Do you know 1000 pieces - really?

[Suffolkcoastal]

I've got around 10,000 different works in my collection and reckon I could identify the work in question in about 2,500 cases without too much difficulty after a couple of seconds of listening. Mind you there are a few better known works I admit to not knowing that well.

[JFLL]

Of course, it all depends (as Professor Joad might have said) on the question 'what do you mean by "know"'? Dave has conveniently defined it as 'really remembering' a piece. But even that is problematic. There's a core group consisting of pieces of which you've only got to hear a few bars and you say, 'Oh, yes, X's string quintet in C major' (probably adding the op number if you're as nerdy as most of us here ), then there are the pieces which you know you know but might take a time to identify, then there are those which you're pretty sure you've heard but couldn't positively identify (in my case, many of Bach's cantatas, though I think I've heard them all at least once and dearly love them (all) when I do listen to them), then the rest (which themselves could be divided into sub-groups). Is this helpful? Probably not.

[3rd Viennese School]

Just add up the opus numbers of Stockhausen and Maxwell Davies and you should reach 1000.

3VS

[Martin]

I guess you could start here...

http://www.listology.com/rdegnan/list/1001-classical-recordings-you-must-hear-you-die

And those are just the classical ones.

[Vile Consort]

There are several ways one might "know" a piece.

• the ability to identify it (e.g. it's Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 in E flat opus 73, first movement, second subject) - which in many cases one might be able to do from hearing less than a bar of the work.
  
• knowing exactly how the piece goes without necessarily being able to identify it fully - and by "knowing how it goes" I mean everything down to the orchestration, harmony, dynamics, counterpoint, chord spacings, etc. so that you would notice if the piece were subtly altered.
  
• being able to play the piece without the dots.
  
• the ability to picture the score in one's mind's eye. I suppose that would be an addition to no. 2 above and possibly no. 3.

I would have thought I could manage at least one of the above for around 1000 pieces. I am assisted here by counting all of Bach's organ works and most of Buxtehude's, which between them amount to more than 300 works!

[MaryGreen]

To know that these pieces exist is one thing, the completely another is to recognize them while listening. In such a case my amount will be very small about 200-300 I think…

[IRF]

My mp3 player tells me I have 1107 songs loaded on it, and when I play them with random "shuffle" mode on, I can almost always name what is playing within a few notes and can hum along with it.

Now, granted, a short rock song is completely different from a lengthy classical work. But it shows that it is possible to "know" a large number of different pieces.

[french frank]

To know that these pieces exist is one thing, the completely another is to recognize them while listening. In such a case my amount will be very small about 200-300 I think…

'Morning, MG - and welcome to the forum.

(Our first member, I think, from the Ukraine). I'm sure you're right - to listen to a work and never hear bits that you don't remember clearly from previous listening must reduce the number of pieces that you 'know - really' must reduce the number, for most people.

[John Wright]

Rather than adding up one's music collection, which some folks are doing here, I'm with FF and with the performer Pabmusic and the itunes-hoarder IRF - it should be pieces of music/tunes that one is FAMILIAR with.

And think about it, thousands of ClassicFM listeners are likely familiar with 350 pieces, their so-called MOST WANTED that get airings EVERY WEEK geez, over-familiarity for sure!!

My 'classical' familiarity might be just between 100-200 even though I have amassed a 500 vinyl and CD collection.

But jazz and 1930s dance tunes and light music, ah well, over the last 3 years and more I have digitally restored over 1000 sides of 78's for my podcasts, so yes I am well over the 1000

[Alie]

I have definitely heard even more than 1000 pieces, but I don't think I can name so many of them, even not talking about recognizing all of them. My number is about 200-250 I think.

[mercia]

in my humble opinion [if it hasn't already been said], more useful/interesting/impressive than being able to identify individual works, is being able to identify the historic era / style / country that a work belongs to, even if you haven't heard it before.

[Mary Chambers]

I haven't the faintest idea. How can one know? What is meant by 'knowing' a piece? (Oh, I see that has very sensibly been addressed.)