I've enjoyed symphonies most of my life, and I like to think that this is a pretty high-class sophisticated aspect of my life. The trouble is, I hear music and recognize it, but I can rarely identify the piece I'm hearing. I think I could be very cultured, if only I could put a name to the pieces of classical music I hear.
I've hear the suggestion that one can put words to a theme and then recognize it, and that helps me know that Bill Caddick's "John O' Dreams" is Tchaikovsky's something-or-other. And I remember that "Lover's Concerto" is something-or-another by Bach, and that "Going Home" is Dvorak's 10th (New World). But that's about as far as I can go. Well, I can recognize Beethoven's 5th and 9th.
There's an arrangement called A Whole Lot of Symphony Themes that covers a dozen of them, so that's helpful. But what other aids are there to help me identify symphony themes and sound halfway cultured?
I'm tired of feeling like a dolt, and I need help...
-Joe-