no one mentions Gluck.

I was playing this one in the background of a game the other day:

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In the early part of the century, I lean towards the much-neglected English Baroque (William Boyce, Jonathan Hebden, Charles Avison, Henry Purcell and G.F. Handel who, in spite of his German roots was influential in establishing a distinct "English" style.)

If I get in the mood for Italian Baroque, it's usually Corelli, Guiseppe Torelli, or Tomaso Albinoni.

There are folders with many hours of the music of each of these composers on the mp3 player that runs constantly when I am working, but there are also 40+ Haydn symphonies on there. Who ever gets tired of listening to Haydn?

Anything by Mozart. His operas really are amazing: Figaro is probably my favourite, but Abduction is also great: I love the "Turkish" sounds he incorporated into the piece. His piano concertos are the best ever composed in my opinion (with Beethoven's a close second). The Great Mass is also sublime; if you like the Requiem you'll probably like this mass as well.

Haydn's London symphonies are some of my favourite listening music, ever. Even if I'm having a really lousy day, if I put on one of these symphonies things don't seem so bad after all.

Handel (along with the earlier Palestrina) is arguably the greatest choral/vocal composer in history, so I've always thought he shines brightest in his oratorios; The Messiah is of course a work of pure genius (even Mozart couldn't believe its quality, especially considering it was composed at breakneck speed), but many of the others are just as good. If curious to hear another I'd highly recommend Solomon. Incredible stuff!

Corelli and Vivaldi. All of their works.

I would like to second Handel's Messiah. Nothing else comes close.

Georg Philipp Telemann

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"I would like to second Handel's Messiah. Nothing else comes close."
Amen, brother==ya got some serious 18th century head=bangin' music there: "For Unto Us A Child Is Born", "And the Glory of the Lord", "And We Like Sheep Have Gone Astray", and of course the Halleluia Chorus!
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A few years ago I wrote a blog post about what music British generals in the AWI might have been listening to while in London on leave:

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And let's not forget the music from the space where art and military history overlap, like Handel's glorious Te Deum for the victory at Dettingen:

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The soundtrack to the film Barry Lyndon has much marvelous authentic mid-to late 18th century music represented on it, from fifes and drums martial tunes to chamber music to some full-blown orchestral pieces. Well worth seeking out!!

Apart from the classical composers of this era, I can't get enough fifes and drums or other military marching music. Plus bagpipes for my Jacobites and Scottish redcoat regulars.

Barry Lyndon is a film with an awful plot with completely unsympathetic characters. However it is an audio and visual treat. Each scene in the movie looks like it could have been taken right out of an 18th century painting, and I don't mean the battle scenes. The music is excellent.

I find the music of the period marvelously, almost magically restorative. If I'm stressed or upset or angry, a bit of Mozart, a bit of Locatelli, or some Paisello or Hayden is better than a drug. If I want to really feel happy a Hayden Symphony or a rousing Opera do the trick. I think the most emblematic music of 18th century warfare is from the second Movement of Haydn's Symphony 3101, "the Clock."

I have an album by the Netherlands Winds Ensemble (yes, album!) of marches from the early 18th century. Very orchestral, very paced. My wife says it sounds like one of those tone poems of little forest creatures waking up, almost Disneyesque music. But of course we remember that in this age one marched at 72 paces a minute, not 71 or 73, but 72….

Try it. Once you have moved at 72 paces a minute it all becomes clear.

It's strange no one mentions Gluck.

Is that the 9 mil or the .40 cal?

We tried period music softly wafting in the background. Everybody ended up conducting the orchestra and/or minueting around the room. 8-(

17th century but I think Henry Purcell composed the most beautiful music I have ever heard.

I second Frederick the Great if only for Der Hohenfriedberger.

Bob

Clanadonia!