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What are your favorite genres?

  • Organ Music

    Votes: 9 16.1%
  • Solo Piano Music

    Votes: 25 44.6%
  • Lieder

    Votes: 6 10.7%
  • String Trios, String Quartets, String Quintets, etc...

    Votes: 29 51.8%
  • Other forms of chamber music (Piano Trios/Quintets, chamber music with wind instruments, etc)

    Votes: 20 35.7%
  • Oratorios, Masses, Passions, Requiems

    Votes: 14 25.0%
  • Concertos

    Votes: 28 50.0%
  • Symphonies, Symphonic Tone Poems, etc.

    Votes: 42 75.0%
  • Opera

    Votes: 19 33.9%
  • Light Classical (crossover-classical/popular, dances, etc)

    Votes: 2 3.6%

What genres of classical music interest you the most?

5K views 23 replies 17 participants last post by  SixFootScowl 
#1 ·
You can vote for a maximum of three choices.
 
#2 ·
Interesting poll, though my own tastes are so polarised that it's not easy to fit the format: for instance, there are certain violin concertos that I love. So I voted for 'concertos' on that basis alone, even though it's years since I last listened to a piano concerto. I'm not sure whether that means I can wear the 'I'm a concerto lover' T-shirt with a clear conscience.
 
#6 ·
One thing making this poll a bit ambiguous is that it has no scope for different musical periods. If you mean to limit our choices to genres of the 'Classical' period then that's OK but I like baroque concertos much more than baroque opera andI like romantic Opera more than romantic concetos! Go figure. Anyway I voted for my overall general feeling for the genre rather than any specific works or period.
FC
 
#7 ·
Well, the poll has a limit of 10 choices. There's no room for dividing between different periods as well. Maybe having somewhere between 40 or 50 options to choose from would be a bit too much of a good thing anyway.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Ballot clarification requested

Speaking of ambiguous...

I'd like to better understand what's meant by "Light Classical." You say "dances," which seems clear enough (to a point)- I guess you're referring to things like Johann Strauss waltzes, performances of what is perceived as "pops ballet" like The Nutcracker, etc. However, I don't really know what we mean by "crossover-classical/popular." It seems a matter of a continuum- there may be consensus agreement that Katherine Jenkins, Vanessa-Mae and "3 tenors"-like material belong in that category... but how about a Pavarotti recital (for instance). Or material automatically labelled (and prejudiced) as "Pops stuff," like 1812 Overture and the William Tell Overture? How about Suppé? Wagner's Das Liebesverbot Overture?

One thing becomes clear enough... when it comes to the "Pops" repertoire, "Light Classical" ≠ "light-weight." The lengthier J. Strauss waltzes can be viewed as forerunners to the Tone Poem efforts at the turn of the previous century. Tchaikovsky's Marche Slave is no less worthy a passage of orchestral music than that found in broad sections of his later symphonies. And before we leave the topic of dances, how about Richard Strauss's waltzes from Der Rosenkavalier?

Maybe I should just cast one of my votes for the "Light Classical" category, simply out of contrarian spirit. I just wanna make it clear that it's not like I have "The complete Charlotte Church" on my shelf [in fact, I don't have any Charlotte Church]. But Gilbert & Sullivan Operetta, Johann Strauss waltzes, Suppé overtures, Pavarotti in the Canzone repertoire... oh yes- unapologetically yes.
 
#11 ·
Speaking of ambiguous...

I'd like to better understand what's meant by "Light Classical." You say "dances," which seems clear enough (to a point)- I guess you're referring to things like Johann Strauss waltzes, performances of what is perceived as "pops ballet" like The Nutcracker, etc. However, I don't really know what we mean by "crossover-classical/popular." It seems a matter of a continuum- there may be consensus agreement that Katherine Jenkins, Vanessa-Mae and "3 tenors"-like material belong in that category... but how about a Pavarotti recital (for instance). Or material automatically labelled (and prejudiced) as "Pops stuff," like 1812 Overture and the William Tell Overture? How about Suppé? Wagner's Das Liebesverbot Overture?

