Why classical music is superior to popular music, and always will be
Popular music is here today, gone tomorrow. Each new recording gets more and more stale as time goes by, where classical music can always remain fresh and new.
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Yes classical music is superior to popular music. Not in every way perhaps, but it has one advantage that popular music threw away years ago.
Let's start with Elvis Presley. Some say that there was no music before Elvis. Clearly there was, but clearly too he was important.
But the 'was' in that last sentence is very significant. Elvis, contrary to the belief of some, is dead. All we have of him is his recordings. And many impersonators.
The recordings are great. But the problem is that every time you play one of Elvis's records, it's always the same. However great a record may be, it gets increasingly tired and stale as time goes by.
Even if Elvis were alive today, he wouldn't be the same Elvis. Not the youthful innovator and shaker of pelvic bones. Nor the reinvented Elvis of the 1968 NBC TV special. Nor the 'fat and cuddly' Elvis who could still enthuse an audience, although some of his performances didn't exactly do the songs justice.
If Elvis were alive today he would still be singing his old hits. But it wouldn't be the same. The original records are the definitive performances, and they will never be equaled or surpassed by anyone.
So that is the problem - recording!
Somehow, popular music has focused on the record as being the definitive version of a song. Whoever is the first to get a hit record with a song defines how that song should sound for eternity. Anything else can only be an imitation.
Now let's compare that with classical music. In the heyday of classical music, there was no recording. So the only way to preserve music was to write it down.
And the written score has come to be regarded as the definitive version of any piece of classical music.
We can't go back in a time machine and hear a performance directed by Mozart. All we can do is perform the music as best we can from the score.
But that is surprisingly advantageous. Because there is no definitive recording of any piece of classical music (even modern works regard the score as the original, even if the composer has conducted a recording), it is open to anyone to give their own individual interpretation of that music.
And performance styles can change over the years. No matter how much historical evidence we can gather, we will never know for sure how music was performed prior to the era of recording.
So, because there is no definitive version of Mozart's 40th symphony, for example, we can go on performing it and re-interpreting it forever.
But popular music... well we'll always have to listen to those old recordings, because the recording is the definitive version and it can never be bettered.
Still, let's not dwell on negatives. I propose two solutions to this problem...
One, that we all go out and buy violins.
Or, maybe we shouldn't be so focused on recording. Maybe it's the song that is most important, and a recording should merely be seen as a version of that song. Anyone can come up with a new version, and no version is considered to be the definitive recorded performance.
Publication date Friday April 02, 2010
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Discussion on this article's topic...
Neal Visher, Calgary, Ab, Canada
@Don: sure, I write lots of songs, everything from acoustic folk to Rock to heavy to dance and industrial 3rdNippleMusic.com -> ReverbNation, and my new stuff is getting ALOT better.
As for the comment I posted, well I've recently joined a collab site called looperman.com and it's opened up alot of doors to people who play a guitar style/riff I would never play as well as I get to share snips & loops with others.
I also dig the remixing that's going on with places like nin.com and fixt.com.
Perhaps there'll be more 'rules' as to how close to the original it can be before it's basically considered a cover.. who knows.. just thought I'd throw it out there.
CreativeCommons is kinda cool too.
nv
As for the comment I posted, well I've recently joined a collab site called looperman.com and it's opened up alot of doors to people who play a guitar style/riff I would never play as well as I get to share snips & loops with others.
I also dig the remixing that's going on with places like nin.com and fixt.com.
Perhaps there'll be more 'rules' as to how close to the original it can be before it's basically considered a cover.. who knows.. just thought I'd throw it out there.
CreativeCommons is kinda cool too.
nv
Tuesday June 29, 2010
Mark Bignell, North Delta, Canada
As far as complicated musical arrangement, seriously challenging yourself as a composer and musical satisfaction go, Classical music is superior to the mainstream music being produced today. There are exceptions. These are acts that recieve little or no airplay on the regular, commmercial stations.
Acts like St. Vincent, Fleet Foxes, Gogol Bordello and Eugene McGuinness are fine examples of newer acts that write music that's more complex, dynamic, challenging, and in turn, more satisfying to listen to. But Classical and Jazz do tend to take a lot more chances musically than most current music does. Music that doesn't take any chances and follows the same predestined path gets painfully boring. It's sad to see how popular music has 'devolved' over the ages.
Acts like St. Vincent, Fleet Foxes, Gogol Bordello and Eugene McGuinness are fine examples of newer acts that write music that's more complex, dynamic, challenging, and in turn, more satisfying to listen to. But Classical and Jazz do tend to take a lot more chances musically than most current music does. Music that doesn't take any chances and follows the same predestined path gets painfully boring. It's sad to see how popular music has 'devolved' over the ages.
