Most people think that classical music is serious stuff, and most of the time it is. In music as in life it seems easier to compose long-form melancholy than it is to create long-lasting happiness. It is a real challenge, for example, to find a symphony or a concerto which is light and upbeat from one end to the other. But it isn't very difficult to find a movement which is bright and cheerful. In fact, by tradition, it is usually the third movement and it is often called a minuet or scherzo. In addition, there are many short happy classical music pieces. These are often based on dances. Classical music's cheerful side is precisely what is explored during this hour of "Compact Discoveries." The music includes "Al Fresco, Intermezzo" by Victor Herbert; "For He's Going to Marry Yum-Yum" from "The Mikado" by Gilbert and Sullivan; a movement from Haydn's "Symphony No. 88 in G" and his "Gypsy Rondo;" "Smiles and Chuckles" and "The Laughing Vamp" by the Six Brown Brothers, and an excerpt from Schubert's "Octet in F for Strings and Winds, Op. 166, D. 803." Complete script, including playlist, available here and at www.compactdiscoveries.com.

Most people think that classical music is serious stuff, and most of the time it is. In music as in life it seems easier to compose long-form melancholy than it is to create long-lasting happiness. It is a real challenge, for example, to find a symphony or a concerto which is light and upbeat from one end to the other. But it isn't very difficult to find a movement which is bright and cheerful. In fact, by tradition, it is usually the third movement and it is often called a minuet or scherzo. In addition, there are many short happy classical music pieces. These are often based on dances. Classical music's cheerful side is precisely what is explored during this hour of "Compact Discoveries." The music includes "Al Fresco, Intermezzo" by Victor Herbert; "For He's Going to Marry Yum-Yum" from "The Mikado" by Gilbert and Sullivan; a movement from Haydn's "Symphony No. 88 in G" and his "Gypsy Rondo;" "Smiles and Chuckles" and "The Laughing Vamp" by the Six Brown Brothers, and an excerpt from Schubert's "Octet in F for Strings and Winds, Op. 166, D. 803." Complete script, including playlist, available here and at www.compactdiscoveries.com.