Classical Music - Blog Posts

Queer Composers

For Pride Month, I would like to share a list of some of my favorite queer composers. Being queer doesn’t matter when talking about the music, and there is no other commonality that pairs these composers together. The point isn’t to say that queerness makes their music more valuable or influences their music, rather the point is to recognize diversity, and to acknowledge queer visibility. I understand the people who scratch their heads or roll their eyes at the idea of bringing up queer composers, and to them I say the point is simply to recognize their existence, because prejudices and biases through time have worked on erasing or revising history in order to keep hidden this aspect of the human condition. You could shrug and say “Who cares if Tchaikovsky was gay?” and I would say, “You’re right, it doesn’t matter much outside of biographies, but if you acknowledged Tchaikovsky’s homosexuality in Russia you could be arrested for “promoting gay propaganda”. I am also motivated by a comment from a friend who admitted they think the concept of “Pride” for anything you cannot control is “idiotic”. My response can be summed up as, when a group has been shamed for years for their identity, they will be ready to sing about it from the mountaintops when it is accepted. In other words, it is not about who is better or worse, rather it is the opposite of shame, and hopefully putting a human face on something that a lot of people only consider in the abstract.

In no particular order, here is some cool music by some queer people;

Tchaikovsky: Possibly the greatest composer in Russian history, and one of the greatest composers in general. Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky wrote in multiple genre, from symphonies to concertos to ballets, chamber music, opera…and while he can be criticized for the way he develops themes, his music is melodic and passionate and brimming with life. Among my favorites are his fourth symphony, the second piano concerto, the first orchestral suite, his piano trio, and his concert fantasy.

Poulenc: One of the members of Les Six, a group of Modernist French composers who were reacting against “overblown” Post-Romantic music, and methodical 12-tone serialism, Francis Poulenc can be described as a “neo-classicist”, sometimes his music resembles Stravinsky. The music tends to mix two unlikely moods: goofy, fun melodies and rhythms, and solemn religious contemplation. Cosmopolitan and Catholic, Poulenc was able to juxtapose opposite ends of the spectrum of the human condition; our vulgarity and profanity, and our spirituality and the desire for divine connection. My favorite works by him are his Organ Concerto, his harpsichord concerto “Concert-champêtre”, the concerto for two pianos, the cello sonata, and his Gloria.

Smyth: An English composer and an important figure in the Woman’s Suffrage movement, Ethel Smyth was a Post-Romantic who wrote powerful music lively with the British sense of nobility and strength. In the same ironic tragedy Beethoven went through, Smyth started to lose her hearing from 1913 onward, and so she gave up composing in favor of writing. While that is a shame, she left behind a good handful of orchestral and chamber music. My favorites by her are the overture to one of her operas, The Wreckers, her serenade which is kind of evocative of Brahms, and her gargantuan Mass in D Major.

Szymanowski: A Polish composer from the first half of the 20th century whose life can be seen as a narrative of seeking identity. Karol Szymanowski started out writing in the Post Romantic German style, with dense textures and a lot of chromatic modulation, but he was losing interest in this idiom quickly. He was inspired by Persian poetry he came across, and started writing in an Impressionistic way focusing on Mediterranean cultures, influenced by Greek and Roman mythology, Middle Eastern poetry, and the atmosphere of the Mediterranean as being a diverse mixing of cultures. Later in his life, he decided to look back at Poland for inspiration and finally found his “authentic” Polish identity in music inspired by the folk stories and Catholicism of Poland. My favorite works by him are his nocturne and tarantella for violin and piano, his song cycle the Love Songs of Hafiz, the third symphony, and his Stabat Mater.

Barber: It’s possible to say that Samuel Barber’s music is a good representative of American culture…a diverse mix of differences that complement each other. He took after jazz and blues, and after experiments in tonality heard in Europe and other American composers like Charles Ives, and he took after Romanticism with deep and powerful music. My favorite works by him are the Adagio for Strings which is heavily inspired by Mahler, his piano concerto, and Knoxville: Summer of 1915.

Copland: Another great portrait of America, Aaron Copland was considered one of the quintessential “American” composers of the 20th century, despite the combined factors of being gay, Jewish, leftist, and inspired by Russian and French modernism. All of those were seen as outsiders of the general American public. Even so, taking after Stravinsky, Copland’s music is full of spaciousness and open chords, melodies that range from longing to folksy and fun. My favorite works by him are his clarinet concerto, violin sonata, fanfare for the common man, and his ballet Appalachian Spring.

And if you reblog this list, feel free to add any of your favorite queer composers and share their music, their names, their faces.

Silly little thing I did a while ago, read the title for it is peak comedy

SOMEONE GET PAS DE DEUX OUT OF MY HEAD PLEASE

Insert Tsubasa wo Kudasai here

Ludwig van Beethoven-kun looked at the letter which he was found in his shoe locker. “Meet me at the cherry blossom tree behind the school” it entailed. This could only mean one thing and one thing only. Beethoven-kun got a bit flustered and even blushed at the idea of this happening to him. Why he of all people and who was this mysterious secret admirer of his? He stopped playing the symphony he was in the middle of writing and ran off to go to the sakura tree.

