The prospect of engaging with music of the ‘classical’ persuasion might appear daunting to the uninitiated. Perhaps this is unsurprising given the sheer volume of classical music out there, as well as the often mystifying words associated with the pieces themselves – Concerto, Symphony, Sonata and Fugue to name a few. The number of recordings made of a single work is both a blessing and a curse – at my last count I have 46 Beethoven Symphony Cycles in my library… judge that as you will. Fear not, for there is a solution; Varsity’s guide will (hopefully) transform you into a classical aficionado.

“Comparing pieces of the same formal name to each other can yield fascinating results”

The differing types of classical pieces all have their own histories and origins – the symphony, for instance, began as the sinfonia, often an instrumental overture to an opera (or oratorio). A famous example would be Handel’s Messiah. Moving into the 18th and 19th centuries, the nature of the symphony expanded exponentially to unprecedented levels, both in terms of length, the size of the orchestra, and narrative potential. One of the hallmarks of a symphony of this period is the separation of musical ideas into different movements. Symphonies of the 19th century generally fall into the form slow-fast-dance-fast, and the symphony in the attached playlist does exactly this.

Sonatas are most often works for a solo instrument, in multiple movements, at least one of which is in sonata form. The use of complex sonata forms in symphonies has scope for another article in itself. Composers such as Mahler and Sibelius extended this original concept into immensely nuanced and exciting large-scale movements. Comparing pieces of the same formal name can yield fascinating results; comparing a sonata by Charles Ives to one by Joseph Haydn (composers only 150 or so years apart) is comparable to the differences in architecture between St John’s College and Fitzwilliam College – the bones are the same (large façades, courtyards, etc.), but the style is so noticeably different!

“Finding a conductor whose artistic approach resonates with me is the first step to finding a recording I personally find satisfying”

With a wealth of recordings available for most pieces, you might find yourself asking how to select a particular recording for a particular work. This is, of course, an incredibly subjective question – the objective merit of one recording over another really only exists when talking about sound quality. Some of the earliest recordings from the early 20th century are, although artistically priceless, basically unlistenable! The easy answer would be: “Conductor X has a recording of work Y with Orchestra Z, which is objectively the best”, but this is quite reductive. There is a wealth of recordings for nearly every work ever published, and there are as many recordings as there are interpretations of the work. For me, finding a conductor whose artistic approach resonates with me is the first step to finding a recording I personally find satisfying. The pieces in the playlist attached to this article are what I consider to be highly accomplished and brilliant representations of the works in question. The alternative to this method is using reviews, but it’s important to remember that the ratings shown are a reflection of a particular critic on a particular day.

Given the long and convoluted history of this style of music, it’s really helpful to categorise your listening into particular periods. Western classical music can be broadly placed into five historical groups: Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and 20th/21st century. Within these, there are different schools or methods of composition – for instance, serialism, which is concerned with the equality of all twelve notes of the scale, set into a predetermined order. Classical music is not a monolith, and these categories chart the long and ever-evolving development of the field.

I hope having read this article you are better equipped to engage with and enjoy this most varied and exciting aspect of Cambridge life. To put your newfound knowledge to the test, click here for a playlist containing pieces from (nearly) all the most important periods of classical music – a variety of forms and genres to introduce you to this storied and diverse world.

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