Portal:Classical music
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arts · Biography · Geography · History · Mathematics · Philosophy · Science · Society · Technology
Classical music is the term applied to the musical tradition untethered and almost diametrically opposed to the popular music of contemporary culture. This music evokes classical traditions, focuses on formal styles, invites technical and detailed deconstruction and criticism, and demands focused attention from the listener. This music is associated with, and often compared to, fine art and high culture, bringing with it accusations of haughtiness and exclusivity on the part of its champions. The fact remains that many "classical" pieces were the popular music of their time, and have remained popular to this day. All the same, there is no question that the public taste for and appreciation of formal music of this type has generally waned, though periods of resurgence come and go. There is, therefore, a nostalgia associated with classical music.
The pipe organ (Greek ὄργανον, órganon) is a musical instrument that produces sound by admitting pressurized air through a series of pipes. Pipe organs range in size from portable instruments with only a few dozen pipes to very large organs with tens of thousands of pipes, causing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to name it the "king of instruments." The pipe organ is also the origin of the phrase "to pull out all the stops"—meaning to make every effort or "to give it all you've got".
The organ has been described as one of the oldest musical instruments, as its origins can be traced back to ancient Greece in the 3rd century BC. The basic elements of a pipe organ are pipes (the sound-producing objects), placed on a chamber (called a windchest) that stores air under mechanically-produced pressure (referred to as wind), where access of the air to the pipes is controlled by a keyboard. Because of its constant wind supply, the organ is capable of sustaining sound for as long as the key is depressed, in contrast to other keyboard instruments, such as the piano and harpsichord, whose sound decays as the key is depressed. The organ also boasts a substantial repertoire, with music available spanning a period of over 400 years. (more...)
... that the Octet in E-flat major was written for the unusual ensemble of a double string quartet (pictured) and composed by Mendelssohn when he was only 16 years old?
"Music is the one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind but which mankind cannot comprehend." —Ludwig van Beethoven
"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." —Victor Hugo
- Expand this portal.
- Assist the classical music wikiproject.
