Importance of classical music
It’s often said that one’s personality is molded by his artistic taste. With that in mind, much of what a person is can be defined by the music they find comfort in. According to a musician, “Music has the potential to change a mood, to shift an atmosphere, and to encourage a different behavior” (Belinda Huang).
Classical music, those composed by virtuosos like Bach, Paganini, Mozart are still held dearly and kept sacred by the musical community. Romantic pieces written centuries ago still manage to strike the heart of fair maiden, Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C# still manages to inspire awe and fear and Pachelbel’s Canon in D still warms our heart with its slow yet beautiful melody. Music grants its player the joy of self expression which transcends boundaries set by mere words. People of all tongues can fathom her beauty. It should not come as a surprise then, that the thing which holds the EU, a community of vastly different language, culture and ethnicity, which once sought to destroy each other, stands united by the one thing shared among them all, music. In my opinion, it is the highest form of expression possible. Words in all its beauty are “discreet” whereas music is a “continuum” which enables it to give shape to complex emotions.
Apart from rejuvenating mental peace, it instills a sense of discipline to its audience. It forces its listener to have a calm mind so that they can absorb each drop of its elixir. It’s not just a bland series of strokes on a piano or melodic screeches on the violin. Every note can be played differently, which differentiates a finesse player to an average Joe. It can be loud (forte) or piano(soft), held for a long time(semibreve) or for a shorter time (semiquaver), its these nuances that makes it difficult to grasp and hence demands attention from its listener. It doesn’t have a “main chorus” like its modern counterpart, it rather capitalizes on the listeners ability to piece the entire “puzzle” together and then form his/her opinion rather than judge it by listening to a small part of it. Since the modern era is so used to the latter form of music they find it difficult to muster enough patience to listen to it completely. Classics, though punishing in the amount of patience required to fully enjoy it rewards equally with the melodious gift it showers upon its listeners.
Sadly, the appreciation for classical music has been dwindling ever since. Many people complain that it’s long and requires a long attention span. They’re indeed longer than the average music of the modern era but many of them were broken down into several pieces/movements. For example Beethoven’s Moonlight sonata exists in three separate movements all spanning less than 5 minutes which is only slightly higher than the average pop music of our era. Another complaint we might often hear is that they’re not catchy. This statement has some truth to it, however “Unlike a lot of modern music, it may not immediately jump out at you with a catchy tune, epic bass line, or compelling lyrics (the lack of words in much of classical music may be another deterrent for a lot of people)” (Hannah Cambre). Like any art, taste for classical music is developed and nurtured. Its love grows on to you slowly and before you know it, you’ll find yourself in its clutches.
We like to think that there are no new compositions in this area and that they’re a thing of the past, this is a serious mistake. Many pop songs that we love to hear today are based on classical music, a go to example is Memories by Maroon5 which is inspired by Pachelbels legendary Canon in D. Classical music has found its way in movies too, for example Ocean’s Eleven ending scene is beautifully wrapped by the ambience provided by Clair De Lune, John Wick series used Vivaldi’s Winter in its trailer. In a way, classical music is and always has been around us, only that it’s less apparent to us now. To suit the needs of the modern era whilst also keeping the spirit of classical music alive, neoclassical music genre arose. This genre is very much based on its predecessor but tailored for its younger, more modern audience. Indeed, they’ve garnered much attention from viewers worldwide. Composers like Yann Tiersen, Yiruma, Ludovico Einaudi and Joe Hisaishi have contributed to this field and they are much cherished by its audience which proves that appreciation for classics hasn’t died contrary to popular belief.
Nowadays we see a sign of mutual respect and understanding between the classical community and its newer audience. The once strict opera which only played classical music now orchestrates themes from movies, animes and other sources of music. This update in their culture has drawn attention to them from its audience. On the flip side, we see people doing remix of older songs which has likewise revived the interest of operas and classical music. This is the right way to go, acknowledging differences and updating ourselves is the sign of ultimate respect.