The Future of Classical Music

[Lowell Hohstadt]

I like to read books that challenge my way of thinking.  One was siting on my bookshelf for a while as I gathered courage to work through it: The Agony of Modern Music (Henry Pleasants).

I recently wrote an overview and my own analysis and 'relationship' to what the author had to say.

Perhaps you will enjoy it: The Future of Classical Music

Let me know what you think.

[Lowell Hohstadt]

I recently played Beethoven's 9th Symphony to a mostly young 'blue-collar' audience.  I had invited a drummer friend of mine to come (gave him my comp tickets).  He had never been to a Classical music concert before, but rather had played in rock bands all his life (is a great fan of Tool and Devin Townsend).  I have to tell you this concert experience totally transformed him...he couldn't sit still in his chair, had to move his arms and his body to the music (to the chagrin of some of those around him!).  He told me that the instant he heard the music it was like he understood it, almost like a long-lost friend.

Somehow great Classical music is more than style or medium, but rather transcends it.  If you haven't read my article, What Is Classical Music?, I hope you can at some point.

[michael diemer]

Been thinking about this again, Lowell et al, and here is what I came up with: Classical music will always be great. It doesn't change. What changes is people's ability, or willingness, to appreciate it. We live in an age of instant gratification. The vast majority of people in technologized areas are not willing to invest the amount of time it takes to be able to appreciate classical music. I think it's a direct result of the technology. Then I began thinking again about the work of Marshall McLuhan (not a composer, but rather a Canadian English professor). He is the originator of the phrase "The medium is the message," for those younger viewers who don't know about him. His general thesis was that media don't just influence us; they actually change the nature of human consciousness. For example, when we acquired written language, it became possible for people to begin to think as individuals. They could be alone, read something, and think about it, which before had not been possible. Before writing, our thinking, according to McLuhan, took place in the presence of others. It was largely a social activity. The printing press was another milestone, as it allowed the common woman and man to access the great books of history. Then, electronic media were developed. Radio, in McLuhan's view, brought us together - promoted what he called "tribal" social interaction. TV took us in the other direction. With computers and the internet, this trend accelerated, so now we have people whose life is to surf the net, chat with others online, play video games to the point of addiction, etc. All these changes, McLuhan argued, produced actual changes in human consciousness, as well as social organization. So, we now have a culture where most people may actually be incapable of such normal things as reading Shakespeare, listening to Beethoven, or spending a few hours in an art museum. Or, if not incapable, extremely unwilling to do so, as it would require some mental exertion on their part, and slowing down their hyperactive brains, teeming with the trivialities of the moment, to the point where they could begin to grasp the great works of literature, music etc. Now, I’m sure I’m overgeneralizing, not everybody born in the computer age is like this. There are folks on this forum who prove that. But I think there’s a lot of validity to this thesis. Perhaps in time, we will adjust, and come to realize that speed, mass dissemination of (mostly trivial) information and instant gratification are not going to produce a life worth living. So, I do think there is hope. Constant change seems to characterize the human race. If people realize that there were great things done in the past, including many centuries ago, classical music will make a comeback. It may be on life support, but let us do what we can to ensure it pulls through. I for one can’t imagine living without it.

[michael diemer]

Ok, I feel I was way too negative in my last comment. Must have been in a pretty foul mood. The good news is that I am in no position to predict the future. Hopefully it will be a bright one for all of us.

Now, I need to address the actual theme of this thread, The Future Of Classical Music. I agree with you Lowell that there are various kinds of music. Some are utilitarian, like most of what's on the radio - it helps you get through the day (plus, you get to hear commercials, which stimulates the economy). Also, music can help you relax. Or it can stumulate. In the Whole Foods store I get my coffee in, they are always playing music with a steady beat that I'm sure is designed to keep the employees moving. Then there's entertainment. Music can also be therapeutic. I'm sure we could come up with many more examples. But then, as Lowell points out, there does seem to be music that is transcendent. Much, though by no means all, classical music is of this nature. It puts us in touch with something beyond our earthly existence, and thus is spiritual. I think we hunger for this kind of music, and so I don't believe it will ever die. If it does, that would mean that something in us has died. That would not be a good thing. When we cease to be spiritual beings, striving to understand why we are here, to know our Maker, and so forth, it will be a dark day on planet earth. But I don't think that will happen. In the end, I believe we will get the help we need, and it will be from somewhere beyond. Until then, we will continue to hunger for Truth and Beauty. And classical music will be there to help point us in the right direction. It's been around for several hundred years. There must be a reason for it.

