What Makes Classical Music Timeless? (and Top5 Unsung Greats)
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Culture's hold on classical music seems to be slipping away. I don't know whether it's because the genre isn't as accessible as, let's say, gangsta rap or testosterone rock -- but there aren't exactly legions of classical and contemporary fans you can discuss symphonies with anymore. Is that a bad thing? Not entirely, because there's no value in the music intrinsic in and completely of itself. But what does it say about us?
One reason is that it's hard not to sound like a pompous jerk when attempting to discuss classical music. Especially when you're saying those things about a classic classical artist -- like Beethoven, or Mozart, or JS Bach. For example: I can tell you that I think Beethoven offers the most impressive array, by far, of emotional bombast of any composer in the history of music. That his repertoire offers literally something for everyone in the way of emotion. People who want to hear something full of vigour that's heroic and life-affirming, check out symphony three. If you want to hear something that's filled to the brim with passion and ethereal chaos: fifth symphony, first movement. If you want to hear something that's elegant from beginning to end and offers you a brilliant expose of the heights and depths of beauty within an instrumental piece -- you want the sixth symphony (all movements). If you want a piece that's as forelorn and depressing as it is contemplative and ultimately the epitome of tragedy, that's the seventh symphony, second movement. If you want to know why people are always talking about the "complexity" of classical music and how you really need to have an attention span to actually appreciate it: you've got the ninth symphony, particularly the first and second movements (not so much the third or fourth).
But by now you're probably picturing me as some cafe-latte-sipping jerkface that's simply trying to sound way smarter than he is -- sitting in a Starbucks with a laptop writing whatever, only appearing in public to sip coffee and enjoy people seeing me type stuff. You're actually pretty far off. I'm sitting on my balcony sipping seven-year scotch, waiting for the sun to go down so all the city lights will come alive and inspire me. Besides, coffee houses really aren't my style -- I'm much more of a hole-in-the-wall dive-bar sort've guy. The kinds of places you could easily recreate in your own home if you just dimmed the lights and peed on the walls a little.
But I digress.
Another reason that classical music seems to be slipping away is part of the aforementioned - its inherent complexity. Bear in mind, some classical music is simple but famous. Think Beethoven's Ode to Joy, or Schubert's famously simple melodies that charm chiefly due to their brevity. I'm tempted to say that in an age of Ipods and Xboxes in every home that attention spans are starting to slip -- and this would be at least somewhat true. However, the ever-rising knowledge-base of humanity has given rise to more options (intellectual and abstract) that people have to consider, so the reason can't be completely an indictment of modern living.
Just like other genres, classical music often has its greatest impact live.
Ultimately, I think the reason that classical has lost its mainstream appeal is simply that it's so lavish and time-consuming. Fewer people will consider getting an emotional fix from contemplative music because it requires an investment of time -- something we have far less of now. There are great appreciations to be taken from classical and contemporary music; intellectual, emotional and simply aesthetic, but they definitely do not have the immediate payoff of a three-minute song or a ten-minute television piece. Some symphonies only gain their appeal if listened to chronologically and completely -- in the same way that you can't just start in the middle of good sex, or take only one part of it and expect it to be as thrilling as the whole. The more readily-available everything gets, the less appeal you'll see in things that require an up-front investment of time.
So what's the point of investing that time? Feeling those heights and depths, understanding the complexity through trial and error, or simply knowing why people have chosen to enjoy the genre offer benefits for anyone. That, and having a comeback for the arthouse goon who might tell you (like I did above) that Beethoven's second movement of his seventh symphony is probably one of the most tragic peices ever written. You can then come back with some possibly better examples! what about the later stringed quartets from Shostakovich? They were written for the bombing of Dresden, and one can feel in the sharp dissonance and pangs of their offbeat flatness the emotional pain endured by those who witnessed the atrocities firsthand. Or, you can say that in all your years as a fan of classical music, you've never seen anyone resist becoming emotional rubble when exposed to Gorecki's third.
Regardless, classical music now stands as one more artistic medium that has to be appreciated for what it is -- not the kind of intellectual barrier proposed by people that describe its complexity in intentionally vague ways to make it sound more intense. Rather, something that's often illustrating the simple beauty of human emotions and the gravity that such affectations are ultimately ephemeral.
On the following page, I'm offering a small Top 5 list of classical pieces welcome to both the newcomer and the connoisseur - guaranteed to ignite a passion for the genre.