When Beethoven-kun ran to the sakura tree, gasping for breath. When he looked up, he saw… him… Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart-Chan, standing there, blushing at the sight of him. “What could this mean?” thought Beethoven-kun.

“Beethoven Senpai, you,,, actually came…” said Mozart-Chan in a soft voice. It made Beethoven-kun’s heart melt. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you…”

Beethoven listened deeply to what Mozart-Chan had to say. He couldn’t believe that his childhood friend, his best friend whom he had walked with to school everyday, whom he had shared classes, meals, and even beds with at times when the slept over at each other’s houses.

“U-um,,, you see… Beethoven-Seonpae,., f-f-f-f-f-for the longest time now.,. ever since we were boys… I’ve felt a certain way about you… o(>︿<)o” said Mozart-chan.

“Wh-what are you saying Mozart-chan?” Replied Beethoven

“W-w-well… th-the thing is…” Mozart hesitated to say, “A-a-aishiteru… B-Beethoven-senpai!”

Mozart jumped into Beethoven-kun’s arms and they held in tight embrace.

Beethoven was shocked. He never knew how Mozart-chan had felt before. If only he hadn’t been so stupid to see all the signs. Still, he held onto Mozart-chan.”

“B-but Mozart-chan! We’re both guys!” Blurted out Bethoveeen-kun.

Mozart looked up tearfully at Beethoven-Ken, only holding on tighter.

“I know but, I can’t help it. I don’t know why… but I just do. I know society doesn’t take too kind to people such as myself, the love of my life being the person of my same sex, my childhood friend of all people! Still, please! Be by mein side! Stay with me until the end of time! Please,!!1” replied Mozart-chan, eyes filled with tears at this point, on the verge of sobbing.

Mozart’s cheek was caressed, “Mozart-chan,,,” said Bait Oven.

He then pulled his fellow composter into a tender kiss, finally giving him an answer to his friend’s love confession.

“I love you too…”

“Beethoven-Senpai… BEETHOVEN-SENPAI!!1”

Tsubasa wo Kudasai intensifies

The two shared that passionate kiss. Both affirming their mutual love for one another. Beethoven never thought he would hear those words come out of his friend ever. Mozart-Chan was afraid of rejection of his childhood best friend and possible scrutiny from what society would think of him. But none of that mattered anymore. Both of them loved each other and they made it known. They would spend the rest of their lives together. Nothing mattered in that moment except for each other and their mutual love that would bind the, until the end of time.

They shared yet another passionate kiss and cherry blossom petals fell around them…

and then they had sex

THE END

ALSO not at all a similar thought process to the last one but for Dabi I headcannon him as a classical music listener.

He grew up rich and I'd like to think some stuff from his background stuck with him.

I'd imagine there would always be Mozart or Bach playing in the todoroki household and it was one of the few things dabi enjoyed about that place.

He'd listen to beethoven, who was kind of like the punk rock of his time, as a mini rebellion but stuck with classical music as he grew up.

(Also if you think he would listen to 'darker' stuff then know that he listens to emo music. It is a sub-culture and a music genre all of its own, it is not metal nor rock, and it is the only thing he could tolerate. He finds out that Hawks listens to death metal at some point and tries to listen to it to but genuinely curls back in disgust like 'this is barely music how can you like this')

Ok ok so I headcannon for Hawks that silence is unwelcome because it causes him to think. Not having anything to distract himself from the constant anxieties and worries that plague his mind is borderline painful.

So in his spare time he avidly listens to music because he needs something to combat the silence. But he still feels the need to stay aware (because of his commission background and constant paranoia) so he therefore needs to listen to music that will guarantee there isn’t silence but still allow him to focus somewhat.

And what music is loud yet not distracting? Death metal!

Most people cannot read nor work while listening to music because the lyrics distract them. Therefore classical music and jazz is suggested to work to because there aren't lyrics.

But, if you listen to metal where there is so much screaming you cannot comprehend the words, it has the same effect.

And because Hawks is all about going fast, the tempo of the music would suit his mind better than classical or jazz.

Therefore listening to death metal would allow Hawks to stay alert AND never let his mind be silent!

(I totally headcannon this based on that logic and not the fact that I myself listen to death metal and want Hawks to also)

I have homework but I think I might just go back to bed

Do I have to study? Yes. But will I be reading and annotating Wuthering Heights for the next 4 hours while listening to every version of Experience and Primavera by Ludovico Einaudi? 100%.

