The crisis of classical music
Unfortunately, classical music has experienced quite a serious crisis in recent years. What has happened over the years that such rich, noble and moving music is pushed to the margins of music. This is primarily due to the rush of life and the fact that man has less and less time to break away from this hustle and bustle of civilization. We are all chased and we don’t have time to relax and be immersed in this magical world.
How to learn to listen to the classics
Often times, especially young people, in advance, cross out classical music with the statement that they do not understand it and do not like it. Unfortunately, this approach is mainly due to the fact that the right time for this species has to be devoted. You have to listen to a classical piece, because it is a form of a certain musical story. Here, some fragmentary listening will help a lot. It is similar with reading a book, which we will not understand, when we will still talk to someone while reading it, and additionally we will watch TV. Here we have to set aside a certain time and place where no one will disturb us, so that we can listen to the whole thing in peace from the beginning to the end. This is one of the reasons why, for example, in the Philharmonic there is total silence during the concerts. Classical music is not a rock concert, where everyone jumps, screams, laughs, and in fact, they often do not listen too much to individual sounds, which are usually in such a phase of distortion that it is so difficult to select them from each other. So the basic element that will help us understand classical music is the right place and time to listen to it.
Different priorities, different culture
To see the problem, one should look and compare two worlds, the one that was several dozen or even several hundred years ago and the one today. In the courts of the aristocracy, the piano was usually located in the living room. Today, in every home, regardless of social status, you can find a hi-fi system or some other electronic device used to play music. In the past, people lived more peacefully, had more time to meet and spend time together, and music education was a sign of a prestigious education. It was advisable that a maid from a good aristocratic house should speak foreign languages, especially French, be able to embroider and play a musical instrument. People met and during these meetings they were accompanied by music. Today, people also meet and music accompanies these meetings as well, but does anyone get deeper into this music during these meetings? No, because we live in a constant rush and we do not have time to think for a moment and analyze a given piece of music. For this reason, popular music in the broad sense of the word pushed classical music to the margins of art. Why are genres such as disco-polo so popular? Because it is a short, usually quite fast-paced piece of the simplest structure verse – chorus, where we do not need sterile conditions for listening as for listening to classics. A simple melody, simple text, and that’s enough for most, but do we become spiritually poorer by doing so? After all, it is through classical music that a young man develops best and becomes more sensitive to the beauty of not only music, but also nature and the world around him.
Of course, you shouldn’t deny everything that is happening today. The rapid technological development of the twentieth century meant that also in music, there were huge changes. First of all, music used to cover three main spheres: church music, which was reserved only for the clergy, classical music, which was the equivalent of today’s popular music, because, for example, such struggles by Strauss can be successfully compared to today’s music, e.g. pop and music folklore, that is, the one at which the commoners and peasants enjoyed themselves. Today, these genres have grown much more, especially if we look at entertainment music, which developed various trends in the XNUMXth century. Nevertheless, hardly any contemporary music genre has such a huge impact on sensitization and development as is classical music.
When learning, it is obligatory to use a classical instrument – acoustic
Regardless of what kind of music we like the most and what instrument we intend to play in the future, it is best to start our education with a classic and a traditional acoustic instrument. Thanks to classical education, we will acquire the appropriate technical workshop. Here, every detail is important and this forces us to strive for perfection. However, the fact that we will practice on a classic acoustic instrument will allow us to experience the natural sound of the instrument, which is susceptible to our every articulation or dynamic interference. No even the best constructed electric, electronic or digital instrument is able to fully reproduce the feelings played on a traditional acoustic instrument.
Summation
It is the responsibility of each generation to uphold tradition and the culture associated with it. In addition, classical music has properties that make us feel better, we have a better mood, and can often have a calming effect on us. It has even been scientifically found that when we listen to classical music, a hormone called dopamine is released which causes us satisfaction. With so many advantages of classical music, why not go deeper into this world, relax and feel happy?