Friday May 21, 2010
Lindsay Cunningham, Australia
"yep, and copyright should be say.. 5 years, then anyone can mix, mash, restructure, create a new song.. from the 'original'. Neal Visher" We are still waiting for Rob Dougan's next album (or two albums as he tells us he is working on) and it's been ten years already. With that into consideration, if he has any of those song recorded early on they would already be well out of copyright by the time he (if he ever does) finally does release them as an album(s).
Friday May 14, 2010
Nick, Alta Loma, Ca, USA
as an avid listener to both classical and recent music, as well as jazz, world, and almost anything else i can lay my hands on, I can say that the "better or worse" argument here is not even academic, and is purely subjective.
With regard to whether classical reigns over pop in the competition of musical purity, of course classical music wins. Anyone who disagrees probably knows little to nothing about music beyond what can be heard on the radio. Classical music is an expression of musical ideals. Dozens of instruments in harmony and counterpoint, all those dozens of instrumentalists focused on one point, the conductor's perspective of how to exhibit the piece. Pop music, for lack of a better term, is almost entirely comprised of poems set to melody, with hundreds of "songs" sharing the same twenty or thirty simple harmonic progressions that sound pleasing to the layman.
Most people don't listen to classical music anymore until they've reached an age when they've matured beyond colloquial music. Some never reach that point because it's based on how much one has listened to, and how varied the listening experience has been over the course of time.
But classical wins. Seriously. Pop-- shut up and deal with your millions. Classical music is art music. Pop is pasteurized cheese food.
With regard to whether classical reigns over pop in the competition of musical purity, of course classical music wins. Anyone who disagrees probably knows little to nothing about music beyond what can be heard on the radio. Classical music is an expression of musical ideals. Dozens of instruments in harmony and counterpoint, all those dozens of instrumentalists focused on one point, the conductor's perspective of how to exhibit the piece. Pop music, for lack of a better term, is almost entirely comprised of poems set to melody, with hundreds of "songs" sharing the same twenty or thirty simple harmonic progressions that sound pleasing to the layman.
Most people don't listen to classical music anymore until they've reached an age when they've matured beyond colloquial music. Some never reach that point because it's based on how much one has listened to, and how varied the listening experience has been over the course of time.
But classical wins. Seriously. Pop-- shut up and deal with your millions. Classical music is art music. Pop is pasteurized cheese food.
Sunday April 18, 2010
Lou Gogan, Achill, Ireland
Another very important difference between classical music and modern pop is the creative processes involved.
Modern pop music is often created in the studio and quickly recorded and released. I can only guess that Beethoven took more than a few weeks to write his 9th symphony.
One can only presume that some of the musical phrases came to Beethoven over time and then he worked on those phrases and spent time constructing and moulding the music gradually which became the masterpiece it was, is, and will always be.
To a certain extent the actual time spent in creating music shows out in the long run. Modern music is transitory - it's not meant to last.
Modern pop music is often created in the studio and quickly recorded and released. I can only guess that Beethoven took more than a few weeks to write his 9th symphony.
One can only presume that some of the musical phrases came to Beethoven over time and then he worked on those phrases and spent time constructing and moulding the music gradually which became the masterpiece it was, is, and will always be.
To a certain extent the actual time spent in creating music shows out in the long run. Modern music is transitory - it's not meant to last.
Wednesday April 14, 2010
Al Vendi, San Diego California, USA
It is apparent that the writer of this article has not attended many Rock'n'Roll concerts. The "songs" do have a life apart from the recording. A concert is usually a LOT more exciting than listening to the record, whereas Beethoven will always be the same old Beethoven because the sheet music doesn't change.
Wednesday April 14, 2010
Jan De Groot, Arnhem, The Netherlands
Oh, and by the way, All Along The Watchtower by Hendrix is a (superb) cover too.
Wednesday April 14, 2010
Jan De Groot, Arnhem, The Netherlands
That the classical genre portrays the true act is a misapprehension when it comes to recordings. If you would for example record a philharmonic orchestra even with the simplest set up, let's say two mikes and a recorder the placing of the mikes influences the result. The reality is that like in pop music recordings of classical music are manipulated heavily. But the goal will always be a representation of a philharmonic orchestra as we know it with the specific placement of it's instruments and so on.
