Musical Trends

Musical Trends

The main intention of music is to convey and transform human emotions. The major intention of music is to appease, give psych, persuade, infuriate, distress, and applaud ourselves and other people. Music is also an important instrument when caring for the infants. They understand the emotional expression without actually understanding the language. In today’s world, people are facing challenges that call for unique approaches in the way music manifests to the society. The production and presentation of music is marred by numerous contemporary factors that musicians of the past did not face. Alan Gilbert sites these challenges and their impact on the quality and impact of music. Music has the might to inspire legions, and this has to be exploited foe the benefit of society. . Currently, numerous writers of music have argued that classical music is fading away while others insist on the opposite. In light of this issue, this paper attests to the fading away of classical music within the modern society.

The audience of classical music is continuously thinning away within the current society. It is evident that the generations of people that existed after the invention of recorded music and the following technological advances have minute interest in classical music. The society is engrossed with convenience, affordability and contemporary ideas. Live concerts to such to operas are tedious in aspects of attaining tickets, not to mention expensive. Therefore, classical music audience is left to the wealthy and those with nostalgia of the days of its glory. Mostly, older generations grew into classical music in their youth unlike the current generations. This makes the younger generations, who are the majority of the world population, uninterested in the genre. Education, practicing and performing of classical music has declined significantly showing just how the interest in classical music is dwindling.

The reception of classical music by audiences has faltered in recent years leading to minimal exhibition of appreciation. Richard Dare describes an audience cultured to restrain themselves while attending a concert. “All the shushing and silence and stony faced non-expression of the audience” were disconcerting as the audience seemed not to enjoy the performance expressively. There is a need to appreciate every musical not by the orchestra; however, a docile audience is likely to get bored. Dare states that classical music is not meant to listened like this. This might be the reason for the declining interest in classical music. Such mechanical rules that control audiences are not essential. Even Beethoven would be shocked to see the live reception of his music by his audience! Evidently, classical music is fading away.

Technological advances have limited the growth of classical music in modern times. Availability of numerous multimedia interfaces to access music has led to the difficulty of distribution and performance of classical music. Commercial media tools such as radio, television, online streaming or downloads and numerous other methods have to be taken into consideration while creating classical music. These extensive procedures make orchestras ‘become involved in an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink range of activities, apparently designed to draw people in’. These activities are vital in ensuring promotion and sales of concerts to make the field profitable. However, they are not in tandem with the main goals of the orchestras. Consequently, there is a fair chance of these complementary activities of modern classical music to disrupt the artistic soul of the musicians. Mass media has forced classical music composers to create music for wide audiences that come with the expense of lack of intimacy or depth of expression of the musicians. This contributes to the fading of classical music.

Furthermore, technology discriminates against classical music in terms of distribution leading to the fading away of classical music. Classical musical stations have been closed, switched or sold due to years of posting losses due to lack of audiences. Only a handful of these are left within the US. The improper marketing of classical music to the youth within the airwaves has led to the loss in relevance of classical music within the modern world. This explains the reducing sales in classical music albums in comparison with other music genres. These factors together lead to the ever-decreasing composers an audience of classical music leading to its fading.

On the other hand, classical music seems to be ubiquitous in modern society in a way that most people do not realize. Films, television shows and video games resort to classical music composers to create music for most of their programs. Classical MPR host, Emily Reese, is quoted by Jay Gabler to have said that classical music will never die. It is true that classical music inspires the mood in other art forms that it is involved with making it fundamental to their existence. This shows that classical music is a foundation of music that cannot be surpassed despite the revolution in the music industry. Pop culture does not appeal to emotions as classical music. Therefore, the magnitude of support it receives at the expense of classical music is not at all worrying to classical music enthusiasts as its relevance remains constant.

Reinvention of the distribution, marketing and performance of classical music has aided in the increase in its hold in the musical arena. Gilbert notes that classical musicians are actively involved in the assimilation of current technology to ensure compatibility with audience trends given their numerous options on means to watch concerts. Markedly, concert halls are structured with the consideration of how the concerts can be recorded to digital distribution. Furthermore, Julie Amacher, the program director at Classical MPR and Classical 24 has taken strides in creating new audiences for classical music. These initiatives are practical; there is still hope for classical music. Surveys of audiences by these radio stations show that classical music remains relevant to their daily lives. Furthermore, the New York Philhamornic’s productions of Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre and Stravinsky’s Petrouchka sparked the interest of audiences around the world as they proved that classical music fits into today’s audience too. These works have aimed to rebuild classical music to its former glory successfully.

To ensure that classical music remains relevance and entertaining, a modern antiques of music production should be inducted into classical music. Use of modern instrumentation should be enhanced. We all understand that the world is technologically evolving and the young generations increasingly engage in the use of digital technology, therefore, the introduction of specialized technologies in performance of classical music will attracts many interested parties.

Reducing funding almost caused the decline in production of classical music, to ensure the continuity of this kind of music. Funding to promote the talented singers who see classical music as a viable career can build interest in the genre. Through such funding, most of the young generations will be inspired and motivated to venture into classical music productions as it would be a well-paying career. With the funding and support generated by specialized groups, numerous young classical musicians will emerge, and with the creation of new and relevant material, classical music will have a significant audience as other genres.

The rules guiding concert attendance and concert tickets prices need to revised to attract audiences. The concert tickets have been too expensive: this has resulted in the shunning of these concerts by young audiences. To prevent classical music from dying away, the tickets should be subsidized. This should be combined with the added flexibility of expression within the audience. Stern and uptight audiences serve to make it seem too serious an occasion rather than a form of entertainment. The generations that have adopted pop culture go to concerts to have fun, vis-à-vis the rigid, classroom-poised audience that currently brags of donning classical concerts traditionally. The current rules of expression of the audience are too conservative; this needs to change.

In conclusion, classical music is on the verge of fading away due to numerous self-limiting as well as exogenous factors that surround it. A constantly thinning audience is experienced in classical music due to numerous reasons. It is costly to the youth in comparison to other genres of music. Tickets are left to the reserve of the wealthy. Furthermore, the rules that require the rigidity of the audience repel numerous people from classical music. In addition, technology works against the development of classical music in that it is not well represented in mass media and its performance is ill-attended due to various media forms of accessing music. On the other hand, classical music seems ubiquitous with films, games and television making its dissolution distant because it is still relevant. Furthermore, classical musicians are actively involved in adopting technology in their workings. Efforts to ensure that classical music thrives include: the revision of its cost (reduction of ticket prices); increased support for education in, product and performance of classical music; and adopting new technological advances in the production of this kind of music to ensure that it stays relevant. Overall, classical music still faces the threat of extinction in the future because its audience keeps reducing despite all efforts to maintain it.