Recommended Listening

I Like Bach.

There. I said it. I'm glad we got that out of the way.

I Like Baroque.

That, also, felt really good.

Now that you know that about me, let me also say that harpsichords (especially digital recordings of harpsichords) can be really grating.

I Like Cello, Violin if it's not too grating, Oboe because it is haunting, Flute if played on a period instrument or in a period style or exploring previously unexplored work. I don't mind the occasional Cembalo, I don't mind a bit of Lute, I actually enjoy Clavinet, and Horns have their place, as well. Organ should be used with restraint.

I personally do not listen to a lot of Vocal Music, except in some very specific styles.

I don't mind the Presto and the Allegro, but I prefer the Largo and the Siciliano.

What follows will be a list of some composers, some notable works, some specific performances, perhaps a video link or two, and possibly some CD reviews.

In the interest of full disclosure, let me add that I have both a "CPE Bach" station and a "Frederick the Great" station on my Pandora.

Music can be quite revealing of character, and the fact that Frederick the Great liked the sound of the oboe, the fact that the oboe had a place in military music, the fact that the Prussians used their martial musicians to improve cadence and the fact that Frederick was an "accomplished amateur" philosopher-king flute player and composer all converge to make Baroque music quite meaningful for me in this context, particularly the melancholy sounds of the oboe, the gravity of the cello, the hopefulness of the flute, the wail of the violin or viola, and the blare of the horn.

Listen to some Baroque. Listen to the beautiful, emotional, lovely clockwork and airy constructions of Bach, his contemporaries, his sons, their contemporaries, and the Baroque to Rococo to Classical transition and tradition that they encompass.

Here's a nice place to start: