[Philidor]

Speaking of counting, has anyone noticed that there will soon be 8,000 posts on Ideas for Stupid Threads? I don't know about you but ...

Indeed. There are even more post than in the successful "Weekly Quartet" thread, but, as a matter of fact, in longer time. Only the adepts on the inside who know all intrinsic mechanisms about how forums on CM exist can understand this.

Maybe we should start something like a "Stupid Thread of the Week" and discuss the selection here.

 

[Luchesi]

Indeed. There are even more post than in the successful "Weekly Quartet" thread, but, as a matter of fact, in longer time. Only the adepts on the inside who know all intrinsic mechanisms about how forums on CM exist can understand this.

Maybe we should start something like a "Stupid Thread of the Week" and discuss the selection here.

This is what mindless AI says;

Do we agree?

Forums on classical music exist to bring together classical music enthusiasts from around the world. They provide a platform for people to discuss and share their love of classical music, as well as to discuss musical performances and composition. They also serve as a great resource for aspiring musicians, providing guidance and advice from experienced players. Finally, they provide a place for fans to connect with each other and form friendships.

and more
more than just a place to discuss music, forums on classical music often serve as a community for its members. They offer a safe and supportive place for members to talk about their musical interests and share their experiences. Additionally, these forums often host special events, such as concerts or masterclasses, further strengthening the sense of community among members.

 

[Philidor]

Freely written after Bertolt Brecht:

"You were asking for CM enthusiasts, but men came."

Men with their attitudes. Having understood an isolated something and defending it against all reasonable discussion. Idiosyncrasies. Looking for a platform to show their knowledge and experience. The wish for being counted to the knowing ones. Men with a unstable ego irritated by slightest contradiction. Men who do not understand the difference between opinion and accepted knowledge. Etc.

 

[AeolianStrains]

Is there a HIP ranking of the Mahler symphonies and their recordings?

Mahler's nice and all, but I'm interested in HIP recordings of Alma Deutscher. Has Norrington recorded this yet?

 

[Waehnen]

Men with their attitudes. Having understood an isolated something and defending it against all reasonable discussion. Idiosyncrasies. Looking for a platform to show their knowledge and experience. The wish for being counted to the knowing ones. Men with a unstable ego irritated by slightest contradiction. Men who do not understand the difference between opinion and accepted knowledge. Etc.

It is wonderful that someone here so accurately sees into the soul and character of all the other surrounding lesser forumists -- and thus keeps up the tradition of true mental and spiritual nobility, resulting in high quality forumism. Isn´t it wonderful to have come up with thought processes that always plant you above of every bunch of people?

 

[Philidor]

It is wonderful that someone here so accurately sees into the soul and character of all the other surrounding lesser forumist

Indeed. Maybe one should create an award for this occasion. I propose the "if the cap fits, wear it"-award.

 

[Philidor]

Mahler's nice and all, but I'm interested in HIP recordings of Alma Deutscher. Has Norrington recorded this yet?

It was not about HIP recordings, it was about HIP rankings ... it should be a silly thread.

And HIP with Mahler would be instruments played in 1885-1910, wouldn't they?

 

[pianozach]

It was not about HIP recordings, it was about HIP rankings ... it should be a silly thread.

And HIP with Mahler would be instruments played in 1885-1910, wouldn't they?

How about Hip Hop Handel?

.

Or an Electro symphonic dance remix of the Hallelujah Chorus

 

[Kjetil Heggelund]

Great Johnnies: Who is the greatest Johnny of them all? Or was it his brother...?

 

[Kjetil Heggelund]

Flush the vocal racists here. Actually I know some and they even call themselves "the elite". That's swell!

 

[Luchesi]

Great Johnnies: Who is the greatest Johnny of them all? Or was it his brother...?

With a great song title like "Imagine" Johnny Lennon wins!

Also, it's a tricky song to expand into a solo piano piece. I've been busy at it, but not satisfied..

...His brothers in the marching band refused to yield..

 

[Red Terror]

 

[pianozach]

With a great song title like "Imagine" Johnny Lennon wins!

Also, it's a tricky song to expand into a solo piano piece. I've been busy at it, but not satisfied..

...His brothers in the marching band refused to yield..

Imagine; Over the years I've heard an awful lot of unremarkable cover versions of this song.

I think I know why: The song is greater than the sum of its parts, and was the right jingoistic anthem at exactly the right time by an iconic singer/songwriter.

Lyrically, the verses are a laundry list. Imagine this, Imagine that, etc. The Chorus is short and simple and personal. There is nothing wrong with a set of lyrics put together in this fashion. It's not Shakespeare, but it's full of great phraseology.

The Melody itself is also simple. The verse runs thusly: So, ti, la. So, ti, la. So, ti, la. So, ti, la.

The chorus is in an A, B, A, B-prime format.

Frankly, it's the bridge between the verse and chorus, and the vocal hook at the end of that bridge that lifts the song from its singsongy verse and generic-formula chorus. There's also that very hook-y piano intro, and that piano link between the first chorus and the 3rd verse.

