Why isn't classical music more popular?

[Cutter John]

I guess I'm only a semi philistine, as I love a good classical film soundtrack.(give me a John Williams or Jerry Goldsmith score any day) To me the majority of classical music is rather droning, with no obvious melody or beat.
Though I will admit I do enjoy more dramatic pieces (Wagner, or the 1812 Overture for example).
The lack of proper titles doesn't help much either. Its a bit hard to remember for example 'Bethovens symphony #17 in E Flat' should you happen to hear it on the radio and want to find a copy later.

Oh and don't get me started on chamber music. That stuff makes me want to open a vein with my teeth out of sheer boredom.

 

[MyCylon]

I'll add another aspect that may be a problem today: Very few pieces of classical music are suited to be translated into ring tones for mobile phones. From what I can tell, that's become a huge market, and it's clearly dominated by the mainstream type of music you'd expect.

I'd also add this: There are no music videos (for the most part) for classical music. There's also no individual artists or bands that people can very directly relate to, the exception being e.g. opera singers or soloists who will probably considered rather dulled by most compared to eccentric pop stars and the likes. Orchestras as a whole, is it were, are probably to faceless to really identify with them.

Personally, there's a lot of classical music I really adore. There's a few pieces by Tschaikowsky I love listening to for their "oomph!" (e.g. "1812 - Overture Solenelle), Holst's "Planets" is fantastic IMHO and there's a lot of great material between the Strausses, Grieg, Smetana, and many others.
However, I'll also say that I've found a whole lot of classical music to be incredibly boring. It's interesting because it's a similar experience for me to listening to a standard radio station: After a while, it all starts sounding the same. And that's exactly how I feel about a lot of classical music. That's probably no surprise, I guess, since much of that music was contract work, and you can be sure the people at the time who commissioned the music had their own 'mainstream' expectations concerning what music should be or how it should sound resulting in similar, run-of-the-mill pieces of music.

Beyond the realm of 'classic' classical music, I'm a big fan of film music. My favorite to this day is John Williams but there are many other great composers out there. For example, I think Bear McCreary, Philip Glass (whose concert works I think are also fascinating) or James Newton Howard have composed some great music.
What's interesting where film music is concerned is that most people don't actually notice it during the movie (referring to the topic of the thread, this might explain why film music isn't that popular). I keep seeing this when I watch movies with my girlfriend or good friends. I'll be like: "Did you hear that amazing music during that final sequence?" And they're like: "Uhm, no." I find I really listen out for the music in movies whereas most people just take it in as part of the background (unless it's extremely noticeable).

 

[Bloodwhiner]

I prefer Classical and itis pretty much the only music I listen too.

Classical is a title and really should be broken down into individual types. Each developed at it's own time of appreciation and was the Pop Music of its day. As a new style emerged it was greeted with scorn by the establishment and usually embraced by the younger generation. This is how music evolves and is true still today.

your local classical radio station is really a greatest hits station stretching over a broad spectrum of music and generations. It will play everything from Bach (early 18th century)to Paganini (ear;y 19th century) to Copland (mid 20th century) all in one series. This would be like a pop station playing Buddy Holly, Kool and the Gang and Linken Park while claiming they are all related. they are but only in the broadest sense of definition.

For those who claim it is all stodgy or dull - I challenge you to listen to Grieg's "in the Hall of the Mountain King" or Rachmaninov's 3rd symphony. Go for a walk through the woods while litening to Copland's "Appalachian Spring,"

Not everyone will like every style, but there styles for everyone. You just haven't discovered it yet.

 

[ITL]

Go for a walk through the woods while litening to Copland's "Appalachian Spring,"

I can't listen to the "Simple Gifts" melody from Appalachian Spring without my brain supplying the "Lord Of The Dance" lyrics that were grafted onto it that we had to sing in school when we were kids...

 

[Australis]

While my taste in rock and pop and jazz and blues is quite varied, with classical I'm basically a 'Greatest Hits' kinda guy. Mozart, Beethoven, all that jazz. Or classical. I've found a few things I really enjoy, like a Prelude by Kiril, but in the main I like it in the background. My alarm clock starts on the classical station in the mornings.

But opera? Forget it. Two people shouting in melody at one another doesn't do it for me. There used to be a show on Aussie radio called 'Singers of Renown' and I tried and tried to 'get' it, but never could. The presenter obviously knew and loved his subject, but it never reached me.

