Thank you for visiting pelangifm.com! We are the Internet’s hub for people who love and appreciate classical music. As you browse our site, we hope you will connect with other music lovers and learn more about all of your favorite composers and performers. Whether you enjoy listening to Beethoven while you are in the office or you listen to Bach in the car as you navigate traffic, you can be sure you will find relevant information here to feed your passion for classical music.
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When you ask someone to name a composer who revolutionized music, it’s likely that they will say Beethoven, Mozart, or Bach. While there’s no denying that all three of the composers continue to be a very important part of the classical music world, 19th century composer, Hector Berlioz, was equally important. Even now it’s easy to hear how different his music was from the music his fellow composers created.
When compared to most composers, Berlioz was a late comer to the world of music. By the time he started his training, at age 12, he was past the point when most would consider him a child prodigy. The late arrival to music is just one of the things that sets him apart from the others. The fact he never learned to play the piano, and stuck to instruments like the guitar and flute is another. It’s likely that the failure to learn the piano played a huge role in why his music sounds different from the pieces his piano loving peers created.
In addition to composing some great pieces, though many did not receive the recognition they deserved during Berlioz’s life, he was also a skilled conductor and spent a great deal of time conducting the most famous symphonies in Europe.
The great thing about listening to Berlioz’s works is that no two pieces are exactly the same. As a composer, he wanted each of his great orchestras to be unique and to tell a different kind of story. Most of his pieces were about emotion and color.
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Even though it might not be the most popular genre of music, if you love classical music and want a career that allows you to immerse yourself in the lovely instrumental harmonies and melodies, you should go right ahead and do so. There are plenty of opportunities for you to work.
If you play and instrument, it’s in your best interest to become as good as you can possibly be. If you’re good enough you should have no trouble finding work playing in local symphonies and bands. The prestige can be amazing but you should also take some time to learn how to teach. Not only will you be able to teach private lessons to students, but a degree in music education means you’ll also be able get work as a band instructor at local schools.
Even if you don’t have any particular skills with an instrument, you can still engage yourself in the world of classic music by becoming the manager of a symphony. This type of job can be very rewarding, but it’s also quite demanding. Individuals who excel in this type of career love music, are very organized, and get along well with lots of different personality types.
If you enjoy writing music, you need to shop your tunes around the movie and television industry. Directors are always looking for the perfect classical pieces. Getting into the industry requires some tenacity and determination, but once you’re in, there will be endless opportunities to showcase your work, and you’ll be able to earn a good living doing what you love.
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Today it seems like there are a hundred different types of music you can choose to listen to. Everything from show tunes to country, and church hymns to rap. Looking at the various musical genres, and the sub-genres getting created every day, it’s easy to wonder about whether or not classical music still has a place in today’s society.
The answer is yes.
Just because a piece of music can be considered classical, you shouldn’t automatically assume that it’s old. In this case, the term classical means pure, not old. Yes, some symphonies still play a great deal of Mozart, Wagner, Bach, and Beethoven, but some of the pieces they select have been written in the past year.
It’s likely that you’re exposed to a great deal of classical music and don’t even realize it. Some of the best pieces, both old and new, have been used to create epic movie scores. These musical pieces have been used to help viewers connect with characters and to help trigger the right kind of emotion. Download the theme song from your favorite movie, the chances are good you won’t hear a single word.
Most genres of music use words to help tell or story, or to tell the listener the type of reaction they should have. Classical music is all about interpretation. When you listen to it, the emotions you feel, might be very different from the ones everyone else experiences. When you listen to this style of music, your imagination is truly set free.
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When it comes to famous musical geniuses it’s hard to think of anyone who enjoyed more fame, or was more original than Louis Armstrong. Few people realize that he wasn’t the only musical talent in the family. Some people will argue that his wife, Lil Hardin, was every bit as talented though she never enjoyed the same level of fame.
Lil Hardin’s musical life was never easy. As a child she showed great talent and enjoyed playing, but the music she most enjoyed playing, the popular hits of the time, could only be practiced in secret. Like so many parents, Lil’s mother couldn’t stand the modern music and refused to allow anything other than the traditional religious music to be played in her home.
