Top 10 sites for the classical music buff

La Scena Musicale Online
http://www.scena.org

The granddaddy of Canadian classical music sites, La Scena Musicale Online is definitely the place to go for news about the classical music industry. With daily links to reviews and news about the classical music scene, as well as original reviews, a calendar of Canadian classical music events, webcasts, and back issues of La Scena Musicale and The Music Scene, this bilingual French/English site is one you’ll want to bookmark.

ClassicalNet
http://www.classical.net

ClassicalNet’s look and feel is pretty basic – but the information on the site is anything but. This is essentially the best directory of other classical music sites available on the web. But it’s much more than a series of hyperlinks – its review and articles section in particular offers a wealth of information on current recordings.

Classical Live Online Radio
tp://classicalwebcast.com/index.html

You probably have already discovered that you can listen to the CBC through your computer at http://www.cbc.ca/programguide/radio/ and BBC Radio 3 at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/. But if that isn’t enough online classical radio for you, check out Classical Live Online Radio. It’s a very comprehensive list of classical music stations around the world.

Mutopia
http://www.mutopiaproject.org/
If playing classical music is something you love to do, this is the site to visit. The Mutopia Project provides access to editions of sheet music where the copyright has expired to download (mostly in PDF format), print, and play. Many of these editions are of high quality, and volunteers have transcribed them into an electronic format.

Naxos.com
http://www.naxos.com

While Naxos recordings may not always be the most subtle, they are an excellent means to become familiar with different composers and lesser-known and performed works. What makes the Naxos site attractive to the classical fan, however, is the capacity to access their entire electronic library of works – over 5,000 CDs – online, in FM quality sound. $19.95 US a year gives subscribers the capacity to listen to the full work; a free subscription plays up to 25 per cent of each work. You can also read reviews and buy online.

Classical.com
http://www.classical.com/

If you’re looking for classical music downloads to play on your iTunes or iPod this is an excellent site at which to start (this is different from the Naxos site, which uses streaming media). You can sample tracks and download them for a reasonable cost. Membership in the site also offers streaming media similar to Naxos’s site. Classical.com also offers jazz and blues, and world music.

Culture.ca’s Classical and Vocal Music
http://www.culture.ca/explore-explorez-e.jsp?category=174

Culture.ca, an initiative launched by the Department of Canadian Heritage, has a comprehensive list of classical music sites across Canada – it’s a great way to discover local composers and ensembles.

Classical Composers Database
http://www.classical-composers.org/

If the composers behind the music are your passion, this site is a good place to start. Although some of the information is basic, the list of composers is very comprehensive, and you can search by country of origin.

Timeline of Musical History
http://www.classicalworks.com/his.pages/timeline.html

This site can expand your appreciation for the development of classical music in Europe, with composers and events all arranged chronologically. You can also contribute to the project.

This Day in Music History
http://datadragon.com/day/

This Day in Music History is a fun site to visit to ponder odd coincidences. Who knew that Anton Diabelli’s birthday in 1781 would also be the day that The House of the Rising Sun would top the charts in 1964?