 

[Goliath]

These are all very intereresting replies--if somewhat depressing, and sometimes downright baffling.

For example: I love chamber music. The string quartet is my favourite form, and the oldest, most treasured disc in my collection is The Devil's Sonata--music for solo violin, composed by Giuseppe Tartini and performed by Andrew Manze. So I simply can't understand how someone could say that chamber music makes them want to open a vein.

Ditto for the person who said it all starts to sound the same after a while. That is so far from my own experience that I just can't wrap my head around it. That may be true of individual composers--Vivaldi, for example, has been described as a human xerox machine. But of the genre as a whole? I just can't see it.

 

[Goliath]

And, thankfully, it's not all European. No one in the West would have even heard of Uematsu, an untrained composer no less, if it wasn't for Final Fantasy.

Naxos American Classics.

Marco Polo Chinese Music and Artists.

Naxos Japanese Classics.

And the last concert I attended consisted of music by Canadian composers, and Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu. In Sudbury, no less.

But hey--don't mind us ignorant, Eurocentric classical fans.

 

[firehawk12]

I point mainly to the TSO and my own music education in high school. If there's an emphasis on new composers creating new symphonies/work, it's not hitting the right places. So, I turn to Hans Zimmer and John Powell and Uematsu and Mitsuda for my contemporary orchestral listening pleasure.

 

[Cutter John]

Well not all of us are a complete loss. I can't tell hip-hop 'artists' apart either.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

I think that part of it is that many people are not familiar with classical music...or at least not past the basics. They know who composers like Mozart, Beethoven and Bach are...and they can identify 'the greatest hits' of those sorts of composers...but past that? Unless a composition ends up in a movie score, I don't think many people these days really take the time to get into it and actually explore it enough to know which composers and periods might appeal most to them.

I think part of the fault for that, actually, is the school system. Music education is one of those things that fell by the budgeting wayside 20 years ago...and what was warned about back then has now come to pass - we have a couple of entire generations who are really, really unfamiliar with classical music past the basics. And who really, can completely educate themselves on such a huge body of work? I mean, where to start? People complain because it is difficult to catch up on 700 episodes of Star Trek! Yeah...well, try and educate yourself about classical music from scratch and find the particular niches that appeal to you! Good luck with that!

Part of the problem also, IMO, is that all the other media has simply crowded it out. I myself got into classical music through my grandmother, who used to listen to the Metropolitan Opera every single Saturday afternoon on the radio. She did not miss a week. I have very vivid memories of sitting with her and listening...and her 'educating me' about opera. She herself came from a strong musical background and married into one as well - my grandfather was a member of a Big Band and I have two uncles and a cousin who are professional classical musicians. Further, my mother took all of us kids to classical music performances whenever possible. So music in my family was very important.

But these days? Who has a grandmother like that, who sits with her grandchildren around a radio on Saturday afternoon, educating them about opera? Whose grandmother even has time for such a pursuit these days? Shoot, when my nephew expressed interest in classical music, I went out and did two things - a) bought him an iPod and loaded it up with classical music from my own collection and b) got us season tickets to the symphony. We've now been going to the symphony for 2 years and have I have recently renewed for a 3rd season. But he tells me he is the ONLY kid in his school (which is an advanced placement high school with a very strong music program) who goes to the Atlanta Symphony regularly. And we are one of the fortunate few who live in a city where a decent symphony is available!

And the thing is, kids can't come to like what they never hear.

Finally, I think classical music requires more of an attention span than does rock, pop, country, etc. It takes an attention span to listen enough to find the composers and periods you like...it takes an attention span to read about the composers and the compositions so as to fully appreciate what one is listening to...and it takes an attention span to listen to entire compositions and digest the musical themes presented.

And attention spans, quite frankly, are not what they used to be.

It is much easier to listen to music that is easy to listen to - rock, pop, and country. Catchy tunes, predictable licks. I am reminded here, actually of a line out of the movie Amadeus (which I have seen countless times, despite the historical inaccuracies). When one of Mozart's operas fails, Salieri says to Mozart "You don't even give them a big 'bang' at the end, to let them know when to clap!" Mozart is appalled by this comment...but it's true of today's audience as well. Mozart may very well be one of the most incredible men to ever live. But not everyone is capable of recognizing that. And of those that are, not everyone is interested enough to recognize that....because to do so takes more effort than they are willing to expend.

