[f_minor] OT: Intro to Classical Music for a young lad ?

[Brett Allen-Bayes]

Dear Pat,

 

How about the Carl Orff's Schulwerk? There are a couple of versions
available - a 6CD set on RCA and an even better series of 3 discs on
Celestial Harmonies. The Celestial harmonies discs are available separately
and I suggest Vol. 1 is a good place to start (all instrumental pieces).
Vol.2 mixes vocal pieces with Sprechstimme etc whilst building a musical
philosophy and vocab. It is childlike in its sense of wonder and very
approachable without sounding like kid's music. Vol.3 is made up of piano
and violin pieces and as such doesn't offer the unique percussion based
sound world of Orff that we also know through Carmina Burana et al. Also
check out Wikipedia and other sites for the system's philosophy and
background. I hope this helps. You should be able to hear selections at
Amazon and on You Tube.

 

Good luck,

 

Brett

 

  _____  

From: f_minor-bounces at glenngould.org [mailto:f_minor-bounces at glenngould.org]
On Behalf Of Pat
Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2011 3:54 AM
To: Discussion of the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould.
Subject: [f_minor] OT: Intro to Classical Music for a young lad ?

 

Dear all

 

I am fairly desperate, Amazon, Yahoo Answers and teh Internet in general
have been useless so far, forgive the OT. Because you are such a nice and
clever bunch of people I thought I'd ask you guys.

 

I got a godson who is around 10, a bright and clever lad for his age who
does not get fooled easily. He is about to get an mp3 player for chrissie
and I intend to introduce him to (amongst other musical styles) Classical
Music. 

 

I do firmly  believe that you can shape the musical taste and intellect of a
child at this particular age. Of course he will decide what he likes best
but suggesting new, cool and fun stuff is what Godfathers are for, right ?

 

Problem is, I can't find what I am looking for.

 

What I would really like to get apart from Peter and the Wolf, Carneval des
animaux and dear old Lenny or Britten is something like this : Deutsche
Grammophon i.e. has a series in german in which a little woodworm living in
an opera house explains operas to the kids and young adults, but that is
only in german. (Der Holzwurm in der Oper). I think DG also has a series in
which composers are being introduced to the young ones, but also only in
german.

 

Does anybody know if something like that exists in english ? Would also be
very nice to have summet for individual composers, musical styles and
history, introduction to the instruments of a symphony orchestra etc . A
sorta Terry Deary's Horrible Histories but for Classical Music. Or The Glenn
Gould Trilogy, but for kids.

 

I must do everything in my power to prevent him from ending up listening to
Rap, Taylor Swift or, Darwin forbid, Nickelback and Good Charlotte. Yuck !

 

At present I am rather reluctant to hand over the GG GBs or Two and Three
Part Inventions without any background info as much as I would like to.
Would be a bit too much I reckon.

 

Any ideas or suggestions ? 

I am talking about giving the joy of classical music (music in general for
that matter) to a new generation after all, or at least trying to. And if
you think me a Fool go and ask your local school about music education.  If
they stil have any, that is.

 

Thank y'all in advance for some good advice.

 

Pat

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