Uploaded August 2017 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A look at the first spectralist.
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Classical Nerd is a weekly video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
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Music:
- Horațiu Rădulescu: Piano Sonata No. 1: Cradle to Abysses, Op. 5 (1968) [synthesized performance, original upload: sIntCkXfC_Y] [ironically, one of his few non-spectral works!]
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2 in E minor, Op. 1 No. 2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
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Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
classical-nerd.tumblr.com
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All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information.
A look at the first spectralist.
----------
Classical Nerd is a weekly video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
----------
Music:
- Horațiu Rădulescu: Piano Sonata No. 1: Cradle to Abysses, Op. 5 (1968) [synthesized performance, original upload: sIntCkXfC_Y] [ironically, one of his few non-spectral works!]
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2 in E minor, Op. 1 No. 2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
----------
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
classical-nerd.tumblr.com
----------
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information.
![Great Composers: Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis
A look at the man who made Lithuanian art great again.
This was a viewer request from YouTuber Lukas Butkus. If youve got a question or request for a future video, leave a comment, shoot me a message through YouTube, or use the email/Tumblr links below.
Classical Nerd is a weekly video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
Music:
- Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis: Jūra, performers unknown [original upload: n0av7HfAP00]
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2 in E minor, Op. 1 No. 2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
classical-nerd.tumblr.com
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. Great Composers: Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/D6EKZxmakcU/mqdefault.jpg)
![Announcing the Senior Recital Experience
Sunday, November 11th, 2:00 PM Eastern time. More information to come!
Music:
- Thomas Little: Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 48, Mvt. 3: “C’est la Vie,” performed by Anat Kardontchik, violin, and Peng-Chian Chen, piano
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
classical-nerd.tumblr.com Announcing the Senior Recital Experience](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/D8Eu3tyUbko/mqdefault.jpg)
![Composition Masterclass #6: Piano Miniature Edition
🎶 Support the channel:
🎼 https://lentovivace.bandcamp.com
🎼 https://www.patreon.com/classicalnerd
Classical Nerd is a video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
Todays pieces:
- “Erfreulich” by Bennie Badenhorst
- “Andantino in C” by Juan Santos [w/ MIDI render]
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
classical-nerd.tumblr.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/classicalnerd/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/the_classical_nerd/
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. Composition Masterclass #6: Piano Miniature Edition](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DBtaq2eHbUw/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Sonata: An Introduction
🎶 Support the channel:
🎼 https://lentovivace.bandcamp.com
🎼 https://www.patreon.com/classicalnerd
0:00 Introduction
0:41 I: Etymology & Overview
2:33 II: In the Beginning …
8:07 III: The Rise of “Sonata Form”
16:27 IV: Classical Sonata Form
30:33 V: Form, Principle, or Theory?
34:26 VI: What About the Other Movements?
38:52 VII: The Romantic Sonata
50:53 VIII: (Post)modern Sonatas
57:18 IX: A Personal Conclusion
📚 Sources/further reading:
“The Sonata (Cambridge Introductions to Music)” by Thomas Schmidt-Beste (Cambridge University Press, 2011)
“Elements of Sonata Theory: Norms, Types, and Deformations in the Late Eighteenth-Century Sonata” by James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy (Oxford University Press, 2006)
“Sonata Fragments: Romantic Narratives in Chopin, Schumann, and Brahms” by Andrew Davis (Indiana University Press, 2017)
“Two-Dimensional Sonata Form: Form and Cycle in Single-Movements Instrumental Works by Liszt, Strauss, Schoenberg, and Zemlinsky” by Steven Vande Moortele (Leuven University Press, 2009)
The diagram showing rounded binary vs. ternary forms, from Dr. Timothy Crist of Arkansas State, may be found at http://www.clt.astate.edu/tcrist/theory2/roundedbinaryvsternary.pdf
Music:
- Giovanni Gabrieli: Sonata pian’ e forte, Ch.175, performed by the brass of the Bavarian State Opera conducted by Zubin Mehta [original upload: rQeikHMQGOM]
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
- Giovanni Gabrieli: Sonata pian’ e forte, Ch.175, performed by the brass of the Festival des Cathérales de Picardie conducted by Bernard Fabre-Garrus [original upload: Jx2xgbBkjbg]
- Arcangelo Corelli: Trio Sonata in E-flat Major, Op.2 No.11, performed by Roxana Pavel Goldstein, Elias Goldstein, and Monica Pavel and available on IMSLP: https://tinyurl.com/CorelliTrio
- Lodovico Giustini: Sonata 2, Mvt. 2, from Sonate da cimbalo di piano e forte detto volgarmente di martelletti, Op.1, performed by Anna Heller (née Sutyagina) [original upload: LHPq26NoB4Y]
