The original idea for this post was to look at the music industry and how it's changed, but for whatever reason that musing has failed to find a place to settle. It's still going around in my head, but I'm having difficulty with posting it. In the mean time, I had another musing that took me back in time to several courses on music history.
For the majority of people I've met the term "Classical Music" does not pertain to music written in the classical era (Mid 1700s to early 1800s), but rather any music that is "Serious or conventional music following long-established principles rather than a folk, jazz, or popular tradition." (citation). Interestingly enough, the current musical tradition - Modern or 20th Century - has changed during its period of classification. So there are multiple kinds of 20th Century music, including Avant-garde which tends to shun musical traditions of all kinds. My band instructor in high school played us a part of Schoenberg's Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte as an example. Microtones - the notes between notes, Sprechgesang - the space between singing and speaking, and Experimental music notation are elements often associated with 20th Century music. As just an example, Igor Stavinsky is considered one of the the essential composers of the 20th Century music, yet he was also known for several different styles of music. From what I can tell the only "tradition" of 20th Century music is how it changes, both establishing and rejecting the norms.
Now, I understand that classical music is still being written, however I can't say that I ever hear it or even know where to find it. Perhaps the most likely place to find modern classical music might be a junior or high school band or orchestra performance. I played baritone/euphonium for six years and played through my share of music that I never heard again. Many of them I enjoyed playing (most of them really). I'll always have a soft spot for "The Gathering of the Ranks at Hebron" by David Holsinger, particularly the way my part sounded. However, such music is not commonly heard elsewhere. With technology allowing artists to expand their reach the 20th Century has been filled with new traditions of folk, jazz, rock, country, blues, R&B, rap, and alternative. These all mesh, blend, and get remixed with each other. Particularly as we have entered the 21st Century, I can't say that I've seen much of what may be called "modern classical." The closest thing I've described as "classical" is William Joseph, a pianist who does a mixture of covers and original pieces.
In fact it was a recent William Joseph collaboration with Lindsey Stirling, self-proclaimed hip-hop violinist that got me thinking about a post on this topic. The video in question can be seen here.
The piece is call "Halo Theme" and many of my generation will recognize it. If you do not, I invite you to listen to it's complexity, the way it moves, and the energy it coveys. It never had any words and is just the beginning of a multi-themed work. It was written to covey "importance, weight and a sense of the ancient." It is the soundtrack to a video game.
I've always been a fan of movie and video game soundtracks. Some favorites soundtrack composers include: John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, Howard Shore, and John Powell. "Traditional" classical music and modern soundtracks have a fair amount in common. In fact, many movies have used classical music as the soundtrack. The Thief of Baghdad used Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Op 35 Scheherazade (1888), 2001 Space Odessay's main theme was composed by Richard Strauss and is actually titled "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (1896), and don't forget that the Lone Ranger rides to the William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini (1829). Disney's two Fantasia movies from 1940 and 2000 used classical music as the basis for creating visual images to entertain and delight. When much of the music was being written it was without the benefit of visual images outside of the audience's imagination. Often music was based on a story or image the composer wanted to convey, Beethoven's Symphony no 6., the Pastoral symphony, or Stravinsky's The Firebird (both of them featured in the Fantasia movies) are perfect examples of this.
I've thought for years that the niche that "traditional", story based, designed to entertain classical music occupied for many centuries has been filled by soundtracks. They are both (when done well) designed to stir emotions, trigger responses, extend the imagination, and help the listener enjoy themselves. The biggest difference is that soundtracks are inherently designed to go in support of another medium. However, a well written soundtrack can encourage people to imagine comparable images to what the director puts on the screen. John William's iconic themes to Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Harry Potter are good examples, as are Hans Zimmer's theme to Pirates of the Caribbean and Peral Harbor - Attack, and Alan Silvestri's Translavian horses amoung others.
Now, I understand that classical music is still being written, however I can't say that I ever hear it or even know where to find it. Perhaps the most likely place to find modern classical music might be a junior or high school band or orchestra performance. I played baritone/euphonium for six years and played through my share of music that I never heard again. Many of them I enjoyed playing (most of them really). I'll always have a soft spot for "The Gathering of the Ranks at Hebron" by David Holsinger, particularly the way my part sounded. However, such music is not commonly heard elsewhere. With technology allowing artists to expand their reach the 20th Century has been filled with new traditions of folk, jazz, rock, country, blues, R&B, rap, and alternative. These all mesh, blend, and get remixed with each other. Particularly as we have entered the 21st Century, I can't say that I've seen much of what may be called "modern classical." The closest thing I've described as "classical" is William Joseph, a pianist who does a mixture of covers and original pieces.
In fact it was a recent William Joseph collaboration with Lindsey Stirling, self-proclaimed hip-hop violinist that got me thinking about a post on this topic. The video in question can be seen here.
The piece is call "Halo Theme" and many of my generation will recognize it. If you do not, I invite you to listen to it's complexity, the way it moves, and the energy it coveys. It never had any words and is just the beginning of a multi-themed work. It was written to covey "importance, weight and a sense of the ancient." It is the soundtrack to a video game.
I've always been a fan of movie and video game soundtracks. Some favorites soundtrack composers include: John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, Howard Shore, and John Powell. "Traditional" classical music and modern soundtracks have a fair amount in common. In fact, many movies have used classical music as the soundtrack. The Thief of Baghdad used Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Op 35 Scheherazade (1888), 2001 Space Odessay's main theme was composed by Richard Strauss and is actually titled "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (1896), and don't forget that the Lone Ranger rides to the William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini (1829). Disney's two Fantasia movies from 1940 and 2000 used classical music as the basis for creating visual images to entertain and delight. When much of the music was being written it was without the benefit of visual images outside of the audience's imagination. Often music was based on a story or image the composer wanted to convey, Beethoven's Symphony no 6., the Pastoral symphony, or Stravinsky's The Firebird (both of them featured in the Fantasia movies) are perfect examples of this.
I've thought for years that the niche that "traditional", story based, designed to entertain classical music occupied for many centuries has been filled by soundtracks. They are both (when done well) designed to stir emotions, trigger responses, extend the imagination, and help the listener enjoy themselves. The biggest difference is that soundtracks are inherently designed to go in support of another medium. However, a well written soundtrack can encourage people to imagine comparable images to what the director puts on the screen. John William's iconic themes to Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Harry Potter are good examples, as are Hans Zimmer's theme to Pirates of the Caribbean and Peral Harbor - Attack, and Alan Silvestri's Translavian horses amoung others.
The same is true of video game soundtracks. More and more game designers realize that they need music that enhances the gameplay as well as provocks emotional responses in the player. It is interesting how regardless of what you are seeing what you hear is more prone to direct your emotions. Take the fight sciences in The Lord of the Rings films (done by Howard Shore). At points during the action the music changes to melodic tones full of sorrow and feeling. In those moments ye action itself is overshadowed by the motives behind the characters. Such is the impact of good music. And such has been the goal of music ever since early spiritual hymns were sung in worship and rejoicing. I know that there is this new form of classical music but I will continue to argue that the real classical music, the music that today most matches the goals and intentions of the period music we still listen to, is the soundtrack.
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