Okay sure, we don't get that much exposure to classical music these days, and that might be part of the reason -- it's not like Mozart and Rachmaninoff are on TV or Vevo lip-syncing and shaking their goodies (yeah, I just said that). (Since I sort of bring it up, though, according to my mom, classical music was the "pop music" of the time when she was a college student in China. Just in case you were curious.)
Below are the reasons why I love classical music, and why those who haven't really listened to it should at least give it a chance:
1. It's beautiful and exciting.
Again, I ask, Who says classical music is boring? There's a reason it's been around for hundreds of years -- it sounds good; people like it; and on top of all that, it showcases the talents of composer, conductor, and musicians.
One thing about classical music is it's complexity. The composers need a lot of skill to turn out the pieces they wrote (huge understatement). But the composers themselves being geniuses is not enough: It's up to the conductor and the musicians to turn the notes on the paper into rhythms, melodies, harmonies, and (dare I say it) feelings.
That's right, feelings. Because I have a theory that it's impossible to listen to any kind of music without feeling something. Love, anger, disgust, confusion, happiness, sadness, excitement... Even when I'm listening to The Beatles or Lady Gaga, I feel these things -- never mind when I'm listening to a good classical piece, which can leave me drowning in a flood of emotions. Or holding my breath, on the edge of my seat from excitement.
And besides all that, there is the simple fact that just watching an orchestra play is awesome. Seeing the musicians move with the music, seeing the bows and trombones move in unison, and seeing the conductor get worked up over the music is just one of the coolest things.
For samples of some of my favorites pieces, click through the YouTube links that I posted above.
2. It connects you with people from centuries ago.
I admit, this is not one of the things that I think about often when I'm sitting around or playing the violin in orchestra. Still, when I realized that, Wow, some genius guy wrote this piece a really, really long time ago, and now I was playing the notes that he wrote, it's kind of mind humbling.
Maybe it's just me, but I find it so fascinating that it wasn't even recordings, but notes on pieces of paper that got handed down through so many generations, and now here are are, trying to understand what the composer wanted us to do with those notes. We're hearing what they heard so long ago, but still, we're not hearing the same thing. (Make sense?)
3. It makes me feel sophisticated.
Okay, so I know I said that classical music isn't just for snobs, but I do have to admit that it is kind of satisfying listening to people talk about Ke$ha and Drake and things like that, and then turning around and talking to my friend about the piece in orchestra that we're playing. I mean, I wouldn't say that I feel superior for liking classical music -- just, you know, kind of hipster or something. Because even though I'm saying that more people should like classical music, it is a relatively small community that actually does listen to it. But, you know, I'm happy to be in that community.
