The Music Box

[britbox]

10 Mozart Pieces You've Heard but don't know the name

(at least I didn't)

It's funny how you can begin exploring a composer's work from the unlikeliest of routes.

I started listening to Bach years ago, after matching some video game music to one of his pieces - Prelude in C from Well-Tempered Clavier and took it from there.

 

[Horsa]

It's funny how you can begin exploring a composer's work from the unlikeliest of routes.

I started listening to Bach years ago, after matching some video game music to one of his pieces - Prelude in C from Well-Tempered Clavier and took it from there.

I agree. The 1st time I heard Mozart I was watching an advert for "Amadeus" while waiting for a film to start on video as a little girl & the 1st time I heard the piece I've shared below was in "Brassed off".

 

[Chris Koziarz]

@Horsa, my friend, I put here a video to provoke your conceptions about singing and (heavy) music.

First, a preamble:

The video bellow is from a second fiddle heavy metal band (technically is "power metal" actually), which have some songs I really like, but is, well, seen as too "soft" by orthodox heavy metal fans. But it will surely sound (in this song, at some passages), extremely heavy for your ears.

But since you know (and like) a lot about singing, I ask you to try to turn off your biases a bit (everyone has them, endure the heavier parts while paying attention to the vocalist. Technically, the guy is unbelievable. And he flirts a lot with what is called "dirty" singing, but pay attention to how much different things he accomplishes here, either from a technical or from a pure "interpretation" point of view. My point here is that you can really, really enlarge the "sing properly" concept:



BTW I think @Chris Koziarz will enjoy it.

You bet! I had to listen to it twice to capture its nuances and I think I'll still listen again in the future...
You've praised the singer here, rightly so with interesting multiple semitone jumps to change the mood! But that's not all! Music deserves the same! It start ed trivially simple, until 0:25 with a sudden mood change on "sacrifice"! Oh man, there is too much in it to even properly describe here! Dissonant minor chords thrown in, changes to minor in chorus. At some point they sounded deep baroque mood, like Perfect Strangers by DP, I even thought Richie Blackmore came in to do the guitar solo, it really felt like from his hands, but no. Then a little bit like King Crimson. BTW, I sort of "grew up" with both, so I'm pleased to find elements of both and much more here. Thanks!

 

[Chris Koziarz]

That is slightly different to what I was told. I was told Guinness & lager. Ha! Yes. You only have to know what each drink looks like. I love the fact that the last word of the 1st part of your sentences rhymes with the last word of the sentences. Very good!

Scientifically speaking, the top layer needs to be the with lower specific gravity than the bottom, so that top stays on top. Unsurprisingly, higher percentage of alcohol means lower specific gravity because alcohol is lighter than water. And of course different (darker) colour on top for the desired visual effect. Guinness/lager happen to satisfy the layering requirements, but so does strong black stout. So it's no brainer to substitute Guinness with stout if you lack the former. Same with bottom layer.
Speaking about my rhymes. Well, the first one is not really... I just plagiarised it from a very well known song (do you remember which?). But the second and the third are my creation. Happy you appreciate my effort.

 

[Chris Koziarz]

10 Mozart Pieces You've Heard but don't know the name

(at least I didn't)

I did know in 50% only. I know the 2 pieces from Eine Kleine Nacht Music (allegro & rondo) very well. Also I know the allegro from 25 symphony and 1 variation of "twinkle little star" and couple of others. But I didn't know all sonatas

 

[Chris Koziarz]

Do you like the Peter Gabriel-era Genesis?

I haven't listened too much of them with PG, and that fact already speaks that didn't like them as much. I think PG made a very good decision by leaving them, after the "Lamb...", because he sounded much better in his solo recordings.
Having listened to the 3 pieces you gave above, the last feels to me marginally better than the "Lamb..", both having interesting form. But the first "I know What I like" is totally flat, little boring nothing.

 

[Chris Koziarz]

I must say... I can't agree with @Chris Koziarz 's approach to good music... otherwise everybody would be listening to Mozart.

You can't break down how good a song is scientifically. Like art, it's each to their own. Some are attracted to rhythm, others to melodies, others to lyrics... the list is endless.

Some people like hard rock, others like rhythmic trance, others ballads... the list is long and distinguished. I like different music to fit different moods. One minute I'll be listening to Bach, the next some hardcore dance tune from Joey Beltram. In the middle, Phil Collins might feature, or Oasis, or the Beatles... or some kind of song that reminds me of something...

