Classical Music?

[trackripper]

So I've been thinking recently. Classical music is dying, barely anyone listens to it nowadays and I honestly don't see why. Do people see it as old-fashioned or what? I personally love classical music, being a semi-professional pianist, you are required to know things, but I do just listen to it sometimes because, well, it's nice. :)
I'm curious to know how many people here listen to classical music, or is it really dying in this day and age?

[UB3R~JKP]

Most people today will listen to all the copy-paste music that plagues the world. Rihanna, Eminem etc etc. :l

I quite like some classical music myself.

[trackripper]

I have to admit, I listen to some rock and metal nowadays too, and although they're catchy and what have you, but when I go back and compare them to classical music, in terms of complexity and depth, they're absolutely no match at all for the classical stuff.

Maybe it's this complexity that is making it die? Maybe people just can't be bothered nowadays to unpick the meaning in some pieces and it's just easier to listen to copypasta music?

[UB3R~JKP]

oh of course, it's perfectly okay to listen to music you like! :D Obviously, but it's people who actually think this music is original that just make me :lol . I mean, I love Pendulum but they are true masters of copypasta music!

[MegaGeeza22]

I do think classical music is mainly for older folk to relax, if you've been to a nursing home thats all they ever play lol...
I believe this genre will be lost in 50 years or so because we now have upto date stuff that is relaxing and chilled out that the younger generation prefer.
Times change and the youth of today wont be listening to classical music as it is today, music changes along with our technology.

[trackripper]

It will be a shame to lose classical music, for as depth of meaning and beautiful melodies go, I can't think of another genre that tops it.
I think a lot also lies on personal upbringing, I mean, I'm only in my late teens and personally I find rap/hip hop rather boring, and electro/dubstep etc etc only has my attention for a certain amount of time before it gets repetitive, whereas I find in classical music I'm never bored :P Lost because I don't understand the music sometimes, yes, but never bored.

[MegaGeeza22]

lol, rap/hip hop are absolutely diabolical in my opinion lol, i prefer trance and 80s music myself.
The only genre i believe that will last forever are Church Hymns, Nursery rhymes... and rhyming songs which has been hijacked by rap in this day and age.
I dont think classical music will die it will just always be relevant to the elderly people of that time. I dont have anything against classical music of today and if you enjoy it thats a good thing!

[Tomahawk]

I believe this genre will be lost in 50 years or so because we now have upto date stuff that is relaxing and chilled out that the younger generation prefer.
Times change and the youth of today wont be listening to classical music as it is today, music changes along with our technology.

As a teenager I used to think so too, but not today. having left my teens far behind I can say that for me it's only been my personal music preferences that have changed over the years. If you get older you normally get more calmer, you talk and discuss things more out of experience than out of ego-inspired hot-headed matters and sometimes you start to like music which you didn't give an itchy wrinkle about before. I used to listen to a lot of hardcore and heavy metal during my youth. I still do listen to that kind of music every once in a while today, but I even more listen to some slower and let's call it more harmonical music nowadays. For example artists like Mark Knopfler, Brian Setzer, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd or Kansas have more or less completely replaced bands like Biohazard, Amorphis, Manowar or Blind Guardian, which I used to listen to quiet obsessively when I was in my teens. Thus I do not share your opinion that the classical music genre will be lost within the next 50 years. That kind of music is timeless imo.

As for classical music, I don't listen to real classical music like Mozart, Bach, Wagner or similar stuff. I do like a little more modern type of music played by big orchestras though. Like Ennio Morricone, Kitaro, ... heck I even bought the music from Lord of the Dance because it really got into my ears when I was watching the show.

[MegaGeeza22]

I just meant that the classical music you hear today will be different than the classical music in 50 years time, it wont die it will just be more relevant to the people and the times.
Just like 1960s, 70s and 80s music will be replaced by 60s, 70s and 80s music in 2060. (Iv always wanted to live in the 60s lol..)

As for classical music, I don't listen to real classical music like Mozart, Bach, Wagner or similar stuff. I do like a little more modern type of music played by big orchestras though. Like Ennio Morricone, Kitaro, ... heck I even bought the music from Lord of the Dance because it really got into my ears when I was watching the show.
This is exactly my point.
Mozart and beethoven will never die... they are pioneers lol

[blackwiggle]

I think there are a few reasons that Classical music is not listened to as much as it could be by a lot of people today.
Mainly because most people are listening to music as a low resolution download, via portable devices, or via a PC source [it can sound stunning....but], plus they are not subjected to to it on even a basic level by there neighbours or peers, so if you don't hear it, how are you going to know anything about it.

Here are a few examples.

1]Internet radio......if you have Win 7 and a a add on radio station player on your browser have a look at what your options are....Classical probably doesn't even appear.

