Why Classical Music?

[Mirror Image]

My question for all of you is "Why Classical Music?" This can be interpreted in a myriad of ways, but I'm more or less asking what was it about the music that made you become a fan and, more importantly, how has it been able to sustain an existence in all of your own lives? I'll give this some thought myself and answer later, but I just wanted to throw this out there to anyone willing to answer and take the bait.

[Jo498]

Obviously, I don't really know. I listened to very little music before discovering classical at 14-15. My parents didn't listen to a lot of music (the radio was playing only half an hour in the morning or so and that was mostly news, we didn't even have a car radio until the 1980s or so) and what they listened to was a mix of light classical (famous bits from famous operas, operettas, some of the more famous 50s/60s musicals like My fair Lady or Fiddler on the roof), some traditional music, such as (pseudo) folk songs by choirs, mostly German chanson/songwriter and some probably best described as easy listening. We had a few kid's records, both with sing along children stuff and classical works like Peter and the Wolf and Nutcracker suite but this didn't get me interested into classical as a child. Neither did the classical music I must have encountered in school (I hardly remember anything before the time when I was about 16 and already interested in classical, the teacher was a flippant, almost crazy guy and the lessons changed between learning theory, just singing together and music appreciation with littly system and there were also whole semesters or years when music was cancelled or replaced)

From school or TV I had a little bit of contact with popular music but never got really interested in it. Usually, I didn't much like the singing style nor the general sound of 1980s popular music, I guess. (Most of the music I do recall was not really contemporary, e.g. some Queen hits that are actually from the 70s or very early 80s.) Even later I was so clueless that when Sam Cooke's "Don't know much about history" became popular because of some Levi's commercial around 1986 I didn't realize that the song was from 1960 and not contemporary. Then I became interested in national anthems, probably after the 1984 Olympics that were huge on TV. We had an LP with a dozen or so of them as well. I don't know the exact circumstances but for some reason my father (who had no such education and played no musical instrument) had to teach a few hours of music appreciation for a year or so, and therefore or maybe independent of this bought a bunch of records, often stuff with a story connected, like Vltava, Peer Gynt, 1812. I cannot name one single piece or one occasion but this music (mostly popular, short-middle length pieces) grabbed me far more than any other before. The sound of a full orchestra, the melodies, the moods and maybe also sometimes "stories" like in 1812 or Wellington's Victory (although I eventually didn't become a friend of program music). It took some time to explore more music, although I had a friend and a few years later another one with better musical education, I was mostly restricted to the records we had, to radio and to the little I could buy as a teenager. But it became obvious that this was a vast realm (although there were certainly lots I was mostly unaware of or not interested in at 16-17) of music that was far more fascinating for me than popular music.
And although I sampled some Jazz not much later while still in school (we finally had better music lessons and one unit was a decent intro into jazz) and I like some of it as well as some ethnic/world music and also some popular music (although I admit that I actively dislike a lot of popular music of the last decades) but I could easily never listen to most of this again without missing much. Nothing comes even close to the  status classical music has for me and my listening is around 99% classical, I'd guess. I also never got into "classical" painting or visual arts or movies or theatre, not even literature to the same extent as with music.

[71 dB]

"Why Classical Music?"

Why not?

In my youth I was stupid and thought old classical music must be unsuitable for modern ears. Then I realised this is not the case and the door into the wonderland of classical music opened. I believe that one axis of music could be called "honest <---> pretending". In general I like honest music and I dislike pretending music. Classical music feels very honest.

Outside classical music I like only a few select artists, but if it is classical music, I like it more broadly. For example, within the genre of progressive rock I only really like King Crimson, but within the genre of baroque music I like almost everything! This means that there is so much more to listen to within classical music and this explains why about 2/3 of my CD collection is classical music. Other music genres simply have less to offer even together! Only a few artists here and there to enjoy and the output of those artists is rather small in average. Many of my favourite non-classical artists have only put out a couple of CDs! Classical music keeps offering new things. Maybe not new Elgars and Bachs, but at least new interesting composers and new recordings of works.

When I got into classical music I was impressed by the melodies and harmonies. Also, the structure of the music felt honest, that the composers are really trying to express something deep and meaningful with their music. So different from popular music where not much is said to begin with, but the music pretends to be important and masses pretend agreeing with that.

Classical music has its problems in the way it raises 20-30 composers on a pedestal above the rest as if Dittersdorf is to be totally ignored compared to Haydn etc., but this skewed way of how the history of classical music is written isn't too much of an obstacle to discover ones own favorites. I think this problem is correcting itself slowly. More and more people are realising (accepting) there was not only Sibelius, but also Englund and there was not only Shostakovich, but also Weinberg. Not only Bach, but also Kuhnau etc. Another problem with classical music is the stigma of elitism. By the same logic owning a car is elitistic, because 100 years ago only the richest people could own a car!