What's good? Like what you will.

Not quite, mate. My approach to good music does not lead me to Mozart. Yes, I used to love Mozart, starting from about 20-22 (in my Uni years) but I quickly grew out of it. I think even before 25, I started adoring Bach/Beethoven, then switched to romantic music, esp Brahms & of course Chopin. I still like Mozart music today but consider it a very small piece of art in music. Above all, Mozart was not a serious musician with complex feelings but an entertainer who invented simple "easy" and "fun" tunes for popular audience. In today's terms, I would compare Mozart to early Beatles (e.g. She Loves You), although the comparison is not quite correct because Mozart created a whole new style (classicism) while others were stuck in baroque.
Further, I listen not only to Mozart, and not only to classical music but also to jazz and a little bit of contemporary pop (the bit that I don't hate). And while my approach to music can be described as "scientific", this is just my own "feeling" and I understand that others don't need to have the same approach and consequently they will like different music. So I think we are in broad agreement here, although I'm sure you like different types/pieces of music than I do.

 

[Chris Koziarz]

It's funny how you can begin exploring a composer's work from the unlikeliest of routes.

I started listening to Bach years ago, after matching some video game music to one of his pieces - Prelude in C from Well-Tempered Clavier and took it from there.

Ha, ha! How coincidental is it, that Fed also "played" the same thing in his UNIQLO commercial? At least they have him "play" the first 8 bars or so, they didn't show the next passages when the L hand chords become more tricky.

 

[Chris Koziarz]

I agree. The 1st time I heard Mozart I was watching an advert for "Amadeus" while waiting for a film to start on video as a little girl & the 1st time I heard the piece I've shared below was in "Brassed off".

I didn't watch "Brassed off" but "Concierto de Aranjuez" has nothing to do with Mozart. It's a 1939 piece for guitar by a blind Spanish guy Joaquin Rodrigo. The most famous part is adagio:

But the whole concert consist of 3 parts. The two surrounding allegros are also worth listening to.
I came upon this piece by listening to Miles Davis cool jazz interpretation (not surprisingly) Miles' version is also phenomenal. But the performance with guitar sounds better than with trumpet (or with any other instrument)n because the piece was written for a guitar.
No need to mention, that this piece is one of my all time favourites. A masterpiece among masterpieces. A beauty among beauties.

 

[Horsa]

I didn't watch "Brassed off" but "Concierto de Aranjuez" has nothing to do with Mozart. It's a 1939 piece for guitar by a blind Spanish guy Joaquin Rodrigo. The most famous part is adagio:

But the whole concert consist of 3 parts. The two surrounding allegros are also worth listening to.
I came upon this piece by listening to Miles Davis cool jazz interpretation (not surprisingly) Miles' version is also phenomenal. But the performance with guitar sounds better than with trumpet (or with any other instrument)n because the piece was written for a guitar.
No need to mention, that this piece is one of my all time favourites. A masterpiece among masterpieces. A beauty among beauties.

I didn't say the "Concierto de Aranjuez" was composed by Mozart if you read what I said properly though I might not have made myself as clear as I normally do because I hadn't had my 1st coffee yet & was tired. I know it was by Rodrigo. I said "The 1st time I heard Mozart I was watching a film as a little girl & saw the advert for "Amadeus" which was about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I was responding to Britbox's comment that sometimes we 1st get introduced to music in unexpected ways.

Thank you very much for the extra information & for that version of "Concierto de Aranjuez". I'd only heard the brass version of it before. It truly is a beautiful piece.

 

[Horsa]

Scientifically speaking, the top layer needs to be the with lower specific gravity than the bottom, so that top stays on top. Unsurprisingly, higher percentage of alcohol means lower specific gravity because alcohol is lighter than water. And of course different (darker) colour on top for the desired visual effect. Guinness/lager happen to satisfy the layering requirements, but so does strong black stout. So it's no brainer to substitute Guinness with stout if you lack the former. Same with bottom layer.
Speaking about my rhymes. Well, the first one is not really... I just plagiarised it from a very well known song (do you remember which?). But the second and the third are my creation. Happy you appreciate my effort.

I just got told what a black & tan was & tried 1. I wouldn't try to make 1 again as I don't like it.