2] Digital transfer and track selection/sorting of Classical music.....ever tried to find album cover art for classical music, or track selection [tracks are usually transferred from CD's, which in turn can have one "Movement" divided into two or more parts on multiple CD's because of length, with different Meta Data for each disc....the Meta data for classical is well known to be hopeless because of this.
Make it a pain to use and people won't use it.

3] Classical over a iPod on MP3 at low bit rates sound horrid-period.
So does all music IMHO, but trying to differentiate between acoustic instruments played back like this is just pointless, even worse if your only playback in relatively cheap headphones, or slightly better iPOD dock with cheap speakers.

4] People under 40 just don't tend to know what a HiFi sounds like, let alone own any decent equipment.
Only Leungbok owns some Spendor BC1's, I've got Harbeth SLH 5's and Yelder has some active Meridians, the rest of the forum has pretty low tech Doof Doof gear sound wise as far as I can tell from what has been posted over the years, not gear that would be able to play back classical music so timbre and tone could be differentiated, let alone any sort of the recordings sound-stage or ambience/ natural room reverb.
This is the Classical music buying range now days, but then again, find the stores that stock Classical CD's.
Have a look at Amazon for Classical CD's...Ridiculous prices.
You have to find the source that owns the recordings, and they burn a CD for you to order and post it out.

5] Digital downloads of Classical music is Waayyyyy Behind all other types.
This is gradually being amended, but you need to know a friend of a friend who knows somebody who knows a block who knows a site that is up every second Tuesday to be able to actually download anything, and expect the choice to be severely limited.

[trackripper]

I think your point about most young people not knowing about HiFi is a valid one, I'm very lucky as we have a pair of Revel Ultima's so I can appreciate the full sound quality and timbre of different instruments, this sound just can't be reproduced on your iPod.

As for reviving classical music goes, the pianist Lang Lang is the only one bringing the music to the masses as far as I can see, he played at the iTunes Festival a couple days ago, which is a step forward in my mind since classical music on such a high profile festival before was almost unheard of. Maybe there is hope for classical music yet :P

[tug_14]

Well, if u ask to young people if they know who was Wagner . Most of them will tell u «*«* no i dont know , i don't like Classical music*»
But if u ask them if they like the music in the movie «*apocalyspe now*» may be u will have another answer …
Most of them are discovering «*classical* music*» by watching movie* or advertisisng

I don't think , they don't like , only they don't know they like it to

Classical music have so many «* style*» like electro music
I don't like transe or euro techno but i love jungle , drumandbass or trip hop

im sure many people don't listen classical music but liked the music in the movie" IN the mood for love"

[Medusa]

I love classical music. If I think about it long enough, I postulate that I like it because of its complexity and the way the composers deliberately manipulate the listeners' moods and responses.

Even though these are some of the most "cliche" pieces, they are still among my favourites.
Beethoven - Symphony No.9 Choral, (also the Moonlight Sonata but it's not quite so powerful)
Wagner - Ride of the Valkyries!!! "Oyet-ho!!!!"
Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique

Amen to the digital copies of classical music sounding like CRAP. I pick up classical music on vinyl. It's just choice sound, and usually are recordings by incredible musicians. I don't have a quality hifi system, but the vinyl still sounds about twice as good as the crumby downloads you may be able to find (at volumes that seem to have been randomly selected by hamsters in bingo wheels).

All those who don't enjoy classical music because it's "old" and not written in this era...it's their loss. Do we stop admiring Da Vinci's talent because the art is old? No.

[trackripper]

+100 :P

Cliche pieces are cliched for a reason: because they're good :P
The Symphonie Fantastique is also a personal favourite of mine, as well as powerful orchestral works like Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony, Shostakovich's 5th and Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring (absolutely manic that one. Brilliant :P ). Beethoven's 6th, the Pastoral, has possibly the most gorgeous tune ever ^_^ Being a pianist, I love the works of Liszt and Chopin too.

[Nutcase:259]

I dont think were in any danger of losing classical music, music will always be there. i mean all the way through history there's been varying kinds of popular music, like big bands in the 40's, jazz in the 50's, rock music later on and now electronic/indie stuff, but classical music has always been there. :D

i think the main reason it isnt more popular is because it isnt immediately available to most people, and i suppose its always been seen as a sort of 'high art' theres i think to a certain degree a bit of a stigma of snobbishness that "oh classical music is real music" and on the other side there's a fair amount of ignorance that "its long and boring and for old people"
Basically people just need to give it a chance, and with things like itunes and spotify and also films adopting massive classical esque scores its becoming more available steadily, just needs to be more in the public conciousness.


As for me there ones song that borrows a lot of classical elements and a bit of tang that i like by Astor Piazolla, that i remember hearing on a cassett tape aaaaaaggggeeesss ago. its called the libertango, suppose its a bit contentious as to whether its classical enough, but it certainly borrows elements.

[trackripper]

The Libertango is fabulous, I was lucky enough to see pianist Joanna MacGregor play an absoutely stunning arrangement for piano... must get arrangement to play...