Your first exposure to classical music

[earl]

I am curious to know how people in this forum (or anywhere for that matter) first got exposed to classical music. From my own experience it seems that unless you're exposed to it by someone else there's a good chance you will never come across it on your own. It's not bombarding you from TV, radio, and movies the way pop music is. Nowadays, this seems even more so than when I grew up, (back in the Jurassic Period).

I'll start off with my own story. Both of my parents came from families who were simple, lower income, uneducated, "people of the land", and consequently, their knowlege of the fine arts in general was practically non-existent. (I'm in the US.)

My mother asked for piano lessons when she was a teenager. Miraculously,  she ended up with a piano teacher who taught classical music. She said her parents didn't understand this kind of music but allowed her to continue. She played in church as well.

My first exposure to classical music was when my mother listened to her classical record collection, which she played fairly often. And, when she did she made a point of sitting down and listening. It wasn't background music to her. I'm sure at first I didn't pay much attention, but I know it eventually had a profound influence on me. I still remember a Jascha Heifitz record she played many times. I love it! I also remember certain movies (only in theaters in those days, with those big sound systems!) where the music really affected me. "Ben-Hur" was one of those.

By the time I was nine years old I was asking for piano lessons. My mother, of course, was thrilled. I ended up with a very poor teacher in my opinion. All she ever gave me to play were kiddie pieces. I kept waiting for some real music like Beethovan or Bach, but it never happened. After about two years I couldn't stand it anymore and quit. I later started playing by ear as a teenager. I found a guitar teacher who knew theory and he got me started on that. After high school I went to community colleges and took as many music classes as I could. That's when I got exposed to contemporary music and wanted to be a composer.

The way I see it, if my mother hadn't taken lessons AND had a teacher who taught classical pieces, AND if she hadn't ended up loving classical music and playing it when I was growing up, there's a very good chance I never would have become a musician and love music the way I do. I consider myself fortunate!

Anyway, throughout my life I have very rarely ran into people that had exposure to ANY classical music at all (except of course other musicians). I wonder who sits in the audience at classical recitals and concerts and buys classical recordings. Are they all people who quit their childhood music lessons and lived to regret it, or are they accomplished professional/amateur musicians themselves? What do you think?

So what's your story? How did you get exposed to classical music and/or playing the piano?

Earl

[in_love_with_liszt]

My mother watching the Three Tenors on TV when I was probabally around 5 years old.

[allchopin]

Here's my story:
Rarely, if ever, did my parents put on the classics during the day.  They had no records of any classical music, but they did happen to have a few tapes (one Bach, one Chopin, and a Mozart - that's it) which I explored one day simply because I thought the covers looked kind of interesting (ahh, the naivete of a child).  Every time I would have to do chores (i.e. clean my room) I would put on Bach, and I loved it.  I actually hated the Chopin tape until I came across Danielle Dechenne's Minute Waltz... it knocked my over with speed and I thought it was impossible for a human to be able to do that.  And that brought me to Chopin.  I took a few piano lessons with a local teacher (who didn't know what Bach's Tocatta and Fugue in D minor was  ) but I quit for one reason or another after a few months.  Ever since, I've been downloading new music and discovering new artists.  It's been a constant adventure.

[ahmedito]

My father studied the piano since childhood till he was 18. We didnt have a piano but he would listen to Mozart and Scarlatti, and I loved those records as a child. Specially one of Alicia de la Rocha playing the 21st concerto. The part in the first movement with the solo trumpet would always sound like a meow to me, so it was the cat concerto... my dad even had words to the music. (I was like 3 or 4 years old)....

This year Im going to be having classes with Alicia de la Rocha very frequently. I havent met her, but her record was the reason I started playing the piano. When I meet her, I dont know if Ill be able to say anything, or if Ill just stand there and make a fool of myself like a total geek.

[ChopinLoverInPA]

My father playing Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade" (forgive my spelling) on an old 8-track...

God, I'm dating myself....

