Blog Relaunch Coming Soon
As a result of a number of personal issues over the past year and a certain pandemic, I have not made the time necessary to really get this blog going - that has now changed.
Over the coming months, I will be relaunching this blog with the same goals, but taking a slightly different approach structurally.
Stay tuned!
Welcome to my corner of the Internet. This purpose of this blog is threefold. First of all it will provide a route map into the rarefied and somewhat mysterious world of classical music with explanations, anecdotes and suggestions on how beginners can establish whether classical music is for them and if so, help them identify exactly what sort classical music they might like. Secondly, this blog will shine a light on some of the lesser known composers, the quite literally several thousand composers who often don't get any form of consideration by many in the classical music world but whose output is as good as, and in some cases, better than the established and better known names. Finally, this blog will promote the use of modern equipment and methods to consume classical music, leveraging the quantum leap in playback chain technology that has occurred in the last 2 or 3 decades. I consume my music in digital form; I've had my fill of LPs, CDs, cassettes and the like and only make very limited and very specific use of streaming services. For me digital files are the only way forward in terms of ease of access, longevity, price, industry sustainability and convenience. This blog will reflect these beliefs.
This blog will reflect my personal musical tastes and somewhat inevitably my personal bias. I will not recommend recordings or composers I do not like; I will give honest personal opinions. I will not jump on a particular bandwagon just because it is currently cool. It is after all, the music and the enjoyment I gain from it that I hope to impart. Even if my specific recommendations are not to your tastes, perhaps my approach and resources will still be of use to you. My main period of interest is in music from the late 17th century through to the late 19th century or in old money, the late 1600s to the late 1800s. I do not like everything that was written during this period and I do like some of the music that was, composed either side of the stated timespan. I should state that I like my music for its sonic qualities; that a piece of music is cleverly written, or written by an established composer is not sufficient reason for it to gain entry into my library. Every piece in my library is there for a reason, no matter the status of the composer or how they are viewed in the traditional classical world. At the time of writing, my classical library stretches to about 17,500 tracks. This equates to about 1,300 hours of non-stop music and gives a little over 550 composers some form of representation.
To achieve my goals, I will touch upon many subjects and whilst many of my posts will be factual, others will offer opinions. I will make many recommendation on specific recordings, labels, composers, genres, hardware, software, codecs and buying strategies as well as providing links to useful resources. Any personal commercial considerations associated with any of my recommendations will be made abundantly clear. In essence then, this will be a blog that I wish I had stumbled across when I really started to get into classical music.
So who am I and why should you invest your time in my ramblings? I have no claim to fame, am in my mid-fifties and do not fit into any of the socioeconomic groups normally associated with classical music in terms of education and professional status. I am essentially a manual worker with a secondary school education who has absolutely no musical training whatsoever. And that is precisely why, if you are curious about this enormous genre of music, you should sit up and pay attention. If I can find and enjoy just some of the beauty this enormous genre has to offer, I'm pretty sure you can as well. So, stop by every now and again - or regularly if you like, and see if this blog can help you.
