“Whatcha listening to?" He asked his daughter. For the past several minutes, she has been passionately bobbing her head to the beat pulsing through her ear buds.
She replies simply, “Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata.”
Instinctively, the man begins to laugh. She must be joking. However, checking the screen of her MP3 player confirms what she has claimed. Finally, the man has to ask, “Why on earth is a kid like you listening to classical music, of all things?”
It’s not every day a father catches his teenager listening to something besides the continuous loop of pop music on every radio station. Classical music is not part of the status quo among the younger generations.
In fact, the classical style has become practically taboo. One cannot listen to classical music for pleasure without being criticized or invoking baffled expressions. It feels foreign and therefore off-putting. The irony here is laughable. Virtually every song we hear today has ties to at least one classical piece.
Since the beginning of time, music has been evolving along with human culture.
Music has gone from its simplest form to almost ridiculously complex and then simplistic again in a relatively short period of time. The Classical Era followed the Baroque Era. To describe the Baroque period, the word complex would be an understatement.
Composers in this period thought up some of the most elaborate pieces of music ever created. Each line of music (instrumental or vocal) was melodic—meaning each one was independent and completely different. While the complexity of these masterpieces was nothing short of amazing, problems for listeners arose.
With so many different things happening at once, it became increasingly difficult for the general public to comprehend or enjoy the music that was produced. The Classical Period changed that. The pieces were still impressively complicated, but they were now simple enough to be enjoyed by anyone.
Music could be purchased and enjoyed in the home of anyone with a piano. In general, the improvements and musical discoveries made in the Classical time period set the template of popular music for centuries to come.
For instance, the music produced in the years 1960-1990, which is still popular today in 2014, follows many of the rules established in the Classical era. There is a reason it is referred to as “classic rock.”
One of these “rules” is described as the “four major chords” rule (Tilden). Nearly every oldies or classic rock song can be broken down into three or four basic major chords. For example, the wildly popular Beatles hit “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” can be played in its entirety using just C, G, and D. Styx’s “Renegade,” one of the group’s more complicated songs, is composed mainly of C, D, F and G. Of course, more skilled musicians (namely those who wrote these pieces) could easily add layers of more complicated harmonies and instrumental parts, but on the most basic level, these songs are remarkably simple.
Classical music also utilized the idea of repeating a catchy melody multiple times in a song. In the classic rock age, this repeated melody would be called the chorus. The chorus is the part of the song that everyone remembers—even if they may not know the lyrics. Classical composers like Mozart and Schubert were masters of repeating melodies several times within a piece (Tilden).
Their genius has been compared with the genius of John Lennon and Paul McCartney of the Beatles (Tilden). Some of the songs produced by Lennon and McCartney, with their memorable melodies, remain as 5 out of the 10 most covered songs of all time (Elmes). In many cases, the lyrics of popular classic rock songs may be incoherent strings of poetry—complete nonsense.
However, because their melodies were catchy, those songs flew to the top of the charts. Elton John was, and still is, guilty of this in almost all of his songs. No one seems to have a clue as to what the lyrics to “Benny and the Jets” are, let alone what the lyrics mean. However, anytime it comes on the radio, nearly everyone in the room is eager to sing along.
Flash forward about a decade or two to the pop music that most adolescents listen to today. Even here, ties to classical music can be found. The use of the “four major chords rule” carried over from classic rock and is found in most pop songs.
Along with this, the use of repeated, memorable melodies has also greatly influenced the current era of music. The structure of verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, etc. is the basic template for writing a popular pop song (Tilden). These repeated melodies are an essential part of our pop-culture today.
Though listeners may not remember the words to all the verses, they chime in when the chorus plays. Katy Perry’s “Roar,” Avicii’s “Wake me Up,” and Fun’s “We are Young,” are just a few examples of this pattern. While essential to the pop music era, these rules of structure are not the only influence classical music has had on pop music.
According to Imogen Tilden of the Guardian, classical composer Franz Schubert invented the typical “3-minute pop song” that society loves so much today. Schubert’s intention with his music was to create something that would be relatable and “instantly enjoyable” (Tilden). Most of his pieces are about one of the most relatable topics of all: love.
Almost any song you see at the top of the charts now has something to do with love, whether requited or not. For example, in recent years the number one song on the “Big Top 40” music charts is “My Love” by the group Route 94 (“Top 40”). The lyrics aren’t much to speak of, but mostly the song is about a person pleading with the one he loves to “stay close.”
Further down the list at number 10 is “Say Something” by A Great Big World featuring Christina Aguilera (“Top 40”). This piece epitomizes the typical pop ballad, and it affects listeners emotionally each time they hear that heart-wrenching chorus. Though some may have more experience than others, nearly everyone can relate to the message in some way.
Similarly, one of Schubert’s most popular pieces, “Gretchen am Spinnrade," tells the story of how a young girl’s heart is shattered when she learns that the man she loves has tricked her and doesn’t really love her in return (Andréasson). She sits alone, longing for his kiss (Andréasson). Though written in the Classical era 200 years ago, the message of “Gretchen am Spinnrade” still resonates with human compassion today.
Classical Music may strike a bad chord (HA!) with some listeners. That’s alright; not everyone prefers to hear piano concertos or violin sonatas. Not everyone enjoys sitting through the operatic style of singing or listening to music sung in a different language. Not every teenager will suddenly start rocking out to Beethoven in his or her free time.
However, society should hold a certain respect and appreciation for classical music. It may not be the most popular genre, but today's music would sound nowhere near how it does today without the influence of classical music.
Source
Andréasson, Kristofer. "Shubert's Most Famous Works." Shubert's Most Famous Works. N.p.,n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
Elmes, John. "The 10 Most Covered Songs." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 5 Dec. 2008. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
Tilden, Imogen. "What Pop Music Owes to the Classical Masters." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 25 Jan. 2013. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
"Top 40 Chart." Chart. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