I was one of the fortunate ones to have been brought up in an environment where classical music was important. I love rock (preferably alternative rock with heavy bass so I can crank it up in my car!)...but I was raised by people who loved classical music (and really, the arts in general), and so I had an advantage.

I'm glad for the education and appreciation I received...and I am trying to pass that down to my own family's next generation...but I think it would have been very much more difficult if I'd not had the influences I did while growing up.

 

[Goliath]

I point mainly to the TSO and my own music education in high school. If there's an emphasis on new composers creating new symphonies/work, it's not hitting the right places. So, I turn to Hans Zimmer and John Powell and Uematsu and Mitsuda for my contemporary orchestral listening pleasure.

It is true that many symphony orchestras like the TSO and opera companies like the Met have tended to shy away from anything too new or avant-garde. The Romantic and Post-Romantic periods are their bread and butter.

But that's been changing over the past twenty years. On the one hand, I think people are finally getting tired of hearing the same symphonies over and over. On the other hand, now that the "shock of the new" has worn off, people are starting to realize that there really was quite a lot of good music composed in the 20th century.

As a consequence, recording companies have been coming out with more and more contemporary stuff. In addition to starting lines like Deutsche Grammophon's 20/21 line and the 21st Century Classics series from Naxos, they've simply been adding more and more contemporary composers to their ordinary releases.

The HMV on Yonge Street, in Toronto, has a whole section in its Classical department devoted exclusively to 20th and 21st century composers. Just yesterday, I was able to order the complete works of a 20th-century Hungarian composer, Gyoergy Ligeti, from Arkivmusic.com.

So, the music is out there, if you're interested.

 

[Goliath]

Well not all of us are a complete loss. I can't tell hip-hop 'artists' apart either.

I know a few hip-hop artists--mostly gangsta rappers from the early 90s. I listened to Radio Los Santos a lot when I played GTA; San Andreas.

 

[Deckerd]

The main reasons:

1) The volume varies too much to be comfortably listened to in a car.
2) Each "track" lasts too long to fit in enough commercials on radio
3) The hooks are too far apart.
4) A fair amount of it requires active rather than passive listening to be enjoyed.

It may sound like I'm being flippant, but I'm not joking at all. Those are the basic commercial reasons why it isn't more popular.

I think this is spot on, especially point 4. Basically it requires too much effort on the part of the listener to ever be more than a niche market.

 

[Ceridwen]

BTW, on the subject of classical music not having frequent enough hooks to be populist, I realised there is one exception, which is why (in combination with its relatively short duration) it gets replayed on classical radio stations so much. In fact it's such a good hook, it was abused in Blues Traveler's song Hook which rather makes fun of it for being so catchy.

I'm sure you've seen Rob Paravonian's rant on the subject, but if not, I think you'll enjoy it. ;-)

 

[Lordjim]

Here are a few thoughts as to the view of classical music in society.
1. Our society has a very brief attention span. One can click through hundreds of channels in the span of minutes. We can purchase things in an instant over the internet, go through a drive thru for a meal, call all across the world from our car. Classical music takes time to appreciate, often multiple repeat listenings. The structure of classical music is quite complex.
It can be very difficult to maintain focus while listening. One needs to listen for changes in Texture, Rhythm, and Harmony. This music is not to be listened to the same way that we listen to pop music.
2. Think of music as food. Sometimes one wants a quick meal......fast food.
There is nothing wrong with this. However, there are times that you might want to sit down and enjoy a really great meal.
3. Classical music is the "popular" music of the past. Through the music one can get a glimpse of the world that was.

Sorry to go on......

One final thought. There is nothing wrong with Pop music, rather it is just different. Some excellent compositions to get into classical music are
Beethoven Symphony 7...Movement 2
Rimsky/Korsakov...Scherazade
Mussorgsky...Pictures at an Exhibition
Berlioz...Symphony Fantastique

I hope this is helpful

 

[PKTrekGirl]

I prefer Classical and itis pretty much the only music I listen too.

Classical is a title and really should be broken down into individual types. Each developed at it's own time of appreciation and was the Pop Music of its day. As a new style emerged it was greeted with scorn by the establishment and usually embraced by the younger generation. This is how music evolves and is true still today.

your local classical radio station is really a greatest hits station stretching over a broad spectrum of music and generations. It will play everything from Bach (early 18th century)to Paganini (ear;y 19th century) to Copland (mid 20th century) all in one series. This would be like a pop station playing Buddy Holly, Kool and the Gang and Linken Park while claiming they are all related. they are but only in the broadest sense of definition.