- Johann Kuhnau: Biblical Sonata No. 1, performed by Igor Kipnis [original upload: zFzvZ-lxSZw]
- W.A. Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 12 in F Major, K332, MIDI performance available at http://www.piano-midi.de/mozart.htm
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op.2 No.1, performed by Peter Bradley-Fulgoni and available on IMSLP: https://tinyurl.com/beetson1
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat Major “Les adieux,” Op.81a, performed by Peter Bradley-Fulgoni and available on IMSLP: https://tinyurl.com/beetson26
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor “Pathétique,” Op.13, performed by Gabriel Antonio Hernandez Romero and available on IMSLP: https://tinyurl.com/beetson8
- César Franck: Violin Sonata, performed by Regino Madrid and Carl Banner and available on IMSLP: https://tinyurl.com/franckson
- Elliott Carter: Piano Sonata, performed by Beveridge Webster [original upload: SZxp8O_Lvyg]
- Paul Hindemith: Viola Sonata, Op.11 No.4, performed by Beth Guterman and Matan Porat and available on IMSLP: https://tinyurl.com/hindviola
- Charles Ives: Piano Sonata No. 2 “Concord,” Mvt. 2 “Hawthorne,” performed by Jeremy Denk and available on IMSLP: https://tinyurl.com/ivesconcord
- Thomas Little: Sonata for Violin and Piano, performed by Michele Zimmerman and George Mobley and available for purchase at https://tinyurl.com/myviolinsonata
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/classicalnerd/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/the_classical_nerd/
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes and are used under fair use. The Sonata: An Introduction](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DS2fnCnMcmY/mqdefault.jpg)
![1,000 Subscriber Special: The Future of the Channel
Weve reached a pretty big milestone, and so I felt like I should lay out some cool stats about the exponential growth of the channel and give voice to a couple of predicaments Im facing when it comes to the behind-the-scenes stuff. I welcome your thoughts and opinions.
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
classical-nerd.tumblr.com 1,000 Subscriber Special: The Future of the Channel](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DdbI5A9vSOw/mqdefault.jpg)
![Composition Masterclass #4: A Glitchy Livestream
🎶 Support the channel:
🎼 https://lentovivace.bandcamp.com
🎼 https://www.patreon.com/classicalnerd
Classical Nerd is a video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
Music:
- Kevin M.: Ivans Piece, Mvt. 2 [MIDI render]
- Jack Deaton: Midnight Cabaret [MIDI render]
- Jarran Ahaz Armstrong: Snowy Evening
- Hunter V.: Fugue in F# minor [MIDI render]
- Dawid Grenda: Elegié [MIDI render]
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2 in E minor, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
classical-nerd.tumblr.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/classicalnerd/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/the_classical_nerd/
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. Composition Masterclass #4: A Glitchy Livestream](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DiPVyUZ8hks/mqdefault.jpg)
![Great Composers: Frank Bridge
A look at a polytonal pacifist.
This was a viewer request from YouTuber toothless toe. If youve got a question or request for a future video, leave a comment, shoot me a message through YouTube, or use the email/Tumblr links below.
Classical Nerd is a weekly video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
Music:
- Frank Bridge: Sunset, from Three Poems, performed by Thomas Little [original upload: rkgN6_M-8eQ]
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2 in E minor, Op. 1 No. 2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
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All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. Great Composers: Frank Bridge](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Dncq0SmiezY/mqdefault.jpg)
![Great Composers: Alban Berg
A look at the Second Viennese Schools most Romantic member (in more ways than one).
This was a video request from YouTubers Eric Rakestraw and Marcus Ojito. See all requests at http://www.lentovivace.com/requestqueue.html
Classical Nerd is a weekly video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
Music:
- Alban Berg: Vier Stücke für Klarinette und Klavier, Op. 5, performed by Carol McGonnell and Steven Beck and available on IMSLP: https://tinyurl.com/ya2awekr
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2 in E minor, Op. 1 No. 2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
classical-nerd.tumblr.com
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. Great Composers: Alban Berg](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Dv7TfD9L6i8/mqdefault.jpg)
![Anna Sutyagina on Piano Music & More
🎶 Support the channel:
🎼 https://lentovivace.bandcamp.com
🎼 https://www.patreon.com/classicalnerd
Thanks again to Anna for chatting with me! As a reminder, Patreon patrons at the $10+ level have their questions answered in interviews. Check her prolific work out at http://movingclassics.tv
Classical Nerd is a video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
Music:
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/classicalnerd/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/the_classical_nerd/
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. Anna Sutyagina on Piano Music & More](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EJ76DoutYbI/mqdefault.jpg)
![Kaija Saariaho: The First Post-Spectralist
🎶 Support the channel: http://www.patreon.com/classicalnerd
0:00 Introduction
0:26 I: Ears Open!
