Natural sound intro: Classical music
That was an excerpt from “Sylvia, Act 3: No. 16a Pizzicati” by Leo Delibes. Most listeners have likely heard this piece before, but have not heard the exact name and composer, which is not surprising as there are around 1 million classical pieces worldwide.
Although a classical piece may not be one of the first songs that pop up in your spotify playlist, some people find classical music to be as enjoyable as pop songs.
Eva Neves: “I didn’t really get that much into classical music until this year.”
Eva Neves, a ninth grader, has been playing violin since she was 5 years old and has previously dabbled in piano, saxophone and guitar. For her, music has always been an integral part of her daily life.
Eva: “Because I’ve also started playing, like actually practicing my instrument a lot more this year and with playing those pieces came a better appreciation for classical music”
Natural sound: Classical music
According to an article titled “Classical music is dead” by The Vault Publication, “. . . when someone has the audacity to say they enjoy classical music, it follows that they must be rich, pretentious, and an utter bore, if they like that elevator stuff.”
Eva: “I think that classical music is cool and enjoyable and people have these preconceived notions that only rich, boring people listen to it because they think the only way to enjoy it is by sitting through 2 hour concerts. Because of this stereotype, that it’s boring or elevator music, many people don’t even bother to try enjoying classical music.”
Similar to Eva’s answer, Abigail Kern, a ninth grader from another school, says that despite not having seriously played a classical instrument her whole life, she maintains a respect and enjoyment for it.
Abigail: “It’s less of who’s rich and more higher up in terms of social level but I think it’s just more of who knows more about music and who can appreciate more the different things that go into making music.”
Compared to the more immersive experiences of music nowadays, classical music has become less appealing to modern audiences because many consider it to be a fixed form of art. What they do not realize though, is the passion that those pieces are played with and the tranquility that can come from listening to them.
Abigail: “A lot of classical music is enjoyed by musicians who know how all the instruments work, like before I started playing cello, I don’t think I would have as much of an instrument in classical music as i do because i feel like I’d be able to pick out all the different sounds and notice how they flow together a lot differently than how I do now.”
Aside from being perceived as dull, many people are not exposed to classical music at a young age in the same way that they are to pop music. This negligence of at least sharing a part of our culture to younger generations is what is causing the decline of appreciation for classical music.
Natural sound: Classical music
People do not suddenly need to start going to classical music concerts and listening to it on a daily basis, but they should at least appreciate it for its complex beauty rather than insult it for being different from what is considered mainstream”.
Eva: “I think people are becoming more appreciative of classical music; our school we have everyone learn an instrument too which really helps introduce people to new kinds of music.”
Natural sound: Classical music
Reporting for the Midway, I’m Lucia Dumitrescu.
