What Is Killing Classical Music?

What Is Killing Classical Music
Highlights from the story with Charlie Albright: The number of people attending concerts of classical music is declining because these performances have grown too stuffy and formal. He believes that the return of fun is due to the emergence of new venues, improvisation, and dialogue.

CNN — “Classical music,” in the way that it is typically understood today, has seen better days. One of the numerous cultural institutions that is having a harder and harder difficulty filling its seats is the Metropolitan Opera. However, this problem is not exclusive to the Met. In 2012, the National Endowment for the Arts found that just 8.8% of Americans had attended a classical music concert in the preceding 12 months, which was much lower than the 11.6% who had done so a decade earlier.

According to the findings of the survey conducted by the NEA, “Older Americans are the only demographic group to demonstrate an increase in attendance over a decade earlier.” The question then is why there isn’t a bigger interest in classical music among younger generations.

Once upon a time, listening to classical music was considered to be enjoyable.
People attended to concerts for a number of reasons, including to be emotionally touched, to be amused, and as a social gathering.
Some of these reasons are included below.
As a kind of two-way communication, performances offered artists and audiences the opportunity to engage on a level that could not be achieved through other forms of media.

Speaking to audiences, spontaneous clapping (often in the middle of works), and on-the-spot improvisation were typical practices, with artists trying to captivate audiences with their technical and interpretive skills. That was authentic music from the classical genre.

But all of that changed in the 20th century when “laws of concert etiquette” started making their way into performances. Since then, concerts have become much more formal. Clapping in the middle of the piece was immediately frowned upon. The applause that was given between movements or portions of compositions eventually developed in the same manner.

Those who frequently attend concerts would look down their noses with contempt at anyone who broke such regulations. Coughing? Forbidden. Performers communicating with the audience from the stage? Discouraged. Improvisation in a concert? Even at the most prominent classical music institutions and conservatories, this is a very uncommon practice that is practically never taught.

It is not surprising that people, particularly younger generations, are wary of and frequently uninterested in the concept of classical music given the restrictive environment created by the norms and “appropriateness” that govern its performance. Classical music has developed a reputation for being difficult to approach and unwelcoming.

Some individuals believe that classical music is out of date, which may explain why younger generations aren’t interested in it. But it goes against everything I’ve observed in my line of work and everyone I’ve spoken to who works directly with kids in the music business and outside of it.

I have had the opportunity to meet and teach children of all ages and from all backgrounds, from very small towns lacking music programs in schools to wealthy areas with plenty of arts funding, and I have yet to meet a single one who was not genuinely interested in classical music when you discard all of the artificial, “classical” rules that usually accompany it.

I attribute this to the fact that I have had the opportunity to teach children of all ages and from all backgrounds. We should count ourselves fortunate that the “classical” classical music of the 20th century is on its way out. Because I am a pianist, I have the ability to contribute to this endeavor.

To begin, I genuinely like interacting with the others in the room.
When I get up on stage and chat informally about each piece, what I think about it, how it makes me feel, and what to listen for, the invisible wall that between the performer and the listener is quickly brought down.
It turns into a night of dialogue and of expressing feelings with one another via art, as opposed to me standing on stage and them sitting and listening.

Some could criticize my decision, stating that it makes the occasion less official. On the other hand, this is precisely the purpose. Improvisation has been a fundamental component of the majority of my performances since I started doing so a few years ago.

I would sit down and create up a piece that I had never played before (and couldn’t play again precisely the same way), and later, I transformed that notion into a more participatory session where I ask audience members for random notes on the piano.
This session is now one of my favorites.
As soon as I have a few notes to work with (for example, B-flat, C, A, and E-flat), I invite the audience to join me in composing a brand new composition that has never been performed before.

It is lively, it is spontaneous, it entertains and it interacts with the audience. Suddenly, the entirety of the performance hall is engaged in something extraordinary, which touches each of us in a manner that is distinctively our own. Concert venues are also undergoing transformations.

Today, classical music is played not just in concert halls with thousands of seats but also in settings styled like cabarets, where audience members sip beer and wine while enjoying Beethoven and Chopin. These venues are commonplace in the modern world. The destruction of such “classical” rules will put an end to “classical” music and, in turn, will save it.