17:00 II: IRCAM
34:53 III: Flute, Cello, Voice
48:01 IV: Breakthrough
57:35 V: The Electronic Multiverse
1:05:39 VI: Finns, Feminism, and Opera
📚 Sources/further reading:
“Kaija Saariaho” by Pirkko Moisala (University of Illinois, 2009)
“Kaija Saariaho: Visions, Narratives, Dialogues,” edited by Tim Howell, Jon Hargreaves, and Michael Rofe (Ashgate, 2011)
“Synthesis at the Frontiers: Kaija Saariaho and the Formation of a Practice” by Nathan Alexander Cobb (PhD dissertation, UC Santa Barbara, 2024)
“Encoding Post-Spectral Sound: Kaija Saariaho’s Early Electronic Music at IRCAM, 1982–87” by Landon Morrison (Music Theory Online, Volume 27, Number 3, September 2021)
“Timbral Transformations in Kaija Saariaho’s ‘From the Grammar of Dreams’” by Karen J. Siegel (PhD dissertation, CUNY, 2014)
“A Performers Guide to the Solo Flute Works of Kaija Saariaho: ‘Laconisme de laile’ and ‘NoaNoa’” by Katayoon Hodjati (DMA research paper, Arizona State University, 2013)
“The Conductor’s Role in Electro-Acoustic Orchestral Music: Performance Practice Problems in Kaija Saariaho’s ‘Verblendungen’” by Dean Anderson (DMA dissertation, UCLA, 2015)
“Sound of Poetry, Poetry of Sound: An Analysis of Circle Map for Orchestra and Electronics by Kaija Saariaho” by Aida Khalilzadeh Shirazi (PhD dissertation, UC Davis, 2023)
“An Analysis of ‘Du cristal .. à la fumée’ by Kaija Saariaho” by John Clay Allen (MA thesis, University of North Texas, 2015)
“Kaija Saariaho’s Path to the Met: The Merger of Conventional and Unconventional Musical Devices in ‘L’amour de loin’” by Amy Lynn Prickett (DMA dissertation, University of Alabama, 2017)
“Musical Distance in Kaija Saariaho’s ‘L’amour de loin’” by Gabrielle Choma (MA thesis, University of Oregon, 2021)
Music:
- Thomas Little Wingate: Dance! #2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
- Kaija Saariaho: Lichtbogen, performed by the Meitar Ensemble conducted by Matthias Pintscher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1kSr8rvMsY
- Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 2, performed by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony conducted by Susanna Mälkki: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXU8EXL7a_4
- Kaija Saariaho: Im Traume, performed by Anssi Karttunen and Tuija Hakkila: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oubVmC3CRE
- Kaija Saariaho: From the Grammar of Dreams, performed by Elizabeth Calleo and Valérie Philippin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezmc-WpkkHs
- Kaija Saariaho: Verblendungen, performed by the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra conducted by Eduardo Leandro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v IgLd6Yab54
- Kaija Saariaho: Laconism de L’Aile, performed by Esther Fredrickson and James Bean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps7lqL1TAmw
- Kaija Saariaho: Vers le blanc, reconstructed by Landon Morrison and Jean-Baptiste Barrière: https://mtosmt.org/issues/mto.21.27.3/mto.21.27.3.morrison.html
- Kaija Saariaho: Cendres, performed by Matteo Cesari, Alexis Descharmes, and Cédric Tiberghien: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83fpi9Q8F7M
- Kaija Saariaho: NoaNoa, performed by Anders Jonhäll: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS4ny7GU_Os
- Kaija Saariaho: Terra Memoria, performed by the Pollock String Quartet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UMRl5iBOt0
- Kaija Saariaho: Six Japanese Gardens, performed by Shane Jones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7t-n3EDqpM
- Kaija Saariaho: Nymphéa (Jardin secret III), performed by Quatuor Adastra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZmzZxZyClA
- Kaija Saariaho: Petals, performed by Imke Frank and Gary Berger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkmzXHTrixI
- Kaija Saariaho: “St tu t’appelles Amour” from “L’amour de loin,” performed by Susanna Phillips and the Metropolitan Opera conducted by Susanna Mälkki: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKBm9mKWJVU
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/classicalnerd/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/the_classical_nerd/
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. Kaija Saariaho: The First Post-Spectralist](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EZFXVDA8jOE/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Quarter-Tone Problem (and Hábas Field Shifting Solution)
One of the ways to make 24-EDO manageable.
Link to quarter-tone dissertation: https://www.tierceron.com/diss/haba/haba.pdf
Classical Nerd is a weekly video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
Music:
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2 in E minor, Op. 1 No. 2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Tumblr:
classical-nerd.tumblr.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/classicalnerd/
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information. The Quarter-Tone Problem (and Hábas Field Shifting Solution)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/E_Z0q7jqyqI/mqdefault.jpg)