Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (again, NOT Taylor-Coleridge) must have been a serious wunderkind to have been noticed by Edward Elgar and C. V. Stanford, two of England’s best-known Victorian Imperial composers. He wrote this “Ballade for Orchestra” for the famous Three Choirs Festival when he was 20; the maturity of this composition puts the genius of Coleridge-Taylor on par with Mendelssohn (who wrote his famous “Midsummer Night’s Dream” overture at 17).

… sort of.

Think about love and Romeo and Juliet always seem come to mind. The story is ancient, but still continues to speak to us; it continues to be remade and recycled even to this day. As we all know, it’s doesn’t end well for the lovers. So, if you’re making Valentine’s Day plans, better steer clear of wooing your partner with references to R. or J.

Instead of the play, you could put on this music by Tchaikovsky, which has become the unofficial music of passionate love, found in all sorts of cartoons, commercials, and other entertainment (the best example of this being, of course, Ren & Stimpy.)

And, if you’re single this weekend, you can still enjoy this music, knowing those blasted lovers don’t get to experience the happiest of endings.

If you ever want to lose your faith in humanity, just read the comment section of any YouTube video. However, once in a while, there is a comment of pure genius. The top comment of this video is perfect:

Pretty sure this {video} was a practical joke, in which the orchestra grabbed a drunk man off the streets, gave him a bouquet of flowers, and said, “Stand here and make vague waving gestures at the orchestra.”

Mikhail Glinka‘s opera Ruslan and Ludmila was never a hit, but the overture became an instant favorite among audiences. Even when played at a moderate tempo, it sounds like the strings have had about three cups of coffee too many. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I found a video where the strings have had too much coffee after overdosing on speed.