My favourite?


Jazz and "old-school rock".

Well, I'm missing many music types still:

Ragtime (you know piano music from the late 19th early 20th century - Scott Joplin and such).
Chansones (you know, like Edit Piaf, Maurice Chavalier...)
Swing (you must have heard of Glen Miller or Benny Goodman)
Blues (now that's what I call music - ever heard of Oscar Peterson)
Gospel (now I know you've heard of the last name Jackson in the singing world, but Mahalia Jackson?)
Ethno music - every nation has it (no, Americans aren't really a nation - they are simply people who came together from many other different nations)

Oh and classical music isn't just "classical music", you've got so many different things it's just crazy putting them all in one pile. It's like putting all NON-CLASSIC music in one category (where pop, hip-hop, rock would be simply one - because there's no difference between them).
There are: operas, ballets, operettas, concertos,...

But then again these and many others aren't really comertial (nor do they care about being such - although swing certainly was, jazz also at some point).

Au Contraire, it sucks, it sucks big time...

What many people refer to classical can be put in one of those categories

Medieval (476 – 1400)
Renaissance (1400 – 1600)
Baroque (1600 – 1760)
Classical (1730 – 1820)
Romantic (1815 – 1910)
20th century (1900 – 1999)
Contemporary classical music


And like you said, each group has more specialized "sub-groups", like operas etc.

Well you sorted it out historically, I was refering to different kinds of it. There were operas in the Renaissance already and there are new ones still being composed. So "Orfeius" and "Nixon in China" are both operas, but there's some 5 ceturies in between them (they would still fall in different genre of "classical music", namely operas).

BTW - in which category would marches fall (or would they be a category of their own)? I mean you can't really say that people like John Phillim Sousa really composed classical music... but where would you put it?

There is a great difference between the music in those historical categories :)

For myself, I prefer listening to baroque, but I never play it because my instrument didn't exist then. So I play classical, 20th century and contemporary classical music.

John Philip Sousa.. I would definitly not categorize him as classical. No way. I would probably just make marches a special catergory. Or maybe as "national" music, since many marchces are a big cultural thing for the country they're composed in. Take the Internationalin and the National anthem of the former CCCP.
But I would put marches in their own category, just like rock, pop and rap.

I do realize that.

Now that's interesting. If you ask me baroque sounds way to kitch (not sure if I spelled it right). I mean I really dislike Vivaldi, Scarlatti's not my cup of tea and Händel argh - his water music makes me wanna pass water. I do like some Bach though.

I'd deffinetly have to go with the Romantic period (Tschaikovsky, Dvorak, Mahler,...)

EDIT: Oh wait... there's alos Albinoni in the baroque era right? I like his music.

I've always been weak for the "decorations" in baroque music :D
Although I don't like Vivaldi that much. Stupid reason, really... I had to OVER-analyze him in Music theory class when I was younger. Kinda ruined him for me.

But J.S.Bach and Händel are awesome.

Of the Classical era, I'd have to, of course, pinpoint Mozart and Beethoven. But I don't enjoy listening to classical as much as baroque.

You mentioned Tschaikovsky: I looove 1812 Overture!! One of the biggest shiver I've had in my life was when I heard it live. It's wondersome.

EDIT: Oooh yeah, Albinoni!! He's great. I like his oboe concertos (or the ones I've heard / played)

Ditto, I had the luck to hear it performed by the Slovene Radio Television Symphonic Orchestra at the time it was lead by Anton Nanut (I think it's one of the best versions of the Overture all around - heard a few versions live and recorded), but I'd still have to go with "The Queen of Spades" (perhaps less know, but brilliant if you ask me).

For the classics Bethoveen no doubt, but Mozart? I guess he's been over-done (at least for my taste). But I do like Schubert a lot.

Yeah that's true, he's been "raped" a lot, if I can say so.
But still, Die Zauberflöte, and first and foremost the CLARINET CONCERTOS!!! *drools*