David Pogue

The world of classical music becomes quite a bit less mysterious when you know the names and functions of all the musical instruments, and a basic timeline of the music itself. This Cheat Sheet will help you discuss classical music with confidence.Meet the classical orchestraLet’s meet the Classical orchestra.

Learning and practicing magic is fun and challenging and to keep it as stress-free as possible be prepared to coolly answer questions about your tricks and make a quick recovery when a trick goes wrong. Know the different types of people in your audience so you can deal with their sometimes offbeat behavior and study some key words you will use repeatedly as you continue on your magic career.

You may think that nobody writes classical music anymore — but they do! New “classical music” is being written all the time. Here are some of the most famous pieces of orchestral music, along with rough guides to the stylistic periods (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, or Modern) into which they fall.

Most musicians count Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) among the handful of greatest classical musicians who ever lived. And some would nominate him as The Greatest of Them All. Not just because every one of his compositions is a knockout, but also because every subsequent composer owes a great debt to him. Credit: Source: Creative CommonsJohann Sebastian Bach, master of the organ.

While Vivaldi was composing away in Venice, another composer was ­turning heads in Germany and England: George Frideric Handel (1685–1759). He too had a great influence on the direction that music took during and after his lifetime. Keep reading to get a handle on Handel. Credit: Source: Creative CommonsGeorge Frideric Handel, composer of Messiah and other great oratorios.

No classical music discussion is complete without the Lieder. In German, the word Lied (pronounced “leed”) means song; Lieder means songs or art songs. In the 1800s especially, Lieder came to great prominence, particularly in private salon concerts. In classical-music discussions, salon doesn’t refer to hairstyling emporiums.

Violins are considered to be essential in classical music. Most people think of a violinist using the bow across the strings to create music. However, there are multiple techniques for playing the violin that can create a variety of sounds. Vibrating the string When a violinist fingers a note with her left hand and draws the bow with her right, she doesn’t leave her finger in one place for the duration of the note.

The earliest classical music was composed primarily for singing (for example, in church) or dancing. Very little “easy listening” took place in ancient times. If you go to a concert and hear a minuet, you’re hearing a form that was originally meant strictly for dancing. In the old days, the only people who simply listened to minuets were people without dates.