What is classical music?

[BigJon]

Originally posted by bignaf:
I don't know all of the asian anthems, but some of them sounded western merely because of instrumentation and harmonization. the melodies were all oriental sounding (the ones I've heard).

That makes sense in retrospect.

Originally posted by bignaf:
The Israel anthem also appears in "the Moldau" by smetana. or something really similar to the 1st phrase of it. it's a good anthem since it's easy to sing, much easier than the horrible American one, but unfortunately is in minor mode so it doesn't sound very confident and martial. it's more nostalgic-like.

I got the same feeling listening to it. It had that sad, yiddish fiddle sense about it.

BigJon

[musicworm]

Wow,I'm back here! What a day!I don't wanna sleep this night at all.
Let me see,o...This is a good thread!

[BigJon]

In listening to the national anthems at the Olympics, I detected that some of the Asian nations have western sounding anthems. Am I hearing this wrong? Also, can any of the anthems we heard be considered classical music? I really liked the music to Israel's anthem.

I remember asking this question years ago (about 7.) I recently got to hear the Dutch national anthem; Wilhelmus. Sure sounds classical to me.

[DavidS]

I remember asking this question years ago (about 7.) I recently got to hear the Dutch national anthem; Wilhelmus. Sure sounds classical to me.

You are quite right: It is reminiscent of the beginning of the 4th movement of Brahms' 1st symphony, taken from a German folk tune used for a nationalist student anthem - Ich hab mich ergeben - also featuring in his Academic Festival Overture, and quoted by Mahler in a minor key in the opening of his 3rd symphony (as pointed out by Norman Lebrecht in his book Why Mahler?).

[dai bread]

The German anthem is probably the best-known. It comes from String Quartet in C major (the Kaiser-Quartet), Op. 76,3 of Joseph Haydn, composed in 1797.

[DavidS]

The German anthem is probably the best-known. It comes from String Quartet in C major (the Kaiser-Quartet), Op. 76,3 of Joseph Haydn, composed in 1797.

Yes, and partially quoted in the second movement of his Trumpet Concerto.