Classical music in the modern era
BY: Stephen Caldwell
You
nod gently, encouraging her on. As you deftly maintain eye-contact, you reach
for your glass and notice the enormity of the room. The ornate woodwork is
suddenly apparent in the dim lighting, and it is framing her face perfectly.
Beauty in all things; you allow yourself to chuckle - both to your inner
romantic and to her story. You're still
listening to her, but your throat is dry and you wouldn't want her to know.
Tonight is special. As you place your drink back down, a flurry of bubbles
jostle off the inside of the glass and rise silently to the surface. Evoking
long-forgotten memories, you recall a chemistry lecture from long ago... but
then you are back. Focusing on the far more important chemistry between you and
her, the night proceeds posthaste. Holding the door open, you watch her walk
before you into the crisp night. Cool air, invading your lungs as you step out
after her, allows the door to swish behind you. Suddenly the world is
different. Muted and heightened, the absence of sound and sight makes her,
holding your arm, all the more beautiful.
A cocktail bar, a night club, a
tavern - wherever you may be - there is but one constant: music. In type,
genre, and volume they differ; but music is humanity's constant companion. It
is a given for road trips and high school curriculums. It is everywhere and no
one is complaining. No one will ever complain. I am not complaining either - as
someone who writes music, generally of the classical type, I have a certain
love for this "brand" of art. But there is something deeply wrong
with this genre, and you know more about it than what you might guess.
Many will agree that classical music
has a degree of complexity, musicianship, and emotion that is not often matched
by other genres. All the grandest concert halls have been filled with Bach,
Beethoven, and Mozart for hundreds of years. It defies style conventions,
social, and cultural change; it runs deep in our evolutionary veins and I doubt
that will ever change.
But this is hardly reason to
quantify it as the best form of music! Some within the classical music scene
possess a sense of condescension immeasurable,
and I find myself increasingly annoyed by this. Country music literally
personifies the South. Punk rock, hard rock, and metal get many angst-ridden
teens through high school. Honestly, every single genre has its worth. When it's
summer time and you are out driving with your friends, what is your music of
choice? I can almost guarantee it isn't Bach's Chaconne. And that is not wrong.
Different music for different
people, different moods, and different situations.
Back in the 1700s there were no
music players or radios. Obviously. But think about that! What does that make
music? It makes it an event. Like
going to a play, or out to the movies. Classical music needed to be grand and
important because that is where it was experienced. It took place over hours,
not 30-second commercials. I have often heard music teachers proclaim that
classical songs are an hour in length - unlike our 2 to 4 minute songs of
today. Not true. Humans are humans are humans and if you listened to the same
song for an hour you would be ripe enough to kill someone. Take a symphony for
example, this is more or less equivalent to what we refer to as an album.
Within each symphony are various acts and movements - splitting the symphony
into more manageable chunks of.... say, about 6 minutes each.
So what about classical music of
today? It takes place as film and video game soundtracks, it incorporates a
multitude of foreign styles and ideas. It's really good! But until this genre
can shed its "high-class" snobby stigma, people will feel as if it
can't pertain to their life in any personal, meaningful way. Yes, we know
classical music is capable and good, but most of us haven't truly felt it light
a flame in our hearts as it rightfully could.
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