Art/classical/avant-garde music: listening paths

Possible "categories" in which to classify the most important composers and pieces... and only thinking of the West:

- Medieval Music

- Renaissance Music

- Modal Music (Renaissance)

- Modal Music (Jazz)

- Tonal Music

- Twelve-tone Music

- Serial Music

- Structuralism (Total Serialism)

- Minimalism

- Spectral Music

- Microtonal Music

- Musique Concrète

- Electronic Music

- Pop Music

- Blues Music

- Rock Music

- Jazz Music

- Film Music

Just some ideas... not to mention crossovers, sub-classifications, music from other cultures, etc.... what interests you?

There is also the whole world of so-called "World Music", which is more or less pop music that follows extra-European traditions

I would feel inclined to make a further distinction, namely pieces that move within the discrete domain and pieces that move within the continuous domain. While it is obvious for electronic music that we are in the world of the continuous, for traditional instruments it is not so obvious; and while it is obvious that the piano allows only one type of domain (the discrete), for strings, for example, it is not.

Therefore, another way to direct listening can be by moving within this further classification...

to me it seems like a bit of an excessive distinction, DiesIrae.... in the end, in the world of the "continuous", almost only electronic music would fit.

thallo wrote:

to me it seems a bit excessive as a distinction, DiesIrae.... in the end, in the world of the "continuous" almost only electronic music would fit.

Concorso, in the end I was thinking of composers like Xenakis, see pieces like

Arditti Quartet. Iannis Xenakis: Tetras 1/2

Open content (youtube)

Pio wrote:

Aside from the tonal world, which I know quite well, what kind of listening paths would you suggest to broaden my horizons a bit, and through which composers/works should one pass?

(Re)precisely, only at a listening level....

I think it makes no sense for a person who wants to move from the tonal world to the atonal world to start from 100 and work backwards to 0.

Metaphorically speaking, one starts from where the tonal world began to creak (the second Viennese school) and proceeds, without rushing and remembering that "listening level" does not mean listening just once and that's it. It means deepening one's understanding of the various stages of musical evolution and dwelling for a long time on the most significant and important pieces. It doesn't matter where you arrive; what matters is how you arrive there.

The idea of having to traverse music history chronologically to build listening paths seems a bit pedantic to me, and I believe it is not very effective. Instead, I would suggest listening here and there, and if you find something interesting, pursuing that direction.

For example, Partiels by Gérard Grisey, or the second Trio with piano by Salvatore Sciarrino (Piano Trio No. 2), or perhaps Vertigo by the late Christophe Bertrand...

I agree. I also suggest some pieces, different sonorities: Quattro pezzi su una nota sola by Scelsi, Octandre by Varese, Kammerkonzert by Ligeti, Spiri by Donatoni, Guiro by Lachenmann.

First of all, I want to thank everyone; let's say I would start with Minimalism, I've had some experiences that turned out well... but I would like to hear your suggestions.

What can and must I not miss?

I have also listened to some Bartók and Stravinsky, and here too we are "fairly" there...

Is Xenakis's list exhaustive? If so, can you point out a couple of more representative composers and a few pieces to listen to....just to create my own mental map of the work that needs to be done...

Pio wrote:

In the meantime, I thank everyone; let's say I would start from Minimalism, I have had some experiences that turned out well... but I would like to hear your suggestions.

What can and must I not miss?

I hope you like it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENagJfLAtlo

Open content (youtube)

Xenakis wrote:

Possible "categories" in which to classify the most important composers and pieces... and thinking only of the West:

- Medieval Music

- Renaissance Music

- Modal Music (Renaissance)

- Modal Music (Jazz)

- Tonal Music

- Twelve-tone Music

- Serial Music

- Structuralism (Total Serialism)

- Minimalism

- Spectral Music

- Microtonal Music

- Musique Concrète

- Electronic Music

- Pop Music

- Blues Music

- Rock Music

- Jazz Music

- Film Music

Just a few ideas... not to mention crossovers, sub-classifications, music from other cultures, etc.... what interests you?

...and don't you see a little place for aleatory music?