A Beginners Guide to Classical Music
By Aaron Green, About.com Guide
- Introduction to Classical Music
- Classical Music FAQs
- Recommended Classical Music CDs and Playlists
- Aria Translations
- Classical Music Glossary
Introduction to Classical Music
Get yourself familiar with classical music, its popular composers, famous concert halls, and tips on finding music you've heard on television and movies.
- Intro to Classical Music
- 10 Classical Works You Know, But You Don't Know
- 10 of the World's Best Concert Halls
- 3 Steps to Finding Classical Music and Sheet Music
- A Beginner's First Symphony
- A Beginner's Guide to Beethoven
- A Beginner's Guide to Piano Music
- Classical Composer Picture Gallery
- How to Ruin A Classical Music Concert
- Introducing Children to Classical Music
- Perfect Pitch: Do You Have It?
- The Importance of Key Signatures
- Tips for Identifying Classical Music
Classical Music FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about some of classical music's most popular styles of music.
Recommended Classical Music CDs and Playlists
New to classical music? Or are you on the hunt for new classical music to add to your music library? I know it can be a difficult task, but I'm here to make things a little bit easier for you. The music listed here is absolutely fantastic.
- 5 Classical Guitar CDs
- 5 Classical Music CDs for Newbies
- 6 Recommended Beethoven Music CDs
- 10 Fantastic Mozart Concertos
- 10 Renee Fleming CDs
- Classical Music Playlist for the Road
- Classical Music Playlists for Everyday Activities
- Quintessential Mozart
- Romantic Orchestral Music Playlist
- Romantic Opera Music Playlist
- Romantic Piano Music Playlist
- Top 10 Best Original Film Soundtracks
- Top 10 Yo-Yo Ma Albums
Aria Translations
While most opera houses now offer lyrics and translations of their operas and oratorios, there are some companies that do not. So, for those of you who live near the companies who do not display them, here are handful of lyrics from popular arias as well as their English translations.
- "Der Hölle Rache" Lyrics and Text Translation
- Flower Duet Lyrics and Text Translation
- Habanera Lyrics and Text Translation
- "Il dolce suono" Lyrics and Text Translation
- "La donna e mobile" Lyrics and Text Translation
- Leporello's "Catalog Aria" from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni
- Nessun Dorma Lyrics and Text Translation
- "O Sole Mio" Lyrics and Text Translation
- "Un bel di, vedremo" Lyrics and Text Translation
- "Vissi d'Arte" Lyrics and Text Translation
Classical Music Glossary
Part of the reason why classical music can be somewhat difficult to learn is because there is quite a bit of terminology one must understand. From trios to quartets, and movements to symphonies, here are some of classical music's most basic and widely used terms.