I can't remember the song but maybe that's because I went back to oldies mode & I'm busy thinking "How old is 'Oh my Darling Clementine'?" & "Can I use it in my 1940's sing-song next week?". I do appreciate your effort.

I love the elegance of rhyme.
I have done for a long time.
I think it looks so neat.
I think it sounds so sweet.

 

[mrzz]

I haven't listened too much of them with PG, and that fact already speaks that didn't like them as much. I think PG made a very good decision by leaving them, after the "Lamb...", because he sounded much better in his solo recordings.
Having listened to the 3 pieces you gave above, the last feels to me marginally better than the "Lamb..", both having interesting form. But the first "I know What I like" is totally flat, little boring nothing.

Man, first thanks a lot for all the information on your posts. I really enjoyed reading them, both the information shared and the approach you chose. I gladly take my hat off!

And boy that version of "Concierto de Aranjuez" is a masterpiece.

About PG era Genesis, I agree with you about "You know what I like". I really don't like that song. But simply all other songs on the same album are very good. Try them out when you have the chance.

 

[Horsa]

Man, first thanks a lot for all the information on your posts. I really enjoyed reading them, both the information shared and the approach you chose. I gladly take my hat off!

And boy that version of "Concierto de Aranjuez" is a masterpiece.

About PG era Genesis, I agree with you about "You know what I like". I really don't like that song. But simply all other songs on the same album are very good. Try them out when you have the chance.

I think we've all found a piece of music we like then & it's called "Concierto de Aranjuez". :0)

 

[Horsa]

I've finally got round to listening to that piece of music, Mrzz wanted me to listen to as I had a busy training day yesterday with art appreciation in the morning followed by quilting in the afternoon & I've had fund-raising & hat-making & doing & teaching old crafts today. It's 1940's day next Saturday.

The 1st time I listened I thought that's nice, he's a good singer & these instruments are well-played & sound good until about 27 seconds in & I thought I can't listen to this rubbish but I challenged myself to give it a 2nd go. What I got from it is it's not necessarily the case that someone who shouts, screams or talks through a song instead of singing can't sing properly but they don't want to sing properly for some reason & the same goes for people who just play their instruments as loud as they possibly can & there are actually people who like this type of music & that's who they're targeting as well as the fact that who has a good singing voice & who doesn't depends on the individual & their tastes. It's easier to show than describe a good singing voice so I'll share what I think of as good singing voices.




















*Some of those I shared were part of a playlist as I thought you could pick your own that way but now only the 1st song is playing.

 

[Vince Evert]

Whatever it was the uploader was trying to achieve, inserting the Her Majesty track between Mean Mister Mustard and polythene pam tracks , it's a helluva thing to do

Quote ; Permanent Rain

Published on Aug 21, 201

The Abbey Road side 2 medley from The Beatles, with a reshuffled track order meant to replicate the original intent of the album; Her Majesty now sits in between Mean Mr. Mustard and Polythene Pam, with the ending and intro notes respectively blending into Her Majesty as required. I also included the extended take of You Never Give Me Your Money as found in The Beatles Rock Band, which includes a bit more guitar solo.

However, to get all the masters to line up correctly, I had to use the Beatles RB stems, so the mix sounds a tad dryer than you may be used to, so my apologies if it's a bother. This is mostly just a fun experiment to see how the album may have turned out.

 

[Vince Evert]

From the 50th anniversary edition of the album. Should be coming out the end of this month...

 

[tented]

From the 50th anniversary edition of the album. Should be coming out the end of this month...

I can’t wait for this to be released! I’ve already pre-ordered it.

 

[Chris Koziarz]

I just got told what a black & tan was & tried 1. I wouldn't try to make 1 again as I don't like it.

I can't remember the song but maybe that's because I went back to oldies mode & I'm busy thinking "How old is 'Oh my Darling Clementine'?" & "Can I use it in my 1940's sing-song next week?". I do appreciate your effort.

I love the elegance of rhyme.
I have done for a long time.
I think it looks so neat.
I think it sounds so sweet.

Thanks for that little poem!
My plagiarism is at the end of the chorus.

The fact that I remember it speaks that I like it, but actually it;s not my favourite musical. Unlike others (e.g. Hair) Grease aged pretty badly, you watch it today and listen to its music with a bit of cringe: no one (esp. young generation) behaves like that today. But The One That I Want is still the best piece of music in it. Although not very high by my today's standards, I was very young when I was watching it (it's not much younger than myself). On top of that we still like ageless actors ONJ & JT, right?

