Can Classical music survive an industrialized, technology-based society? We recently switched over to digital cable in my household, and as I was perusing the new stations that are offered with the service I came across the station called Ovation [1]. I couldn’t help but stop on that channel since they were playing Mozart’s opera Cosi Fan Tute. Over the past few days I have tuned into the Ovation network to watch programs such as Brassed Off, “Blue Note: A Story of Modern Jazz”, and Simon Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. Ovation features programming dedicated to Performance (Dance, Theatre, Opera), Art, Music, Film, and the People who are part of those four sub areas of the “Fine Arts”. The station’s catch phrase is “Make Life Creative” and in my opinion they’re doing a fantastic job of providing educational and entertaining programming that does just that. If you have some spare time check out their website, or if you get the channel take the time to watch a program or two. If you’re anything like me you’ll get hooked. This blog isn’t meant to be an advertisement for the Ovation network, but since something I watched on that channel that inspired some progressive thinking, I thought I would plug it anyway. I watched the above mentioned program “Simon Rattle Conducts the Berlin Philharmonic” yesterday. I am constantly amazed by the caliber of musicians around the world. Their passion and dedication to their craft just floors me. The performance was incredible, but the audience inspired this post. As the camera panned around the room I noticed that the concert was sold out. And it got me thinking about Classical music. Critics say that Classical music is boring, old-fashioned, and on the way out. But is Classical music really dying? Sold out concerts for the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and many other professional organizations show that Classical music is still relevant. In an age when music is available at the touch of a finger, people are reluctant to make the trip to see live performances unless they really enjoy the works and performers. Why is Classical music still “popular”? Can it survive the technological age, or is it going to fizzle out in the coming years? Classical music is still relevant, still popular, still appealing to the masses because of two main reasons. First, because its subject matter is often left up to the listener. Classical music can affect the listener in different ways. Its open for interpretation, one audience member may cry at a performance while another leaves in high spirits. The composer may have had a certain idea, memory, or story in mind while writing the music, but every listener will experience the performance differently. And a lot of Classical works have “generic” titles, like Sonata No.1 or Symphony No.8, so an audience member is free to hear what they want in the music. Classical music transcends the ages is because its smart music. Popular music of today dumbs people down. It tells you exactly what the message is. Don’t get me wrong here, I enjoy listening to popular music as much as the next guy, but let’s face it, Christina Aguilera’s “Dirrty” doesn’t leave much to the imagination. You don’t have to think when you listen to popular music. The message is (more often than not) spelled out for the listener. Classical music on the other hand requires some thought, some analysis from the listener. It makes you responsible for interpreting the sounds, and in some ways, the thoughts of another human being. The second reason that Classical music continues to be played and listened to today is because it is the basis for all music. Everything we hear today comes from Classical music somewhere down the line. That’s why its so important for music to be part of our education [2], because it’s the foundation for all other music. it’s a tradition and a legacy that should be passed down. So can it survive? Absolutely. Classical music will continue to persevere in the future. Listeners want to be challenged by music, and Classical music is one of the few remaining genres to do that. Audiences recognize the importance of Classical music, that it can represent both the past and the future. A Classical work can make a listener feel differently every time that they hear it, because it was someone else’s way of communicating without speaking. Audience members want a chance to make their own decisions, to feel inspired by music. A live Classical music concert is unlike any other. It can make your heart swell or ache because both the musicians and the composer were willing to show their souls to create it. Long live Classical Music! More ramblings about Music [3]