A quick question (request) to all: I can tell which recent rock bands for example tend to be on my side of the spectrum in terms of “intellectual reflection”, i.e. free market oriented or simply “freedom” as their main message (Michael Jackson, Rage Against the Machine, etc), but I still have to build myself a personal “chart” if you will of who’s who in the “classical” world… can anyone help and provide a first “overlook” of who’s who in terms of classical music? Age wise (and taste wise) I seem to have kept a bit of distance (naturally) with classical music at large so far, but I’m starting to feel like I would like to know and hear more… I’ll start wherever you point and will take it from there. Thanks.
I don’t really know about your question, but what does RATM stand for with regards to economics? I know Tom Morello said,
“America touts itself as the land of the free, but the number one freedom that you and I have is the freedom to enter into a subservient role in the workplace. Once you exercise this freedom you’ve lost all control over what you do, what is produced, and how it is produced. And in the end, the product doesn’t belong to you. The only way you can avoid bosses and jobs is if you don’t care about making a living. Which leads to the second freedom: the freedom to starve.”
Is he against manufacturing jobs or something?
Beethoven’s third symphony, Eroica, is often called the link between Classical and Romantic music. It was written during the French Revolution. It is a beautiful piece. I also recommend Beethoven’s 5th, 6th and 9th symphonies as good places to start.
If you were asking in terms of composers who were remotely libertarian, I can’t tell you. I can recommend pieces and composers that I think you should start with and personally give me a libertarian vibe..
I too enjoy romantic/post-romantic composers. I’d recommend Sergei Rachmaninoff (and so would Ayn Rand…it’s quite interesting; I got a lot of good song recommendations from some of her books), Pytor Tchaikovsky, Frederic Chopin, Gabriel Faure, Ralph Vaughan-Williams, Edward Elgar, Franz Liszt…
And I often don’t know what to listen to first when I’m recommended a list of composers, so here are some pieces I really love and would definitely recommend:
Enigma Variations, Nimrod (Adagio), Edward Elgar
Piano Concertos No. 2 and 3, Sergei Rachmaninoff
The Lark Ascending, Ralph Vaughan-Williams
Meditation from “Thais”, Jules Massanet
Adagio for Strings, Samuel Barber
Cello Concerto in E minor, Edward Elgar (try a recording by Jacqueline Du Pre)
Liebestraume, Un Sospiro, Hungarian Rhapsody, Les Preludes, (All by Franz Liszt)
Vocalise; Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, 18th Variation; Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor; (all also by Sergei Rachmaninoff)
Piano Concerto No. 1 (especially the first movement), Tchaikovsky
Im confused… I thought Rage Against The Machine was a socialistic band
[quote=“Isaac “Izzy” Marmolejo”]
Im confused… I thought Rage Against The Machine was a socialistic band
[/quote]
Ditto.
I got into classical music from rock by listening to Bach’s Brandenburg concertos.
I’m confused. Either way the answer in all things music related is J.S. Bach, anything will do by him.
I thought classical music was ideology free.
Ludwig van Beethoven’s pupil and assistant, Ferdinand Ries:
“In writing this symphony Beethoven had been thinking of Buonaparte, but Buonaparte while he was First Consul. At that time Beethoven had the highest esteem for him and compared him to the greatest consuls of ancient Rome. Not only I, but many of Beethoven’s closer friends, saw this symphony on his table, beautifully copied in manuscript, with the word “Buonaparte” inscribed at the very top of the title-page and “Ludwig van Beethoven” at the very bottom. …I was the first to tell him the news that Buonaparte had declared himself Emperor, whereupon he broke into a rage and exclaimed, “So he is no more than a common mortal! Now, too, he will tread under foot all the rights of man, indulge only his ambition; now he will think himself superior to all men, become a tyrant!” Beethoven went to the table, seized the top of the title-page, tore it in half and threw it on the floor. The page had to be re-copied and it was only now that the symphony received the title “Sinfonia eroica.””
Dear Zizzer,
Brilliant! Thanks for the reply. Well, a lot of artists (?) today leave school at the age of 13 or something and rebel real early against a structure which they clearly identify as broken without really knowing where to go next or having really reviewed the subject thoroughly - but still, in my book, any enemy of the state… well… often tends to be my friend, in a weird way… 
But point taken, a lot of rock/punk bands argue against the current system thinking the answer lies in some form of “greater socialism” or whatever - I usually pardon their lack of understanding and take the rebellion for what it is…
Rothbard says it best (as usual, ahem) when asked regarding the French revolution in '68:
http://blog.mises.org/1785/rothbard-on-%E2%80%9968/
Needless to outline, RATM says it somewhat differently, “F*** you I won’t do what you tell me!”, and, well, why, sure, they are indeed slightly less poetic and not as subtle as Rothbard, but still…
Cheers.
Dear mstob,
Excellent, indeed, starting by looking at those writing right around the years of (or the decades preceding/following) the revolutions of the 18th century surely makes for a very good place to start… well done.
Beethoven, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 9th - right on. Amazing the amount of stuff I didn’t pay attention to for all these years. Link between classical and romantic music - didn’t even know (or maybe I did but never really paid attention) about both styles up until, well, today. Many thanks for the education. Indebted I am.
Regards.
Ytterbium,
Wow, you have just booked me with some serious homework all the way up until… 2012. Thanks!
Classical/romantic music never “naturally” had a massive “pull” on me, playing guitar kept me with my nose stuck enjoying learning from the Zakk Wylde and Joe Satriani of this planet - i.e. at a bit of a distance from (real) classical music at large…
Thanks for the great leads - quite impressed also I must add to see that someone can simply just drop a reply of 20 lines full of answers and suggestions in only a few minutes. Back to studying I am.
Regards.
Dear LeeO,
Thanks for the reply - interesting, that’s the jump in taste I still have make myself, from rock to classical… and I know I can’t force it… at most hopefully I can provoke it…
Classical music just seems to lack the “rough” & “tough” expression I find in the rock music of the past three decades - for some reason my body cells all line up when I hear the bass or guitars start to scream on stuff like No More Tears or even simpler stuff, like Guns N’ Roses and what not, rock just drives me nuts… a feeling that no classical song (yet) seems to be able to generate in me, thus the lack (so far) in interest… Classical music feels like golf to me, everybody around me spends hours telling me I’m really missing and will one day regret not having started earlier - and yet, I just can’t get my head around it, it just does not speak to me…
Anyway, will follow up immediately and see where it leads me.
Many thanks.