The Decline of Classical Music

In my lifetime, which my students would say is lengthy, but I say is rather short considering I am 52 and, hopefully, have many more years to go, I have seen the decline of Classical art music in our society. I have written about this problem earlier and maintain the issues are due partly to architecture and partly to electronic amplification. I have mentioned how much of our music listening occurs in automobiles while driving down the road. I want to enjoy the Classical radio station but the dynamic range of the music is not conducive to enjoyable listening. I find myself frequently altering the volume to accommodate the changes in the music. A part of me smiles as I say these words since I do believe the finest music has dynamic changes. Yet from a practical side, I prefer listening to pop, rock, or jazz with its fairly steady dynamic range.

Classical music also suffers from acoustic deprivation. An art music purist demands an "unplugged" environment for the music making. This means that performers and listeners require a well-designed auditorium space for their performance, thus rendering most, but not all, outdoor experiences useless. Music in St. Paul's Cathedral is glorious, sensitive, warm, majestic, personal, and pure. Whereas Classical music at an outdoor festival is nearly a zero without some kind of sound enhancement. Classical performers do not like nor do they generally appreciate any kind of electronic amplification. They often reject music that requires amplification as being "below" that of art music, not worthy of belonging in the bag of sophisticated music. But in spite of the tension, sound enhancement and amplification is here to stay while natural acoustics are diminishing.

Now a moment for the market driven musical economy. Music for entertainment has always garnered greater profits than art music for meaning. Historically, music with harmonic, textual, and melodic depth has rarely fared well in the marketplace. Music with complexity in its design tends to have a longer life but not as immediate an appeal. When we study the operas of Meyerbeer, we find simplistic, fun music that is rarely if ever performed today. Yet a study of the operas of Wagner reveals complex and psychologically moving music that has withstood the test of time. The test of time has traditionally been the litmus test for excellence.

But now we have a problem. The test of time is slowly being eroded, at least to an extent. The artistic truths of complexity and heritage are not as easily passable in today's world. In fact, a look at great music for entertainment demonstrates complexity in harmony, in text, in melody and in general depth. This is not always true, but it is true often enough to wreck the old "test of time" theory of great art. Those classical musicians relying on depth of expression of the great composers from the past are experiencing a steady decline in interest. Fortunately the demand for the classics will never entirely disappear but it could become quite small in today's world of outstanding music for entertainment.

We have no lack of music nor musicians in the world today, but we do have a limited marketplace for musicians only trained or skilled in one genre. The wise and complete musician of the future is the one who can entertain, who can accept sound enhancement, who can perform jazz, classical, pop, and, yes, even rock. The musician of the future has a wide range of ability and is ready to mold himself or herself into the musician needed at the moment. He can communicate on several levels and is outstanding at his craft. He reaches people using all types of music and he is ready to change and to grow when needed. He knows what quality music is in each genre and he is an able articulator of musical excellence and an outstanding practitioner in performance. He may often feel the pressure to be the superman of music, and yet he knows that is the expectation from today's eclectic culture. Rather than being a daunting challenge, he recognizes it all as an opportunity.

Yes, the musician of the future may have trouble being great at everything and may need to specialize to an extent, but in the end his own eclecticism is his strength rather than a burden. He knows music theory of all types of music and he is well-versed in cultural music from around the world. He knows where music has been and he has a strong sense of where it is going. He loves it all and is ready to embrace the challenges of totality in today's complex world.

Classical music in its myopic state may indeed be in decline and orchestras everywhere are trying new approaches to reaching audiences, but perhaps the decline is an opportunity to expand the mission of what Classical music means. For those willing to take a risk, the musical world is ripe for the taking and the people are hungry for something new without sacrificing the heritage of the past.

As I sit in my living room looking at our Christmas tree, I see many ornaments of all shapes and sizes. I see expensive, complicated ornaments that are quite delicate and classy. I see others that are plastic, cheap and rather mundane. I also see old ones, new ones, and many different shapes and sizes. Each ornament is unique but by itself has little meaning. Yet all the ornaments together on the tree form a magnificent structure worthy of great expression and communication. Maybe the same is true for Classical music. When we place it among music of other types, perhaps it grows in stature or perhaps it simply takes its place among all types of music in the world.