For those who claim it is all stodgy or dull - I challenge you to listen to Grieg's "in the Hall of the Mountain King" or Rachmaninov's 3rd symphony. Go for a walk through the woods while litening to Copland's "Appalachian Spring,"

Not everyone will like every style, but there styles for everyone. You just haven't discovered it yet.

Some excellent points here. Some things I discussed in my post, but you said them much better - especially the part about the classical music stations presenting all periods and composers under the banner of 'classical music' and not understanding why listeners don't like everything from Buddy Holly to Linken Park!

That is a perfect analogy.

I'd venture a guess that those of us who are big classical music fans probably have favorite composers and periods that just 'click' with us. I myself enjoy the logic and precision of Mozart (I love to work to Mozart - there is no better music on earth to do accounting to, IMO! Even my favorite opera - Don Giovanni, has a certain logic to it's most passionate parts!)...but I offset that with the passion and fluidity of Rachmaninov (which I listen to for the emotional experience - I find it impossible to get through Piano Concerto #2, for example, without having my breath catch in my throat and a shiver go down my spine several times, no matter how many times I hear it). But I'm not the biggest fan on the block, for example, of Vivaldi...which doesn't seem to 'connect' with any of the needs that drive me to listen to classical music.

I can't really explain it...but I think it is absolutely essential to find a composition, composer, period, or whatever that 'connects' with something down deep in order to really get the whole appeal of classical music. And finding that on one's own is like finding a needle in a haystack. You either need help...or a whole lot of patience.

 

[Goliath]

I'm sure you've seen Rob Paravonian's rant on the subject, but if not, I think you'll enjoy it. ;-)

Punk music is a joke
It's really just Baroque...

The point about being the original one-hit wonder is interesting, though. I can think of a number of other classical one-hit wonders:

--Barber's Adagio for Strings
--Giazotto's Adagio in G Minor
--Boccherini's Minuet from the String Quintet in E
--Delibes' "Flower Duet"
--Clarke's Trumpet Voluntary
--Orff's "Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi"
--Dukas's Sorcerer's Apprentice

Gustav Holst's The Planets might make him a one-album wonder.

 

[Lordjim]

I guess I'm only a semi philistine, as I love a good classical film soundtrack.(give me a John Williams or Jerry Goldsmith score any day) To me the majority of classical music is rather droning, with no obvious melody or beat.
Though I will admit I do enjoy more dramatic pieces (Wagner, or the 1812 Overture for example).
The lack of proper titles doesn't help much either. Its a bit hard to remember for example 'Bethovens symphony #17 in E Flat' should you happen to hear it on the radio and want to find a copy later.

Oh and don't get me started on chamber music. That stuff makes me want to open a vein with my teeth out of sheer boredom.

Beethoven wrote only 9 Symphonies. It has a "beat" too!!!!!
FYI, much of John Williams film music is "lifted" from Romantic era music.
Strauss, DEATH AND TRANFIGURATION, was the inspiration for the love theme of Superman. DEATH AND TRANFIGURATION, wow a "proper" title.

 

[Goliath]

I'd venture a guess that those of us who are big classical music fans probably have favorite composers and periods that just 'click' with us.

That's certainly true in my case. Most nineteenth-century music leaves me cold, but I like the 20th century. I like Schubert, but have no use for Beethoven. I like Mozart, but I like Haydn better, and I prefer Boccherini to both. I love Handel, and the French Baroque, and some of the Italians, but the German Baroque does nothing for me. Bach? Meh.

I'm sure this has always been a problem for classical-music retail sales. A classical-music store must need a very wide inventory, while a popular-music store probably makes the majority of its money off the latest hits.

 

[TheArsenal]

Some good points are touched on here. I would say the reason classical is not listened to more is that pop music sucks up all the oxygen in the room. Popular music by its very design is created to meld the elements of the day into the music of the day. And has been doing so since classical was the music of the day. It is changing, self refreshing, and of the moment always. Nothing can compete with that. Classical music, while not static, is more traditional and does not evolve in this insta-change way.

Additionally the force of personality of pop stars and the media which loves them, moves pop music, and keeps it on the forefront, in a way that a society without star composers, star classical musicans or star conductors can not with classical. We can all probably come up with a name of a classical music ensemble, such as the classical girl group bond which tried to use pop elements and looks to mimic the pop star formula, but one is forced to wonder if they will be as short-lived as others who have attempted the same.