While some view classical music as a boring genre, it’s only from lack of experience and understanding about the true power and magic of this unique genre. Why have these classics- often centuries old- become such a cornerstone of music? What keeps them fresh and evergreen? And why is it such a beloved genre? Let’s take a look!
What is Classical Music?
We picture classical music as the orchestral and chamber music that emerged in Europe between 1750 and 1830. However, there’s still types of classical music being made today. In the wider definition, a piece simply has to have been made to classic standards, and not following the standards for other genres like pop or jazz, to be a classical music piece. There’s even royalty-free classical music you can use to create modern content!
What truly makes classical music shine is its use of acoustic instruments alone. While there are genres like Symphonic Metal, which uses the classical pieces of an orchestra in the Metal genre, alongside electronic instruments, they aren’t true classical music.
What Keeps Classical Music Fresh?
Ironically, we now live in an era where it’s cheaper to attend a classical music concert, or even the opera and ballet that both use it, than it is to buy a ticket to a sports match. So it’s easily accessible, and a great way to pass some time.
However, it’s also kept fresh and novel by the musicians pouring their heart and soul into playing it. New classical musicians like Lindsey Sterling, The Piano Guy, and Valentina Lisitsa have thousands of fans and millions of YouTube views, and they bring fresh interpretations of classical pieces to the table that we can all enjoy. We also regularly see exciting remakes of popular songs in a classical format to bring fresh new interpretations to the table.
But as with any art, the core reason is that it still resonates with many people. While it does have an unfortunate reputation as ‘dry’ and ‘cerebral’ to overcome in the popular consciousness, nothing could be further from the truth. As we see innovative concerts and young artists tackle the classical music genre, we also get to experience its pounding rhythms and heartstring-pulling chords in a brand new and evergreen way.
It’s Hidden Everywhere
You may be sitting behind the screen thinking that you’ve never heard classical music- so how can it be relevant to you? Just because you’ve never clicked on a classical music clip on a streaming platform or attended a live performance doesn’t mean it isn’t all around you, however!
Huge swathes of modern film scores draw on classical music to create a compelling and stirring score that doesn’t drown out or overpower the on-screen action. We regularly see baroque pieces, particularly, reinvented for new audiences- currently it is a big fad in the dreadlocked electro community, for example! And now there’s an exciting trend to offer classical music concerts that tackle familiar hits from video games. It even rears its head (or chords, rather) in many modern pop hits.
There’s almost nothing that acoustic music can’t do- sometimes better than any other instrument. And it is this versatility, ease of access, and passion for the instruments that keep classical music relevant generation after generation- still the ground breaking, awe-inspiring, cutting-edge, and slightly scandalous mainstay of the music world it was when these pieces were brand new.
