Your favorite movie soundtracks from period dramas!

Started by BlueBowman, August 14, 2026, 01:52:58 PM

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This thread has me wondering about some things, like: how do the modern composers stack up against "the masters," etc?  Were the great composers great because they were innovators, or were there just not as many people doing it then?  Maybe both are true to a degree? 

Something that has occurred to me many times is that I often get bored to death listening to Bach or Mozart, but I can listen to the same movie soundtrack over and over again.  Why do I like one more than the other?  Is my modern ear more tuned to a movie soundtrack?  Or do I find it objectively more appealing and beautiful? 

In part, I think I sometimes make things harder than they are.  I've been told all the old classical music contains meanings, storylines, etc, but I have never been educated in how to understand or appreciate it.  Same with the paintings in a museum. 

"Can you see what the artist was trying to say here?..." 

Me: "Nope, but I love the painting." 

In modern music, I just listen and enjoy it.  But with the old music, I often feel like I'm not immersed enough in the history and culture of it all enough to enjoy it fully. 

I have a book called "the vintage guide to classical music". I bought it years ago because I have a lot of my deceased Dad's old records of classical music. To date, I have not read the book, and the records are largely unplayed.

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Quote from: Silence Dogood on August 19, 2026, 12:35:16 PMThis thread has me wondering about some things, like: how do the modern composers stack up against "the masters," etc?  Were the great composers great because they were innovators, or were there just not as many people doing it then?  Maybe both are true to a degree? 

 One important thing I heard pointed out recently (might have been Billy Corgan, but I'm not sure) is that we only know about the brilliant composers of the past. There are tens of thousands who are forgotten. I'll bet a lot of them were even great. Think of how many writers and painters who never saw fame in their lifetime, but someone saw their work later on. Classical musicians are unlikely to be remembered that way because rediscovering an opera is quite complicated.

  I feel there's also a lot of brilliant modern composers. Problem is, most of them have to make a living so commercial interests affect how expressive they can be. And, a lot of great composers don't write classical music. I think of Frank Zappa as being brilliant as a composer, but he chose to amuse himself and create pieces that were challenging rather than prioritizing what would please the public.

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