What hell is going on with classical music?
Yeah, what about it? I think one of the problems is the definition of it. Let’s say you like some music you hear, it’s not pop music, it doesn’t sound like Bach or Mozart, it probably could have been written the last few years. What do you call it? How do you describe it to your friends?
uh… I heard this song and it was cool. I think it sounded like that… you know, uh….
I usually find myself listening some version of this conversation talking to friends and family. How can we describe something that we cannot categorize? The language we are using cannot adequately describe the new music that we listen too. This probably comes from a few different problems.
1. Classical Music.
Does this actually describe anything? It has become such a generic term for artsy music for anything can be called classical music. Ignoring the fact that it is a historical term that describes a period of time, it is probably the most abused term for describing music. If you think about it there really are only 3 types of music that are out there, art, pop, and folk. Every genre is really just a subcategory. What are there functions? Quoting very loosely from the harvard dictionary of music,
art-music meant to be contemplated, played by professionals, listen to by an audience
pop-music for enjoyment, played by professionals, listened to by an audience
folk-music meant for ritual and ceremony, no audience, everybody participates
Obviously there are many crossovers in these categories but wouldn’t it be easier to define music by it’s purpose and function. Classical music is really art music, a music that is meant to be listened to, contemplated, reviewed, critiqued and criticized. I think the audience needs to realize a that concert does not function like a magazine or a summer movie blockbuster. It is more like a good book, art film, or nice meal. Everyday life is filled with entertainment and simple diversion. I look at the concerts I put on as the latter. Still a nice diversion from daily life, but something that you can contemplate and come back to.
next up… the nuclear bomb and ‘modern music’
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