The lovely simplistic piano accompaniment is perfect as a backing, so perfect that one barely notices the tasteful bass guitar from Klaus Voorman, or the nuance drumming of Alan White. The overdubbed strings are merely block chords with an occasional passing tone here and there.

And, of course, there's John Lennon's sympathetic and vulnerable vocal.

All of these elements are simple and brilliant, and THAT's why there's not been any covers of the song that have charted or gained any lasting attention, in spite of the many Rock Royals that have sung it. Elton John, Joan Baez, Blues Traveller, Yes, CeeLo Greene, Queen, Davie Bowie, Liza Minelli, Peter Gabriel, Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Eva Cassidy (to name just a few) have all sung the song, either live or in the studio.

Only one cover got any traction: When Seal, Pink, and Jeff Beck sang it on Herbie Hancock's 2010 Imagine Project, it earned a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Collaboration.

Imagine FUN FACT: This song charted in the Top Twenty all over the world in 1971 and 1972. Everywhere EXCEPT for in the UK. It wasn't released in the UK until 1975 to promote the compilation album Shaved Fish, and only reached Number 63. in 1980, the single re-entered the UK chart (following Lennon's assassination), finally reaching Number One, where it remained for four weeks in January 1981. "Imagine" was re-released as a single in the UK in 1988, peaking at number 45, and again in 1999, reaching number three.

 

[Kjetil Heggelund]

Yoohoo!

 

[Mister Meow]

I am so confused. Is the Shostakovich Jazz Suite No. 2 classical music?

 

[Luchesi]

Imagine; Over the years I've heard an awful lot of unremarkable cover versions of this song.

I think I know why: The song is greater than the sum of its parts, and was the right jingoistic anthem at exactly the right time by an iconic singer/songwriter.

Lyrically, the verses are a laundry list. Imagine this, Imagine that, etc. The Chorus is short and simple and personal. There is nothing wrong with a set of lyrics put together in this fashion. It's not Shakespeare, but it's full of great phraseology.

The Melody itself is also simple. The verse runs thusly: So, ti, la. So, ti, la. So, ti, la. So, ti, la.

The chorus is in an A, B, A, B-prime format.

Frankly, it's the bridge between the verse and chorus, and the vocal hook at the end of that bridge that lifts the song from its singsongy verse and generic-formula chorus. There's also that very hook-y piano intro, and that piano link between the first chorus and the 3rd verse.

The lovely simplistic piano accompaniment is perfect as a backing, so perfect that one barely notices the tasteful bass guitar from Klaus Voorman, or the nuance drumming of Alan White. The overdubbed strings are merely block chords with an occasional passing tone here and there.

And, of course, there's John Lennon's sympathetic and vulnerable vocal.

All of these elements are simple and brilliant, and THAT's why there's not been any covers of the song that have charted or gained any lasting attention, in spite of the many Rock Royals that have sung it. Elton John, Joan Baez, Blues Traveller, Yes, CeeLo Greene, Queen, Davie Bowie, Liza Minelli, Peter Gabriel, Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Eva Cassidy (to name just a few) have all sung the song, either live or in the studio.

Only one cover got any traction: When Seal, Pink, and Jeff Beck sang it on Herbie Hancock's 2010 Imagine Project, it earned a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Collaboration.

Imagine FUN FACT: This song charted in the Top Twenty all over the world in 1971 and 1972. Everywhere EXCEPT for in the UK. It wasn't released in the UK until 1975 to promote the compilation album Shaved Fish, and only reached Number 63. in 1980, the single re-entered the UK chart (following Lennon's assassination), finally reaching Number One, where it remained for four weeks in January 1981. "Imagine" was re-released as a single in the UK in 1988, peaking at number 45, and again in 1999, reaching number three.

Singers who cover the song think, "This is big. I'll put a lot of emotion and yearning in my voice." That just doesn't sound attractive or comfortable with these simple changes and melody line. But you can't tell them to float lightly. Telling a songbird not to be a songbird. Whether John intended it or not, he wrote for the everyman (not songbirds).

 

[Philidor]

"For Epicurus, the most pleasant life is one where we abstain from unnecessary desires and achieve an inner tranquility (ataraxia) by being content with simple things, and by choosing the pleasure of philosophical conversation with friends over the pursuit of physical pleasures like food, drink, and sex."

 

[Philidor]

Your Top Ten Concertos for Violin Left Hand and Orchestra

 

[Mister Meow]

Here's an idea that might be rather pointless, though it might still have value as a conversation starter, so I won't go so far as to call it stupid.

Name a composer whose name somehow repeats itself.

For example: Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf

 

[Roger Knox]

Here's an idea that might be rather pointless, though it might still have value as a conversation starter, so I won't go so far as to call it stupid.

Name a composer whose name somehow repeats itself.

For example: Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf

Thomas Thomas (19th c. Welsh harpist-composer)