[DarkWind]

Wow, Ahmedito! Classes with her! Sounds exciting. Anyways, my finding of classical music was mostly of my own accord. It all started with a talent show in my old school. There, this girl played the minute waltz perfectly. She was one of the smartest people in my school, although the school was small. Some considered me smarter, but I don't really like to brag. Anyways, I was jealous of how good she could play, and asked my parents for lessons. So on, I learned piano, advanced at speeds quicker than just about everyone. One day, I saw this commercial for Piano Music CDs. On the commercial, they played the intro to the Grieg Piano Concerto in A Minor. I found it intriguing, and bought the CDs. I listened to most of the music, and I became more acquainted with the music on the CDs. Eventually I moved to a different spot, and could fit my piano into my room. I sight read tons of music, learned a ton, and nowadays my knowledge of piano literature is extensive. All this withing 5 years, now when I think about it, it's very amazing, at least to myself!

[maxy]

I can't remember...
There was no classical music at home...
I guess "first contact" was made after I actually started piano lessons.  Teacher gave me some classical piece and I had to learn it.  

Otherwise, first exposure could have been Liszt's HR2 in Tom and Jerry!  

[donjuan]

Probably my first exposure was when my dad was playing something for my mom, and I was running out of the room screaming, with my hands over my ears..

yeh I know, I was a pretty stupid kid..

[paris]

when i was very young, at the age of 2, i was crazy about bach. actually, i didn't know it is bach, but i liked the sound of organ. i was listening the recording all days!

two years later, accidentally one  piano teacher came in my kindergarten, and of course i wanted to try.
i tried and never stopped.  

a.m.d.

[klavierkonzerte]

my first classical music exposure was with my uncle i was about 5, he was listening to bach's tocatta and fuge for organ, i LOVED it and loved the sound of the organ
i asked my parents later to buy me an organ (i didn't know how it looked like )

the first cd i bought was beethoven's 9th symphony, i bought it after i watched a cartoon about the most important men in history, which was about beethoven on one episode.


i started playing the violin when i was 16 and piano a month befor i turned 19, i know it's very late  because my parents didn't let play any instrument they hate music i lived a war until i convinced them to buy me a violin and another war to convince them to let me buy a piano WITH MY MONEY.

[Shagdac]

My Mother had played the piano most of her life, and as early as I can remember she would play classical as well as other types. Both my parents enjoyed classical music, and it was often being played on the "record player". As a child I remember really enjoying it. I started lessons at 4, stopped somewhere between ages 17 and 18 I believe, and now take lessons again 3 times a week!

What's really neat is that the piano I grew up with was the first piece of furniture my parents bought after they were married. I played on it all my life, and I guess it has more sentimental value than anything. Several years ago, I flew back home, and drove it back in a U-haul, so now I have my original, old piano, that I grew up with. Yes, guess it's an antique, but other than needing a good tuning, it's still beautiful, and works wonderfully. When my Mother comes to visit, we get out all her old music, and my old duets, and sit for hours playing and having a good time. Music (mostly classical) was always part of my life, and I can't really remember a time when it wasn't.

S

[chopiabin]

I was really into this experimental black metal band called Scholomance a few years back, and I always thought it was really cool because they blened in the amazing piano riffs into the music. On one of the CDs one of the band members had recorded a bunch of piano improv and I thought it was incredible. My first classical CD was Rachmaninov's 1st Concerto and I really liked it. I decided that I would teach myself piano (yeah right). When that didn't work out, I decided to get a teacher and I progressed really quickly. Incidentally, that same band had a quote from Scriabin's Mysterium, and, thinking he was a poet, I yahooed him and discovered one of my favorite composers.

[rph108]

My first exposure was in my adult lesson book #3. It was Bach's Toccata in d minor and Beethoven's Moonlight sonata. I started listening on the internet alot after that and thats when I became a pianoaholic.

[Daevren]

At age 17 I started playing guitar. So I figured if I were going to be a musicians I better listen some music.

After listening to rock, jazz, metal, fusion, flamenco, gypsy and some other stuff I figered classical piano would be cool.

So I bought Ashkenazy's recording of the Chopin etudes.