It will make the art form more approachable, more fun, and more liberating, which will enable all of us to express more feeling and enthusiasm via the medium of the music that we listen to. It will be a warm welcome for those of us who are interested in going to a concert but are nervous about taking the plunge and purchasing tickets.

Instead of considering the performing arts as a necessary evil that requires tedious rehearsal every day after school, it will inspire more young people to perceive it as an enjoyable activity that they can participate in. It is precisely the demise of so-called “classical” music that will breathe new life into the genre’s purest form of expression.

Come and join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CNNOpinion. Read the CNNOpinion magazine that is available on Flipboard. Charlie Albright is a classical pianist who was honored with the Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2014 in addition to the Gilmore Young Artist Award in 2010. What Is Killing Classical Music

Who Killed classical music?

One conductor blames WWII. Tens of millions of individuals lost their lives as a direct consequence of the Second World War. Conductor John Mauceri believes that classical music was one of the casualties of the war that is acknowledged less frequently.

Is classical music dying out?

In an interview with the Washington Post, Anne Midgette stated that she had “no doubt that classical music will endure, and prevail: Beethoven, Mozart, and Brahms will be heard and performed and loved fifty years, a hundred years from now, and future musicians will continue to be drawn to their work.” This viewpoint is quite interesting.

Is classical music losing popularity?

How music criticism and classical music have adapted to the changing times in order to maintain their relevance – By Lara Ehrlich | Edward Carvalho-Monaghan is responsible for the illustrations. Leonard Bernstein, who was just 25 years old at the time, stepped in at the last minute to cover for the sick conductor of the New York Philharmonic on November 14, 1943 at Carnegie Hall.

The performance was heard by millions of people across the world thanks to a live radio broadcast that was also reviewed on the top page of the New York Times. According to what the writer for The New York Times stated, “Mr. Bernstein advanced to the stage with the unfeigned excitement and communicable intensity of his years.” Bernstein shot to stardom after the review of his debut performance with the Philharmonic Orchestra, which made headlines.

In the days of Bernstein, classical music got attention that was practically on par with that of professional sports. Tony Beadle (’74), the executive director of Rockport Music, who at the time was playing double bass with the Boston Symphony, claims that this was the case all the way through the late 1970s and into the 1980s.

When you opened the Boston Globe on a Monday morning, three critics covered a lot of music in lengthy pieces, and their responses were significant to musicians,” he adds.
When you opened the Boston Globe on a Monday morning, three critics covered a lot of music in long articles.” At this point in time, readers would have a difficult time locating those tales in the mainstream press.

The decline in profitability at newspapers, which began in the 1980s, has resulted in cost cutting at the industry’s publications. The arts part was the most severely affected, and the first to go was the segment that reviewed traditional music. Beth Morrison, an opera producer (BUTI’89, CFA’94); Anthony Tommasini, the top classical music writer for the New York Times; and Tony Beadle, the executive director of Rockport Music (’74).

All three of these individuals graduated from Boston University.
Photos courtesy of Michal Fattal (Morrison), Earl Wilson/The New York Times (Tomasini), and Tony Beadle An art form that is having trouble attracting fans is being dealt a significant blow by the declining exposure of classical music in popular media.

Attendance numbers, which were already lower than those for other forms of performing art, have been on the decline for decades. According to the statistics provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, 11.6 percent of people living in the United States attended a performance of classical music in the year 2002.

By the end of 2017, that percentage had fallen to 8.6 percent. CFA spoke with three experts, including Beadle, Anthony Tommasini (’82), the chief classical music critic for the New York Times, and Beth Morrison (BUTI’89, CFA’94), an opera producer known for mounting innovative new work, about the ways in which classical music criticism is changing, the ways in which those changes are transforming classical music, and the role, and responsibility, of the contemporary critic.

Beadle is a professor of music at Columbia University. Tommasini and Morris

Why do rich people listen to classical music?

What Is Killing Classical Music Surprise, surprise. There is a correlation between your level of wealth and your musical preferences (or vice versa). Add financial gain to the extensive list of advantages offered by music, which already includes positive aspects such as health, lifespan, and enjoyment.

It was recently discovered by TD Ameritrade through a research project that music and financial matters are far more related than was previously believed to be the case. People who listen to electronic music and classical music tend to have better household incomes, a greater sense of financial security, and a greater propensity to participate in the stock market.

