Searching for Classical Music
Most of us listen to music on streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube. Searching for pop songs is simple — just search the song name and artist: “Blinding Lights” by the Weekend, “Believer” by Imagine Dragons, “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift. But we — especially music students — cannot listen only to pop music. There are many excellent classical music recordings on streaming platforms but searching can be confusing because classical music does not typically have titles in the way pop songs do. You may wonder what on earth is “Bagatelle no. 25 in A minor WoO 59” by Boris Giltburg, but I am sure you have heard of “Für Elise” by Beethoven; they are the same piece. So why all the extra words and what do they mean?
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Instrumental classical music is not usually about anything in the way pop songs with lyrics are about something. The title is often simply the type of music. For example, a sonata (a solo instrument piece), concerto (a solo instrument with orchestra), symphony (an orchestra), string quartet (a piece for four stringed instruments) or, in the case of Für Elise, a bagatelle (a short piano piece). There are many more classical titles you will encounter: preludes, fugues, nocturnes, toccatas, theme and variations, the list goes on. You may recognise some of these titles from pieces you are playing (always check the subtitles in your pieces). Over time you will learn the different musical meanings of all these titles.
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Composers often write lots of pieces with the same title. Beethoven wrote nine symphonies, Bach wrote 48 preludes and fugues, and Scarlatti wrote more than 500 keyboard sonatas! How do we distinguish between them? Simply with a number and a key signature. For example, Beethoven’s symphony no. 5 in C minor. Most composers wrote hundreds if not thousands of works. There are extra catalogue and opus numbers to help identify them. For example, J.S. Bach has a BWV number, Mozart a K. number, Beethoven WoO, Vivaldi RV. etc. etc. An opus or ‘op.’ number is just another number to identify a piece. A composer’s Op. 1 is the first piece he wrote, Op. 124 the one hundredth and twenty fourth.
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Many classical pieces are like novels or books. They are divided into chapters, or “movements” as they are called in music. Let’s take the end of Mozart’s 40th symphony. The full track name is “Symphony no. 40 in G Minor, K.550: IV. Finale (Allegro Assai). It tells us the type of piece (a symphony), identifies which one (the 40th in G minor, K. 550), and which movement (the 4th movement, which is the “finale”). As is common, it also tells us the tempo indication (Allegro assai). Many grade pieces are just single movements from a bigger piece. The title at the top of the page merely tells us the tempo direction. Now you can see how much you are missing if you simply say you are playing “Allegro” or “Andante”.
Often there will be many names listed as the artist of classical music. These will likely be the composer, the name of the orchestra or ensemble, the conductor or individual performers. You can search the names online to find out who does what in the creation of a piece of recorded music. Also be aware that the year listed is not the year the piece was composed. It is the year it was recorded.
The best way to hear classical music is live. Every newsletter includes concerts in and around Orpington, as well as in central London. We very much encourage you go along if you can. Of course you can also hear your fellow students play live at our termly concerts. We encourage everyone at Orpington Music Studio to introduce their piece before they play.