[71 dB]

Neither did the classical music I must have encountered in school (I hardly remember anything before the time when I was about 16 and already interested in classical, the teacher was a flippant, almost crazy guy and the lessons changed between learning theory, just singing together and music appreciation with littly system and there were also whole semesters or years when music was cancelled or replaced)

Also in my case the music lessons in school were useless, because the teachers I had must have been some of the worst I had and I wasn't into music almost at all before high-school and even then I was into electronic dance music (Acid House etc.), music so "new" that only my own generation understood (appreciated) it. However, my attitude was very negative. In my opinion people should just forget about "old" music because we have "new" electronic music. To me it was the same as replacing B&W TV sets with colour TV sets. My "logic" at the time said Beethoven could not compose that good music, because he didn't have drum machines, samplers, sequencers, etc. to use!  Fortunately I got much wiser during the next 10 years and as a result I discovered classical music.  0:)

From school or TV I had a little bit of contact with popular music but never got really interested in it. Usually, I didn't much like the singing style nor the general sound of 1980s popular music, I guess. (Most of the music I do recall was not really contemporary, e.g. some Queen hits that are actually from the 70s or very early 80s.) Even later I was so clueless that when Sam Cooke's "Don't know much about history" became popular because of some Levi's commercial around 1986 I didn't realize that the song was from 1960 and not contemporary. Then I became interested in national anthems, probably after the 1984 Olympics that were huge on TV. We had an LP with a dozen or so of them as well. I don't know the exact circumstances but for some reason my father (who had no such education and played no musical instrument) had to teach a few hours of music appreciation for a year or so, and therefore or maybe independent of this bought a bunch of records, often stuff with a story connected, like Vltava, Peer Gynt, 1812. I cannot name one single piece or one occasion but this music (mostly popular, short-middle length pieces) grabbed me far more than any other before. The sound of a full orchestra, the melodies, the moods and maybe also sometimes "stories" like in 1812 or Wellington's Victory (although I eventually didn't become a friend of program music). It took some time to explore more music, although I had a friend and a few years later another one with better musical education, I was mostly restricted to the records we had, to radio and to the little I could buy as a teenager. But it became obvious that this was a vast realm (although there were certainly lots I was mostly unaware of or not interested in at 16-17) of music that was far more fascinating for me than popular music.

My father played jazz at home, so I was exposed to that, but even today I only like some jazz. I think jazz is actually the most boring music in the world, because all it is is improvising! Jazz is a moment stretched in time, like watching a few seconds of a movie slowed down by a factor of 100. I also heard a lot of Finnish popular music which I generally hated. In general I wasn't able to put music I heard in context. I remember having heard parts of Grieg's Per Gynt, but I didn't have a clue what music it is. Who wrote it and when? I really like(d) the music of Star Wars movies and some other pieces of music here and there. I also remember the famous melody of Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March 1 used in a video game in early 80's and liking the melody, but it took me about 15 years to discover classical music, Elgar and finding out the origin of the video game music. Before the internet there was no means to "Google things" unless you had extremely knowledgeable people around you to ask.

In my youth music was like a smell in the air. It comes suddenly from somewhere, lingers for a while and then goes away. You like it or you hate it, but there is very little control over it. Only when I bought my first "boombox" and started to record music from radio onto C-cassettes I started to have control over music.

And although I sampled some Jazz not much later while still in school (we finally had better music lessons and one unit was a decent intro into jazz) and I like some of it as well as some ethnic/world music and also some popular music (although I admit that I actively dislike a lot of popular music of the last decades) but I could easily never listen to most of this again without missing much. Nothing comes even close to the  status classical music has for me and my listening is around 99% classical, I'd guess. I also never got into "classical" painting or visual arts or movies or theatre, not even literature to the same extent as with music.

I was probably taught a lot about music in school, but I must have forgotten it all, because I remember almost nothing. I remember being really scared about instruments, because I was unable to play any of them. I felt so inferior for lacking the ability to play instruments and sing. I must have aspergers which makes learning such skill almost impossible for me, because my mind doesn't "automate" motoric sequences. I can only make music by programming it onto a sequencer program. In this way, music education in my case was traumatic if anything. 

I have hated popular music almost all my life, because most of the "hits" are not to my liking. I have always felt it unbearable when a "hit song" that I find "stupid" gets very popular. However, I love the popular music of 2011-2012. That's when the pop music producers used the more underground ideas of electronic dance music of late 80's and early 90's in experimental way in pop music with really fresh and exciting results.

Classical music is massively important for me, but so is other kind of music, because it has things to offer classical music doesn't offer. 

[Rosalba]

I love almost all types of music and always have. When I was growing up, classical music was thought to be The Real McCoy, and it was often to heard on the radio or television. I grew used to the famous bits and it slotted into my interest in history, especially when I was doing my A-levels. I've had periods in my life when I've listened more seriously to classical music or opera, and periods when I've been more interested in other genres. 

[Mirror Image]

Thanks for the thoughtful responses so far everyone.

[DavidW]

I like how it sounds.

I was tired of the pop music on the radio when I was a teen (in the 90s), tried some classical music and I loved it.

[Karl Henning]

I love almost all types of music and always have. When I was growing up, classical music was thought to be The Real McCoy, and it was often to heard on the radio or television. I grew used to the famous bits and it slotted into my interest in history, especially when I was doing my A-levels. I've had periods in my life when I've listened more seriously to classical music or opera, and periods when I've been more interested in other genres. 

Nice!

[Olias]

I had a record player when I was three.  According to my parents, my favorite record was a storybook record called "Tubby the Tuba" and was about Tubby being in an orchestra.

Apparently, while listening to the record, I used to put all my stuffed animals on shelves facing me while I conducted them with one of my Tinkertoy rods that doubled as a conductor's baton.

That's probably where it started. 

[Karl Henning]

I had a record player when I was three.  According to my parents, my favorite record was a storybook record called "Tubby the Tuba" and was about Tubby being in an orchestra.

Apparently, while listening to the record, I used to put all my stuffed animals on shelves facing me while I conducted them with one of my Tinkertoy rods that doubled as a conductor's baton.

That's probably where it started. 

Fun!

[LKB]

Why classical music?

I'd answer that of all the genres I've been exposed to over nearly 60 years, it simply offers the widest range of sonic color, expression, and fulfillment.