Listeners of techno and classical music share the same perception that they need greater wages in order to be happy. This perception may be one factor that contributes to the disparity in earnings between popular music genres. Country music fans are actually closer to attaining their ideal income than classical music listeners are, as evidenced by the fact that there is a substantial gap between the top earners (classical) and the lowest earners (country) in terms of desired income.

The research was carried out online, and 1,500 millennials were asked to report their own opinions and preferences.
As a result, there is some room for error in the results, but it is still a very intriguing look into the tastes and preferences of people who are financially secure.
If you want to try changing your preferred genre of music and let us know how it goes, you may reach out to us on Twitter.

However, I highly doubt that doing so will improve your current financial situation. Never again will you be left out. Always keep yourself informed. With the help of the Jukely newsletter, you can be informed about forthcoming musical events in your area, such as concerts, festivals, contests, and articles covering all aspects of music. What Is Killing Classical Music

Why do people no longer listen to classical music?

The stats for consumption of classical music in general are, by any standard, dangerously low, and sales are an indication of this. In 2008, approximately 3% of all albums that were sold were classical, and the typical classical music disc only sold 300 copies.

And if you think that this low figure is made up for in concert attendance, you’re in for a rude awakening; in 2008, only 3% of concert tickets sold were for classical music concerts, which is the same depressingly low figure as CD sales. If you think that this low figure is made up for in concert attendance, you’ll be disappointed.

Who exactly is to blame for such an astonishingly low number? Even if schools, television, and video games may all be blamed for the lack of popularity for classical music among teens, there is really only one explanation for this: classical music is just uninteresting to them.

Now, I am aware that this is not something that applies to all teenagers. It’s really nice that a lot of my kids are into classical music and listen to it on a regular basis. I have a lot of them. However, they make up just a minority! In addition, I can’t say that I’m the world’s greatest expert on classical music since the most of the time when I listen to it, it’s either for the purpose of conducting study or when I’m working.

The great majority of the time, I either listen to music from the P-Funk era or to terrible music from the 1980s (you can start throwing tomatoes now). Although I do listen to a wide variety of musical genres, including rock, bluegrass, classical, jazz, early music, and more, I would estimate that my overall consumption of classical music is probably pretty close to the 3% figure.

Why is classical music declining?

Since the beginning of the pandemic, classical music has been experiencing a gradual decline, which has only accelerated since the outbreak. However, the decline of classical music should be mourned as appropriately as a catastrophe of this magnitude.

Gracie Warhurst is the author of this piece.
Anisha Kamat’s illustrations may be found here.
In response to recommendations for social distance, the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, along with many other directors and performers of classical music, has begun streaming concerts.

Despite this, it seems that only a small percentage of individuals, both students and non-students alike, are aware that UT even hosts concerts of classical music. Even outside of the institution and the city of Austin itself, this pattern continues. When was the last time (or if it has ever happened), either you or a buddy decided to play Yo-Yo Ma on the aux instead of Kanye West? The answer for the great majority of individuals is probably never, and this is the correct response.

Before the epidemic, classical music had already been seeing a clear and steady drop in popularity.
Classical music is unable to stay up with the times in a culture where fads last for weeks rather than years and new musicians compete for streams with the same level of ferocity as they do when they are really creating music.

One further thing that seals the deal is the fact that the younger generation unquestionably has the most impact over what is popular. This is the opposite demography that the majority of people who enjoy live music belong to. This declining tendency becomes more pronounced in 2021, which has the effect of hastening the final death of the symphony.

It should come as no surprise that the majority of fans would prefer obtain tickets in the pit to see their favorite band perform than sit nicely in an auditorium. Everything about attending a classical music performance, from the appropriate manners to the clothing worn, is very different from attending a modern concert.

It is required that you dress formally, which means that you cannot wear torn jeans and T-shirts (or anything else that represents the pinnacle of youthful fashion), and there are no words to the songs that you may sing along to. Even clumsily clapping your hands or swaying back and forth as a result of sudden inspiration is frowned upon.

Oh, and good luck finding someone to go with you, because it does really involve a lot more work than the majority of people are prepared to put up with in order to watch these performances.
In spite of the fact that classical music has a reputation for being disliked among the general population, it is one of the most influential and nourishing types of music.

