The musical theme

This under-two-minute piece by Michel Corrette will acquaint us with the musical theme.
Wikipedia has a good definition for the musical theme:

In music, a theme is the material, usually a recognizable melody, upon which part or all of a composition is based.

We will listen to the 'recognisable melody' in this composition by French composer Michel Corrette.

This piece is identified as

What is interpretation in music

We come to one of the most important and interesting topics in classical music. Interpretation. "I like this version better. It's slower and brings out the melody" or "I love how fast and jazzy this sounds".

And there's no need for any theory. The selected music is that powerful. It will add to your music wisdom! A hundred percent.

You know about interpretations, of course you do. Remember your favourite song, and then remember the covers of the same song; some of them have

The Bolero mystery

Can you stand Maurice Ravel's iconic composition 'Bolero' for its entire length of fifteen or so minutes (varies)? It has melody and apparent simplicity and is widely popular. So why not then? It sounds repetitive to many listeners. This is what Ravel thought of it:

"orchestral tissue without music" — of one very long, gradual crescendo. There are no contrasts, and practically no invention except the plan and the manner of execution. - Ravel on his own work, which is an iconic classical piece.

Also, Bolero is adored and loved so much, but then there's this

Perseveration, an Alzheimer's symptom, is the obsession of repeating words

An introduction to sacred music

Sacred music is an important aspect of classical music. Have a look at this exquisitely shot video of composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi's, Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen).

See how the camera moves over the instruments, how the singer raises her pitch without being too loud, the hands moving over the violins, the lute at the 2:45 mark, the magnificent church setting, the composure on the players' faces -- indeed there is much to absorb from this short video alone.