Music Banter - View Single Post - Is classical music still relevant today?
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Old 03-13-2014, 02:44 PM   #121 (permalink)
SATCHMO
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Quote:
Originally Posted by djchameleon View Post
I think people are forgetting that this is the question in the OP.

Is it relevant overall sure because of how it is used in other media outlets and it being the foundation of what is being produced today but the OP isn't asking about overall relevance.

It is asking about relevance as it pertains to today's music and the popularity of today's music.
There are two problems with the OP's original question(s)

First, it's necessary to recognize that by asking, Is classical music still relevant today?, followed by, Does classical music still have a place amongst today's audience, or has it been relegated to more specific listeners (i.e. music students, people learning instruments, elderly people)?, you're essentially asking two entirely different questions, because the popularity of classical music has little to nothing to do with it's relevance. You have a non sequitur on your hands; It's akin to asking, Did you pack your lunch today, or did you walk to school?

Secondly, we don't have an accurate definition of what classical music is as it pertains the question. Is classical music music that has been composed through standard musical notation? Well, we know that almost all genres and styles have used that method. Is it music that has been composed for orchestral ensembles? We know that a lot of classical music was composed for smaller ensembles and solo instruments. Are we talking about a particular type of instrumentation? We know that classical music has been written for just about every instrument that has ever existed, including electric guitars and synthesizers. Are we talking about a particular time period? We know that classical music has continued to be composed from about 1000 AD until today, even though, ironically, we use the term classical as a catch all term, when it more specifically denotes an era of music between 1730 and 1820.

For all intents and purposes, all contemporary music is classical music. most of it just happens to use a more rigid, restrictive set of compositional criteria. So, classical music is almost comprehensively relevant. End thread.
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