I’ve seen a lot of curious people wanting to dive into classical music but don’t know where to start, so I have written out a list of pieces to listen to depending on mood. I’ve only put out a few, but please add more if you want to. hope this helps y’all out. :)

stereotypical delightful classical music:

battalia a 10 in d major (biber)

brandenburg concerto no. 5

brandenburg concerto no. 3

symphony no. 45 - “farewell” (haydn)

if you need to chill:

rondo alla turca

fur elise

anitra’s dance

in the steppes of central asia (borodin) (added by viola-ology)

if you need to sleep:

moonlight sonata

swan lake

corral nocturne

sleep (eric whitacre) (added by thelonecomposer)

if you need to wake up:

morning mood

summer (from the four seasons)

buckaroo holiday (if you’ve played this in orch you might end up screaming instead of waking up joyfully)

if you are feeling very proud:

pomp and circumstance

symphony no. 9 (beethoven; this is where ode to joy came from)

1812 overture

symphony no. 5, finale (tchaikovsky) (added by viola-ology)

american (dvořák)

if you feel really excited:

hoedown (copland)

bacchanale

spring (from the four seasons) (be careful, if you listen to this too much you’ll start hating it)

la gazza ladra

death and the maiden (schubert)

if you are angry and you want to take a baseball bat and start hitting a bush:

dance of the knights (from the romeo and juliet suite by prokofiev)

winter, mvt. 1 (from the four seasons)

symphony no. 10 mvt. 2 (shostakovich)

symphony no. 5 (beethoven)

totentanz (liszt)

quartet no. 8, mvt. 2 (shostakovich) (added by viola-ology)

young person’s guide to the orchestra, fugue (britten) (added by iwillsavemyworld)

symphony no. 5 mvt. 4 (shostakovich) (added by eternal-cadenza)

marche slave (tchaikovsky) (added by eternal-cadenza)

if you want to cry for a really long time:

fantasia based on russian themes (rimsky-korsakov)

adagio for strings (barber)

violin concerto in e minor (mendelssohn)

aase’s death

andante festivo

vocalise (rachmaninoff) (added by tropicalmunchakoopas)

if you want to feel like you’re on an adventure:

an american in paris (gershwin)

if you want chills:

danse macabre

russian easter overture

egmont overture (added by shayshay526)

if you want to study:

eine kleine nachtmusik

bolero (ravel)

serenade for strings (elgar)

scheherazade (rimsky-korsakov) (added by viola-ology)

pines of rome, mvt. 4 (resphigi) (added by viola-ology)

if you really want to dance:

capriccio espagnol (rimsky-korsakov)

blue danube

le cid (massenet) (added by viola-ology)

radetzky march

if you want to start bouncing in your chair:

hopak (mussorgsky)

les toreadors (from carmen suite no.1)

if you’re about to pass out and you need energy:

hungarian dance no. 1

hungarian dance no. 5

if you want to hear suspense within music:

firebird

in the hall of the mountain king

ride of the valkyries

night on bald mountain (mussorgsky) (added by viola-ology)

if you want a jazzy/classical feel:

rhapsody in blue

jazz suite no. 2 (shostakovich) (added by eternal-cadenza)

if you want to feel emotional with no explanation:

introduction and rondo capriccioso

unfinished symphony (schubert)

symphony no. 7, allegretto (beethoven) (added by viola-ology)

canon in d (pachelbel)

if you want to sit back and have a nice cup of tea:

st. paul’s suite

concerto for two violins (vivaldi)

l’arlésienne suite

concierto de aranjuez (added by tropicalmunchakoopas)

pieces that don’t really have a valid explanation:

symphony no. 40 (mozart)

cello suite no. 1 (bach)

polovtsian dances

enigma variations (elgar) (added by viola-ology)

perpetuum mobile

moto perpetuo (paganini)

pieces that just sound really cool:

scherzo tarantelle

dance of the goblins

caprice no. 24 (paganini)

new world symphony, allegro con fuoco (dvorak) (added by viola-ology​)

le tombeau de couperin (added by tropicalmunchakoopas)

carnival of the animals (added by shadowraven45662)

if you feel like listening to concertos all day (I do not recommend doing that):

concerto for two violins (bach)

concerto for two violins (vivaldi)

violin concerto in a minor (vivaldi)

violin concerto (tchaikovsky) (added by iwillsavemyworld)

violin concerto in d minor (sibelius) (added by eternal-cadenza)

cello concerto in c (haydn)

piano concerto, mvt. 1 (pierne) (added by iwillsavemyworld)

harp concerto in E-flat major, mvt. 1 (added by iwillsavemyworld)

and if you really just hate classical music in general:

4′33″ (cage)

a lot of these pieces apply in multiple categories, but I sorted them by which I think they match the most. have fun exploring classical music!

also, thank you to viola-ology, iwillsavemyworld, shayshay526, eternal-cadenza, tropicalmunchakoopas, shadowraven45662, and thelonecomposer for adding on! if you would like to add on your own suggestions, please reblog and add on or message me so I can give you credit for the suggestion!

As a soprano, I’m really feeling the love from Verdi compared to Mozart currently.