Many people believe that classical music is a dying practice, but that is only because they take a surface view of it, according to Bill Zuckerman. Admittedly, there is a host of reasons why classical music is believed to be on a steady decline.
For instance, Zuckerman points out that many symphonic orchestras have in recent years been the subject of strikes, lockouts, and general unrest.
And how could we forget, one of the world’s premiere opera companies that existed for seventy years, the New York City Opera, went out of business in 2013, citing $10 million in assets and debt when it too filed for bankruptcy.
On top of that, one could reasonably point to consistently declining CD and Mp3 sales in classical music as evidence of an inevitable death of this art.
As I wrote in a previous column, public classical music competitions, once a social event that gathered people in and out of the music world to watch dazzling virtuosity compete for a glorified title, are becoming less and less important to the careers of musicians. Via Music School Central
On his part, Steve Metcalf points out that classical music downloads are actually significant, making this type of music more accessible than it was in the past. He also talks about the continued use of classical music in movie soundtracks and even TV commercials.
For him, the most convincing proof that classical music is alive is that fact that there is a steadily growing wave of smart, gifted youth joining conservatories and music colleges around the world with a fierce sense of dedication. While they have numerous career options to choose from, they opt to pursue classical music as their profession.
Metcalf argues that classical music is not dying at all, but rather just one context of it – the concert hall.
To oversimplify, it’s getting harder to get people in the door.
Should that be a surprise? If we can have the music we choose 24 hours a day, delivered instantly to our home, or car, or earbud, should we be so mystified that the prospect of paying $30 or $50 to sit for two hours and listen to music that someone else has selected might be less inviting than it used to be? Via WNPR
Similarly, Zuckerman states that the main problem with classical music is that its musicians are taught to achieve the same goals that their counterparts achieved a century ago. This, he argues, leads to stagnancy that results from a poor understanding of change in this art form.
For instance, goals such as winning a competition or an orchestral position hardly reflect the diverse and rapidly changing market of classical music audiences.
Metcalf believes that part of the problem is in the delivery of the performers, who are not delivering in tandem with the ever-changing demands of the audience. In his view, classical musicians, classical music organizations, and orchestras need to make a more convincing case of live music to protect the future of classical music performances.
Presenters will say, ah, but there’s nothing like the experience of live music. Well, yes, but that’s only true if it’s true. What I mean is, the live experience can indeed be more exciting than recordings or streaming, but only if the performers make a point of actually delivering. That can mean talking to the audience, or tailoring the repertoire to the specific audience being played for, or using extra-musical devices such as images or movement, or mixing up genres on a single program, or performing in non-traditional venues, or any of a host of other things. It might even mean telling the audience they are welcome to clap between movements if they are so inclined. (Honestly, I thought we would have put that one to rest by now, but I was obviously mistaken.) Via WNPR
Zuckerman insists that classical music is not dying, indicating that there are musicians that have already realized what it takes to keep the art form relevant in today’s environment. Rather than reinventing the wheel, these classical musicians are finding new ways of spinning it.
The point is, achieving specialization for the purpose of obtaining an orchestral job should not be the only thing valued in conservatories.
If the same values from yesteryear are consistently rewarded in conservatory settings, and if all musicians coming from that system only value those things, then classical music will indeed die from the putrefaction of immovable stasis.
However, thanks to those who keep music going, who keep music changing, that hasn’t happened. Classical music, to me and thousands of others, seems like it will have a wonderfully bright future… Via Music Central School
Virtuoso pianist Lang Lang wants kids to be excited about classical music: https://t.co/TC6t6WW98b pic.twitter.com/kA8yE8WGXr
— Fast Company (@FastCompany) January 26, 2016
Every conceivable classical music situation, perfectly captured by Simpsons gifs: https://t.co/G2NXUKdWFy
— Classic FM (@ClassicFM) January 26, 2016
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Granted, the albums that sold best weren’t “core classical” records – i.e. the nine millionth rerecording of a Bach concerto or a Mozart sonata — but “crossover classical” works, the kind made artists like “popera star” Andrea Bocelli and YouTube phenomenon/violinist Lindsey Stirling. Via NY Daily News
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Well, that’s not strictly speaking true. While the field is dominated by big names from the distant past, serious music is evolving now, as it did before, and as it did as the 20th century developed. There’s Benjamin Britten and Leonard Bernstein. Edward Elgar wrote three symphonies and his famous cello concerto after 1900. Via Independent.IE