If in popular music the recording would be the definitive version, why are there so many covers produced? I sometimes get the impression that the majority of recordings nowadays are covers. I don't share the opinion that anything else can only be an imitation. There are many examples of covers that can be considered as a creative, fresh interpretation of the song. Usually, in my opinion, the covers that (try to) come close to the original are the worst, because they bring nothing new. I often see how enthousiast audiences react on music played LIVE. Live music, even played by so called amateurs is enjoyed more than the best produced record. It's the difference between listening and experiencing music. No matter how far the interpretation deviates from the "original", people enjoy it. And let's be honest, that is the essence of music.
If in popular music the recording would be the definitive version, why are there so many covers produced? I sometimes get the impression that the majority of recordings nowadays are covers. I don't share the opinion that anything else can only be an imitation. There are many examples of covers that can be considered as a creative, fresh interpretation of the song. Usually, in my opinion, the covers that (try to) come close to the original are the worst, because they bring nothing new. I often see how enthousiast audiences react on music played LIVE. Live music, even played by so called amateurs is enjoyed more than the best produced record. It's the difference between listening and experiencing music. No matter how far the interpretation deviates from the "original", people enjoy it. And let's be honest, that is the essence of music.
Wednesday April 14, 2010
Jeff, Upstate Ny, USA
Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower
Definitive Version
Case Closed!
Definitive Version
Case Closed!
Monday April 12, 2010
Naymann, Lagos, Nigeria
Putting these two musical genres as a compare is rather incomprehensible but on a superficial approach, I can simply state that classical genre portrays the true act, art and science of virtuoso while popular genre can be seen as fast-food (KFC or McDonalds) etc. More so, the time, age and societal challenges highlight the disparity.
Another viewpoint from my surroundings is the fact that today’s artistes and producers are caught up in the euphoria of stardom and Grammy rather than the future of their project as in it sustainability and posterity.
Michael Jackson for me represent a category of those whose soul spirit and body is a part of what they do meaning, projects that will stand the test of time. This means a live sold out to what one is born, lives, and set to die for and not to what we will make out of it which is inevitable on the long run though. As matter of fact I am talking to my self you know. Johann Sebastian Bach's life and career were confined and restricted to a very limited geographical space meaning probably had no time to go out and about but consumed and buried in his passion.
Another viewpoint from my surroundings is the fact that today’s artistes and producers are caught up in the euphoria of stardom and Grammy rather than the future of their project as in it sustainability and posterity.
Michael Jackson for me represent a category of those whose soul spirit and body is a part of what they do meaning, projects that will stand the test of time. This means a live sold out to what one is born, lives, and set to die for and not to what we will make out of it which is inevitable on the long run though. As matter of fact I am talking to my self you know. Johann Sebastian Bach's life and career were confined and restricted to a very limited geographical space meaning probably had no time to go out and about but consumed and buried in his passion.
Friday April 09, 2010
Rishabh Shah, Mumbai , India
Creative commons is a good alternative. Artists can release their songs on cc, where others can make their own versions out of it.
Monday April 05, 2010
Soetjipto, Jakarta, Indonesia
I agree with Mr.Jason Baillie
Monday April 05, 2010
Rishabh Shah, Mumbai , India
Ok, so when I first read the title, i thought "another mister old man ranting". But yes, this article does make a lot of sense. It elaborates upon the advantage that classical music has over pop music. But then, it is only an advantage, not a theoretical proof of one being superior to the other. I think the music or you may say the musical experience is completely subjective to the listener. He/she may prefer listening to a 1960 Presley record over some recent adaptation of a Mozart's symphony. And as we know, the quality of music is only judged by people, be it the professionals, the critics or the ordinary listener( I dont think there is no other, more accurate way of doing it). And people opt to listen to an album or an artist because they like the music. Not because they think it is superior to something else. So IMHO, i do not think 'classical music is superior to popular music, and always will be' would be the best title for this article.
Regards
Regards
Sunday April 04, 2010
Jason Baillie, Townsville, Australia
So Ive made one observation, why not get the print music of the pop songs, apply classical expression and become creative by adding melodic and harmonic development. Wulla, new song from pop music score, well at least thats ive done in the past :p Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't
Tuesday March 30, 2010
George Russell, Wilmington,de, USA
I will never understand why people in the US feel they have to kill pop music forms.music is to enjoy and let enjoy for all.I'm cursed with the enjoyment of all forms.somebodystopme.
Monday March 29, 2010
Don , Winnipeg, Canada
So let me guess ... Neal doesn't write songs
Monday March 29, 2010
Neal Visher, Calgary, Canada
yep, and copyright should be say.. 5 years, then anyone can mix, mash, restructure, create a new song.. from the 'original'.
Neal Visher
Neal Visher
Monday March 29, 2010
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