One of the many benefits of beginning early training on a classical instrument is the enhancement of one’s ability to acquire mathematical concepts more quickly. Your nerves might be calmed or you can be filled with delight via an experience that is completely natural when you listen to classical music, which reaches the mind in a manner that other kinds of music cannot.

While psychologically taxing activities like studying for an exam or writing an essay may be made easier by filling the stillness with chamber music, which somehow eases the tension and allows you to focus on the work at hand.
A well-performed symphony may completely change the atmosphere of a film or musical, bringing the characters’ feelings to life.

But there’s more to it than just going to the symphony or a performance – writing music is a great release in its own right, just like any other creative endeavor. In the same way that writing lyrics may be therapeutic, composing classical music can go one step further and communicate feelings that cannot be put into words.

Therefore, it is not accurate to say that listening to classical music is superior to listening to current music; rather, it is more accurate to say that it is on par with modern music.
However, the demise of classical music is not the fault of the millennial generation or any older generation for that matter.

Nor is it the responsibility of any other age group. The performing arts have done themselves a disservice by failing to adapt to the ever-evolving nature of music, streaming, and performance in a manner that is appropriate to these changes. Recognizable works can be buried in the mix of new releases and top charts on streaming applications, and because there is no fresh advertising for these pieces, listeners have to go to extra effort to locate them.

Although some bands, such as the Vitamin String Orchestra, have made pop renditions of classic songs, not everyone is interested in listening to a new rendition of the song that they consider to be their all-time favorite. And while if some truly incredible works have been spawned from cinema soundtracks, composers shouldn’t be have to wait around for a new movie in order to create music, especially not when they are bound by the themes of the film.

The practice of writing new versions of established works just for the enjoyment of musical creation is rapidly becoming extinct as an art form. Bach and Beethoven can only be reimagined to a certain extent before their legacy is exhausted. To get a taste of anything, children are not going to want to sit still and be silent in front of an audience that includes individuals old enough to be their grandparents.

We haven’t been able to figure out how to bring the obsolete back to life and give it a fresh new look just yet.
And it would appear that as time passes during a pandemic, the elderly are passing away at an alarmingly rapid rate.
If not for the loss of the music itself, then for the loss of everything we acquire by keeping it around, the day when the last symphony orchestra plays their last concert will be a sad one.

If not for the music itself, then for the loss of everything we gain by keeping it around.

Why is classical music disappearing?

7 April 2015, 11:45 A.M. | Last Reviewed/Updated: 13 April 2015, 15:09 P.M. Conductor Kent Nagano has expressed concern that there won’t be any more audiences for classical music in the next several decades, citing declining budgets and inadequate music education.

He told the Kurier that classical music has “gone so swiftly in a generation” and that it is “in risk of losing its social importance.” Nagano’s appointment as the new musical director of the Hamburg State Opera has been announced.
The conductor, who was giving interviews to promote his new book entitled “Expect Miracles,” offered a number of explanations for the alleged imminent demise of classical music, including budget cuts and technological advancements.13 reasons why classical music should NOT be considered extinct “Thanks to advances in technology, traditional music may now be made available to a far wider audience.

Despite this, there is a breakdown in the communication.” In addition, Nagano expressed worry that younger generations view classical music as “something that belongs to the past,” and she said that the absence of music instruction in Western curriculum may be to fault for this perception.

Why is there no new classical music?

According to the database of classical music events known as Bachtrack, the majority of well-known composers who have been played have passed away. Since the same old conductor names are consistently used, it is plausible to draw the conclusion that there is no new music being produced in the classical genre.

Is classical music better for your brain?

Memory enhancement: do you find that you frequently forget where you left your keys? Try putting on some classical music and listening to it. The Department of Medical Genetics at the University of Helsinki in Finland conducted a study that demonstrates how listening to classical music for as little as 20 minutes per day can have an effect on the genes that are crucial for brain function and memory.

Throughout the course of the trial, those individuals who listened to classical music had a greater chance of being favorably influenced. The study team saw an increase in the amount of dopamine that was secreted, as well as synaptic function and genes that are related with learning and memory. This also includes the gene synuclein-alpha (SNCA), which is frequently related to the process by which birds acquire their songs, providing evidence that the evolutionary basis of sound perception and memory.