Eventually the native Tennessean found her way to Chicago and earned herself a position playing piano for a Dreamland band. It was during her time with the band, which she was gradually taking over, that she met Louis Armstrong, who wasn’t yet a household name. Many argue that it was Lil who made it possible for Armstrong to reach the success he later enjoyed. He was talented in his own right, but she took him under her wing, showed him Chicago and helped him improve his image. After the two fell in love and married, she convinced Armstrong to take a chance and strike out on his own.
Both careers were going well, and Hardin was in the process of making a name for herself when the two split. Although she never became a household name, she enjoyed a great deal of success in her own career as a pianist. Musical legends such as Ringo Starr and Ray Charles have covered songs originally performed by Hardin.
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One of the main reasons so many people say that they don’t like classical music has less to do with them not liking it, and more to do with the fact that they’ve never learned how to listen to it.
Too often, people assume that all classical music has to be boring. That’s not the case at all. Just like all vocalists don’t sound alike and have genre’s that suit their personal taste and style, the same is true for classical music. There are hundreds of different types of music; you just have to keep looking until you find a style you like. Ask friends who share your tastes what type of classical music they like to listen to.
Pay attention to movie scores. The sound director will often use classical or instrumental music to underscore and important scene or to help viewers establish an emotional connection to what’s happening on the score. Once you start to pay attention to the musical score and how music triggers specific emotions, you’ll find yourself growing more appreciative.
If you’re going to a concert where a specific composer’s music will be played, you should spend some time researching them. Knowing a little bit about the composer, and their state of mind, will help you connect to the music.
Keep an open mind. When you approach a symphony or outdoor event with the mindset that you’re going to hate the music, that’s exactly what will happen. By ignoring preconceived notions and keeping your mind open, you will be surprised by how much you enjoy the performance.
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Is it just me or are you hearing some of the same sounds from years ago in the music today? At first I just thought that some types of music were getting a second wind with a new generations. Now I think that might be more than that. I think that music, like movies have run out of original material so they are reverting back to the old classics. Here are the example that came to my mind.
Old southern rock sounds like Elvis are being reinvented with bands like Lady Antebellum. I know they are not exactly the same, but when you listen to them side by side, their ballads, their fast songs sound so very similar. Their devoted followings are even similar. At the time Elvis came out he was considered Rock and Roll. I think he would be considered country now. Country has shifted away from the twang of a steel guitar for the electric sounds.
Bluegrass music like Earl Scruggs is getting a revival in bands like Mumford and Sons. Their traditional bluegrass sounds are nearly identical to old time bluegrass. The banjo makes a comeback with this new style of old music.
And has anyone noticed the overlap of Big Band and artists like Bruno Mars? His performance on the Grammys was straight out of the Big Band and Swing ear. It was great new style on this fun and upbeat type of music. Even the dancing that went with the performance had elements of Jitterbug style dancing.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining about this music revival. It doesn’t bear the same kind of contempt that the lack of originality in movies now has. This is a great way for music to cross generations.
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I was listening to the radio the other day when I heard a song called “Remind Me Who I Am”. It was an awesome song. It talked about how we forget who we are to God and all the things that make us forget. I easily identified with the song, and I am sure others will as well. So I looked up information about the artist, because I have never heard of him. His name is Jason Gray, and he has been a Christian music artist since 1997. While this is just my first experience with him, perhaps others have heard of him before now. Anyway, his song “Remind Me Who I Am” is such a great song about the weakness of our minds to remember all that God has done for us. A lot of Jason’s music focuses on that human weakness coupled with God’s divine strength.
Here’s the cool part of his story. Jason has a speech disorder that causes him to stutter greatly when he is speaking. The strange thing is he doesn’t do it when he sings. I think this is just so awesome that a voice that most would hear and look down upon, God has used it to create some of the best new music I have ever heard. It’s also very brave of Jason to talk openly about the disorder. His willingness to share that vulnerability in his music and with his fans just makes his testimony that much stronger in my opinion.
Good music like this really speaks to the soul. Hopefully it will keep on reminding all of us that we are bought with a price and the we were created with a purpose.
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