[michael diemer]

                Comment by Gav Brown 6 hours ago           

Michael - we're going to have to agree to disagree - I think some of the greatest strides mankind has made have occurred post 1948. Landing a man on the moon. Decoding the humane genome. Low-energy-consuming light bulbs. Cancer treatments. The internet. Cheap cell phones for all. Plumpy nut (look it up), perhaps the greatest anti-starvation food ever devised. There is much which is wonderful and positive in the world today -

What we have today, Gav, is quantity, but little quality. Did you ever read the Book "Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Mainetenance?" The theme was that quality went out the window awhile back. We have multitudinous mediocrity today, but very little quality. Sure, we went to the moon. That was 44 years ago. Why are we not living there? Why have we not been to Mars? (We have a few little remote-controlled toys running around up there, and we're supposed to be impressed? Of course, with NASA now relegated to being a Muslim-outreach program, I'm not looking for any progress there...any strides in space exploration will be coming from the private sector). As for medical treatment, cancer is still a death-sentence most of the time, despite decades of research. And if you do survive it, the chemo and radiation will in themselves shorten your lifespan, and cause brain damage to boot. And besides, we aren't meant to live forever, anyway. If we seriously prolong our lifespan, the result will be just be even greater mediocrity, with much more damage to the planet than we've already done, which is considerable. Sorry, I just can't be optimistic with the way things are going. We're out of control, and we need help! Still, it's possible to be happy in such a world. you just have to create your own happiness and meaning. The essesnce of existentialism.

[Lowell Hohstadt]

Regarding the past versus the present:

 

I’m not one for wanting to recreate the past, but rather re-cycle it for the present and future.  If we can somehow extract the greatness of Classical music from the exterior elements and turn it into fuel for current cultural language, then I believe we’ll see some success.

 

 

Great question about dance!

 

Throughout the history of music, there has always been music that moves man’s body.  This usually correlates to social functions and festivities. 

 

Then there is music that intrigues the mind and moves the emotions.  This normally correlates to entertainment and performance.

 

But then, there is music that brings us face to face with Truth and Beauty.  It touches a part of us so intimate that it is difficult to describe, a place that is referred to in theology as the ‘spirit’ of man.  This kind of music brings us to a place of worship.

 

It seems to me that the main focus of ‘Classical’ music history (not all of it, of course) has been in this third category, as composers endeavored to touch this area of transcendence.

 

I’m not saying that this has to be ‘Christian’, in the usual sense.  I have written many works in ‘secular’ genres, yet still endeavoring to touch this place of deeper meaning.  Works such as this may use elements of dance and performance, yet the main emphasis is pointing to a place beyond these things.

 

That is not to say that dance and worship are incongruent.  There are a number of scriptural texts dealing with dance and worship.  Here is one of my favorites, which I believe reveals an ancient awareness of melody, harmony and rhythm: “The singers went on, the musicians after them, in the midst of the maidens beating tambourines.” (Ps. 68:25).  And another: “Praise Him with timbrel and dancing…” (Ps. 150:4)

 

[Gav Brown]

Michael - we're going to have to agree to disagree - I think some of the greatest strides mankind has made have occurred post 1948. Landing a man on the moon. Decoding the humane genome. Low-energy-consuming light bulbs. Cancer treatments. The internet. Cheap cell phones for all. Plumpy nut (look it up), perhaps the greatest anti-starvation food ever devised. There is much which is wonderful and positive in the world today -

[michael diemer]

The human race is in a a state of decline. We hit our apex culturally somewhere around 1900, when Impressionism was in its Autumn, and Debussy, Sibelius and Stravinsky were just getting going. Perhaps two unspeakably violent wars have fatally wounded the human spirit. Not to mention Nihilism. But we are going down. Oh, our technology is impressive, but even there, what truly groundbreaking technology has been invented since the computer (which was invented in 1948)? The book was prophetic. You're right, it will take divine intervention to reverse this tide. Or, for those disinclined to religious terminology, benevelovent alien intervention (which may be the same thing). But, Cheerio! Keep your chins up, and keep composing. Now more than ever, people need to know that humans can create something of lasting beauty. We can never approach what the greats of yesteryear were able to achieve. I wish it were not so, but I think we all know it's true. Their like will not be seen again. Not in this world, not before it is transformed, if that is to be, by something beyond it. Soli Deo Gloria.

[roger stancill]

thanks for the post Lowell   good food for thought  maybe good music(yes I know that is subjective)

isn't dead , but in some state of comatose , waiting for the right moment to re-awaken and reintroduce

class and art . I am not a fan of most 'electronic' music or computer generated movies  tho'  I do appreciate

the creativity behind the scenes, so to speak. What percentage of music history would you attribute to 'dance' ? Rather than worship or 'entertainment'.

[Gav Brown]

Thanks for the clarification! - Best -

[Lowell Hohstadt]

The article was not so much about everyone else, but rather my own relationship to the subject.

I hope you can also read: What Is Classical Music?  and My Three-Cornered Hat

Thanks for reading...and your comments!