In the same research, listening to classical music resulted in a downregulation of genes linked to neurodegenerative disorders. A healthy brain is a happy brain, and listening to classical music, particularly music that brings back pleasant memories, might boost levels of dopamine and neuroconnectivity in the body, therefore delaying the onset of age-related cognitive decline.

Is classical music still meaningful today?

It doesn’t matter how many centuries have gone; we still love it, and many pieces are instantly recognizable by anyone (think of Chopin’s nocturne Op.9, n°2, or Beethoven’s 5th symphony). Classical music is timeless; it doesn’t matter how many centuries have passed; we still like it.

Is classical music better for your brain?

Throughout the course of the trial, those individuals who listened to classical music had a greater chance of experiencing a good effect.
The study team saw an increase in the amount of dopamine that was secreted, as well as synaptic function and genes that are related with learning and memory.
This also includes the gene synuclein-alpha (SNCA), which is frequently related to the process by which birds acquire their songs, providing evidence that the evolutionary basis of sound perception and memory.

Why does classical music still matter?

It’s no surprise that society is crumbling at its foundations in this day and age of music, when songwriters publish lyrics about contentious topics, heavy four-on-the-floor kick drums and sub woofers can be heard in traffic three hundred meters away, and music videos feed the world with images of violence and hatred.

What is presented to our brains and spirits through the ear is absorbed by these aspects of ourselves, and this has an effect on people of all ages all over the world.
Classical music was still one of the most popular kind of music not too long ago, less than a century ago in fact.
Music in general was far more healthy and focused on fixing issues while nourishing the spirit.

More children played instruments; more people routinely attended symphony concerts; and more people frequently attended musical shows. Today, irresponsible creative publications are contributing to the deterioration of the moral fabric that underpins human civilization.

Lyrical responsibility has almost completely disappeared from popular culture, and even real instrumentation has been supplanted by virtual instruments created by software businesses that are geared to assisting current producers in creating “better music.” Classical music has been present for hundreds of years and continues to find new ways to make an appearance in popular society.

While most of the music produced today is more likely to cause damage than good, it is safe to say that classical music has not fully disappeared from our culture. Whether it be Wagner’s “Flight of the Valkyries” being played in an entertaining advertisement, a Mozart string concerto being heard in the background of a movie scene, or even Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons ringing in your ear while you wait on hold to give a piece of your mind to your internet provider, recordings of classical music compositions hang on for dear life.

The title of “king of music” is rightfully bestowed to classical music, even if there are many other types of music. It is generally agreed upon that orchestras embody the perfect collection of tonalities articulated by a variety of instruments, as well as the most expressive expression possible from any group of instruments assembled by man.

The modern orchestra is still used to record Hans Zimmer compositions for high-budget films, pit orchestras still play for live musicals all over the world, and major symphony orchestras still play on a weekly basis to large audiences, despite the fact that they are experiencing financial difficulties.

In addition to the situation that classical music is in today and the evolution of the modern orchestra, one must also take into consideration the contributions that classical music itself makes to the wider world. When one goes to a performance of a symphony, such as Beethoven’s Ninth, they will find that the sheer grandeur of feeling and the soul-feeding tonalities that are supplied by the masters of classical music leave them feeling inspired.

Actually, Beethoven said that music should “strike fire from the heart of man and bring tears from the eyes of woman” at one point in his life. Very powerful words from a guy who was almost completely deaf by the time he completed his Fifth Symphony. Classical music is still relevant today because it captures the fundamental aspects of the natural human being as well as unadulterated feelings that are undisturbed by human meddling or the nonsensical ideas that have been prevalent over the course of human history.

Is classical music better than modern music?

At the very least with regard to one quality, classical music is head and shoulders above popular music. Classical music, in the sense that common practice composition is meant to be understood, possesses a larger capacity for expressiveness and, as a consequence, possesses a greater potential for psychological insight and profundity.

Richer expressive potential may be found in classical music in large part because of the greater harmonic resources available in classical music. In classical music, the harmonies are more likely to be useful, there is a greater emphasis placed on counter motion, and modulation is utilized more frequently.

In spite of the fact that popular music makes use of rhythms that are absent from classical music, on the whole, there is a smaller range of rhythmic possibilities in popular music compared to classical.