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From: jeffw@tekecs.UUCP (Jeff Winslow)
Newsgroups: net.music.classical
Subject: Re: chamber music (and Mozart)
Message-ID: <5756@tekecs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 16-Oct-85 15:05:44 EDT
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Posted: Wed Oct 16 15:05:44 1985
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> > Though I am a long-time classical music lover, I have had relatively
> > little exposure to chamber music.  How 'bout some recommendations?
> 
> Start with the quartets of Mozart, esp. those 6 dedicated to Haydn.
> Also listen to the last quartets of Haydn.
> Then start the Beethoven quartets  (this may take a few decades
> to fully appreciate)
> Dont forget the Shubert quartets and quintets.
> Then, if there's time, the quartets of Debussy, Ravel, Berg,
> Brahms, etc.

I don't mean to pick on Richard, but I hear this kind of advice so often
(start with something by Mozart) that it's become kind of a pet peeve of
mine.

I've listened to "classical" music all my life, but it wasn't until
my college years that Mozart did anything for me but bore me. Now I
appreciate a great deal of his music, but I have always preferred Beethoven,
and in fact my favorite music is from 1860-1940. So if I had never listened
to chamber music, "start with Mozart" would be terrible advice.

If you have a favorite period of music, it would make sense to start with
chamber music from that period. If that happens to be Mozart, fine.

Some of my personal favorites are the Debussy quartet, the Brahms C major
trio, and Beethoven op. 127. And, oh yes, the Brahms clarinet quintet. Yum!

					Jeff Winslow