One thing becomes clear enough... when it comes to the "Pops" repertoire, "Light Classical" ≠ "light-weight." The lengthier J. Strauss waltzes can be viewed as forerunners to the Tone Poem efforts at the turn of the previous century. Tchaikovsky's Marche Slave is no less worthy a passage of orchestral music than that found in broad sections of his later symphonies. And before we leave the topic of dances, how about Richard Strauss's waltzes from Der Rosenkavalier?

Maybe I should just cast one of my votes for the "Light Classical" category, simply out of contrarian spirit. I just wanna make it clear that it's not like I have "The complete Charlotte Church" on my shelf [in fact, I don't have any Charlotte Church]. But Gilbert & Sullivan Operetta, Johann Strauss waltzes, Suppé overtures, Pavarotti in the Canzone repertoire... oh yes- unapologetically yes.
I mean everything from J.Strauss waltzes to Pavarotti singing "O Sole Mio" or Kiri Te Kanawa singing Gershwin. I guess things like Charlotte Church or Andrea Bochelli singing pop with an orchestra also qualify although I doubt that people here would vote for that category based on that. I definitely didn't mean Wagner's "Tristan & Isolde" which may be popular but not exactly 'light.' Best thing for people to do is to make up their own minds about what qualifies for this category. They can post to explain their vote anyway - if they feel there's any explaining to be done.
 
#10 ·
Well, I chose lieder, because I am interested very much in lieder though I have virtually no chance to listen to them (other than Youtube!!!); oratorio/mass/requiem/etc., as that's the next phase I'm getting into; and symphonic, for blatantly obvious reasons for those who have seen any of my posts. I like this thread.
 
#13 ·
I don't really understand the question. I don't regard those types of music as 'genres', and I would have to say that I love them all, and don't have a favourite. To me it is the music that matters, and those are just expressions of it.

If you were to ask what types of classical music I most like, I would have to say early (medieval), late romantic and contemporary.
 
#17 ·
O.K.: let me try to rank my interests, ordinally...

1) Symphonies, Symphonic Tone Poems, etc
1a) Opera
3) Light Classical (suggested alternate wording- short-form popular classics [overtures, dances, operetta, song-book et al])
3a) Concertos
5) Solo piano music

I don't want to let go the issue of taxonomy, yet. Under which category would you place 'The Nutcracker?' O.K.: how about 'Swan Lake?' Have you called both of these "Light Classics?" Very well... how about 'The Firebird?'
Rimsky-Korsakov's 'symphonic suite' Scheherazade is commonly considered 'classical pops'... but Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique is a symphony! After all, Berlioz said it was. A little secret... if Berlioz hadn't called it a symphony, that work would be a 'symphonic suite,' too! Can you smell what I'm cooking?!
 
#18 ·
I guess that Swan Lake qualifies both for the light music and the symphonic category. Even though it ain't a symphony or a tone poem it arguably falls under the etcetera so to speak.:rolleyes: The 'symphonies & symphonic tone poems, etc' category is basically for all orchestral music except for concertos and light music even though some works might qualify for more than one category.
 
#19 ·
I responded to the poll, but those are my preferences today. They literally do change almost as rapidly as the hours, and I suspect this is true for many of us here, so what you'll get is at best a snapshot.

I came into this poll expecting it to ask me something different. Indeed, I may post a poll myself...
 
#20 · (Edited)
I have been studying string quartets and the like for a while. I like being able to pick out and hear the complexity in it and listen to all of it at once. I also enjoy other chamber music.. trios..quintets, all of it. I think the seeming simplicity of it hides the infinitely more difficult problem of creating an integrated whole with no weaknesses, exquisite balance, transparence - and a fragile reliance on each performer. I think it is no easy task.

Solo piano too...scarlatti is yummy.

Concertos and symphonic pieces next. I need to be in a completely different mood for them however. Haydn quartet Op 76 to Beethovens 7th is more than a small leap. :D
 
#24 ·
Opera and symphonies for me. Mainly I listen to opera with a sprinkling of symphonies. I do like some violin and piano sonatas as well as select oratorios--mainly Messiah--and some miscellaneous works (Egmont, Midsummer Nights Dream, LvB Missa Solemnis, etc.).
 
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