 

[Horsa]

Thanks for that little poem!
My plagiarism is at the end of the chorus.

The fact that I remember it speaks that I like it, but actually it;s not my favourite musical. Unlike others (e.g. Hair) Grease aged pretty badly, you watch it today and listen to its music with a bit of cringe: no one (esp. young generation) behaves like that today. But The One That I Want is still the best piece of music in it. Although not very high by my today's standards, I was very young when I was watching it (it's not much younger than myself). On top of that we still like ageless actors ONJ & JT, right?

You're welcome.

Ha! I was going to say that but to me there is only a slight similarity. It's not my favourite musical either. My favourite musical is "State Fair". I don't cringe at Grease now because I like period dramas & films. The most cringe-worthy musicals I find are "Oliver" & the newer version of "Moulin Rouge". Although I like the songs in "Oliver" I think that the film producers are just making a song & dance of everything in a way that makes a mockery out of Charles Dickens book. The reason why I find "Moulin Rouge" cringe-worthy is that although the songs are good, the way the film is acted out doesn't put things in a sequence where you can put together the story. The original "Moulin Rouge" tells the story properly & I think it's very good as it shows clearly that it's the story of the painter Henri Toulouse Lautrec. I agree that "You're the 1 that I want" is the best song in Grease. I still watch Grease now sometimes. I still like Olivia Newton John & John Travolta. My favourite film by John Travolta is Saturday Night Fever though where he used to go discoing to "Bee Gees" songs. The reason for that isn't just about the acting but John Travolta's dancing & the Bee Gees songs. I like the Bee Gees.



Remember this film. Night Fever isn't my favourite Bee Gees song but here you go.

 

[Chris Koziarz]

I've finally got round to listening to that piece of music, Mrzz wanted me to listen to as I had a busy training day yesterday with art appreciation in the morning followed by quilting in the afternoon & I've had fund-raising & hat-making & doing & teaching old crafts today. It's 1940's day next Saturday.

The 1st time I listened I thought that's nice, he's a good singer & these instruments are well-played & sound good until about 27 seconds in & I thought I can't listen to this rubbish but I challenged myself to give it a 2nd go. What I got from it is it's not necessarily the case that someone who shouts, screams or talks through a song instead of singing can't sing properly but they don't want to sing properly for some reason & the same goes for people who just play their instruments as loud as they possibly can & there are actually people who like this type of music & that's who they're targeting as well as the fact that who has a good singing voice & who doesn't depends on the individual & their tastes. It's easier to show than describe a good singing voice so I'll share what I think of as good singing voices.




















*Some of those I shared were part of a playlist as I thought you could pick your own that way but now only the 1st song is playing.

Ha, unbelievable your take of than Masterplan music is 100% opposite to mine. I'm bored at the start when this B2 tonic starts and the singer follows that single chord in B-minor scale, thinking "Oh no, how long can my ear tolerate that?" Thank goodness at was 27 secs only, after what true music starts while it ends for you. Of course we are never going to agree on anything here, given how different our perceptions are, so no point discussing it.
But it's worth throwing in couple comments to your selection of "good singing". Nice variety of pop songs, and even some Scottish folk to spice the lot, thanks! I actually enjoyed Scottish songs the best. Most of your pop songs are simple numbers that standard major chord progressions (like I-IV-V) can cover. So not of special interest for me. The notable exceptions in this scheme are of course Queen, Moody Blues & Whitney Houston pieces but that should be obvious to everyone I think.
Of course I acknowledge, that even very average pieces in this collection, have their merits; like e.g. Believe by Cher - a very simplistic (I'd even say primitive) piece of music and very average vocal performance - yet the clever use of auto-tune machine as voice enhancement (the very first time) resulted in interesting effects. But I'd argue it's not the art of "good singing" but rather the art of using a computer to create the new kind of music. Many artists use such techniques nowadays with incredible effects; Cher was the first one. But sorry, I cannot call the modulations of Cher's voice "singing" anymore.
Finally, I'd like to note that Rod Stewart's rendition of Have You Ever Seen Rain, is not the original one, nor a good one. The original by CCR sounds much better:

ask anyone who lives(d) in Seattle WA, like myself, they have been listening to this song so many times... No doubt they would agree with me that this song belongs to CCR and those who triy to imitate, even RS, come out poorly. I would even generalise this opinion to most Americans.