How to Save Classical Music

My personal thoughts on the state of classical music, and what could be done.
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0:00 - Introduction
1:15 - Problems
7:22 - Solutions

[@howimettheopera]

As a conductor who also makes videos here on KZbin, I completely agree with your point regarding packaging and engagement. Sometimes I feel like as an industry we are making concerts "for ourselves" instead of thinking what an new audience member's perspective may be, what information or encouragement they may need to choose to come to a concert and how to provide this in an appealing way. Thanks for your insights and for being part of the solution :)

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Merci for you videos.

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

And you see this is where I fundamentally disagree. With anyone who thinks classical music must be brought to the people any different than it used to. And in this vain effort all kinds of hamfisted formats are invented, major labels find evermore embarassing forms of marketing. The only thing that matters is the music. Nothing else. I'm 47. I grew up with this kind of music. My Dad listened to it, he introduced me to it. I liked it. That's all it needs. Someone to introduce you to it. Not some fancy package where they latch onto the performer as if they were a pop-star and forget that only the music matters, and not who plays it. How do I find new music nowadays? Definately not because I'm enticed by an album cover. I read about stuff. A name gets dropped as a contemporary, or teacher of some composer I know and then I just check it out. And if I like it I want more of it. That's all. So the only job a concert programmer has is to pick works that are worth listening to and find the right balance between the established canon, neglected pieces that get always shoved to the side, because soloists all play the same repertoire or conductors prefer to travel to new orchestras with already prepared scores, and new stuff. And as for the claim that the audience is too old: It was never different. Look at the old concert films of the 70's when ever there is a glimpse of the audience. Young people simply don't listen to classical music. It was that way when I was 6 and it is still this way.

[@michaelwu7678]

I completely agree, especially with opera. So many opera productions try so hard to be avant-garde or innovative that they become completely disconnected from common taste. Most people would take an honest, no frills, period-accurate production of Don Giovanni over the current, postmodern aesthetic any day of the week.

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

That is a different problem. You face a lazy audience that doesn't go see new operas, but instead insist on having the same 100-300 year old pieces played over and over again. But how you do theater that is relevant for today, with pieces that are so old? You dissect them and frantically try to find some new aspect or some relevance. Because everything else is just a performed museum show. I see this every year. Whenever we produce an unknown 20th Century piece or even a piece that is not older than 20 years, no one shows up. If we play Verdi, Mozart or Puccini: Full house.@@michaelwu7678

[@waichui2988]

What you are talking about is not limited to music. If you look at paintings and sculptures, it's the same thing. Does a lot of modern painting appeal to the regular people? Does a person without an art degree know what they see when they look at a modern painting? Truly great works of art can be enjoyed by the novice and the well learned. As a beginner, you see something appealing. As you learn more, you see more and more of the wonderful features that you did not see before. That is the same in case of music, paintings, sculptures, and literature. If you want to save classical music, you need to take it out of the ivory tower, where it is suffocating.

[@josebessa6520]

Here in Rio (Brazil), we used to have wonderful Sunday morning concerts called "Concertos para a Juventude" (Concerts for Youth) at popular prices. The conductor would not only explain the story of each piece but also how some instruments worked. I'm not sure if they brought these concerts back after the pandemic, but it was a wonderful way to start the day. I would love to see something like this in every city.

[@brentoncarter4275]

great! how is it funded? you aren't going to convince the public to spend their money this way. it's a very stupid and overused exercise THAT DOESNT WORK. the reason classical music is going away is being we aren't subsidizing it.

[@AstrusHD]

Hey! Here in Germany, Frankfurt, we also have this. I always go there and i love them, many young people like me! :)

[@Book-Mark]

Sounds fantastic.

[@Straussyy]

I'm 15, love classical music unlike many other people my age and I wholly believe that people don't listen to it anymore because there is barely any exposure of it to people nowadays. I grew up with it and only started listening 1 year ago, however i've been hearing it since I was 6.

[@brentoncarter4275]

contradictory.

[@CaptainFritz28]

​@user-gy5qh4ff3g It's so sad to me when I (18) have gone to concerts and see no one my age or near it. I mean, come on - this is brilliant music!

[@rafaelrondon6336]

Any one who has ever seen a movie with a sound track is implicitly a classical music expert because many if not most movie sound tracks are scored to classical music. One way to introduce school children of all ages to classical music is to make this connection.

[@karawethan]

Re: image problem, the "Classicization" of orchestral music emerged towars the end of the 19th century, partly because--but also in response to--a growing middle class who were eager for "high-class" culture. At least in an American context, when we look at orchestral concerts in the mid-19th century, they played a variety of repertoire (both classics and arrangements of contemporary music), they most often played excerpts or select movements rather than huge works, and they even took audience requests! Concerts were a fun, affordable, social occassion.

[@katrinabryce]

Remember that when the first performance of for example a Beethoven Symphony took place, that was contemporary music.

[@bassmaiasa1312]

How about that? My mother loved classical music, she discovered it on her own on the radio. I went to a concert with her. As a self-taught music lover, she was unaware of the convention not to applaud between movements. Some snooty looked over his shoulder and glowered at her! But I've read that contemporary audiences of the canonized composers would call out for the orchestra to replay a movement they especially enjoyed. Beethoven would program his artful Seventh with the 'Wellington Symphony', the pops piece Maynard Solomon describes as a 'monument of triviality.' The audiences loved it! I'm sure the snooties were appalled.

[@antoniomerolli2117]

totally agree

[@wolfumz]

It is still totally baffling to me that symphonies are not playing contemporary works from entertainment or pop. To an outsider like me, it looks like symphonies would rather 'go down with the ship' than deign to play music which average people already known and love.

[@JBuddis]

​@@wolfumzI wonder how much that might do with modern copyright laws. Back in Beethoven's day and so on they didn't have the slightest idea of copyrights and anybody was free to just take a theme and make variations out of them or whatever, all seen as being just the way things were when there was no record industry to enforce this. But once the idea that "you're using our music so pay up" came about, then it could result in orchestras not wanting to deal with it and the additional costs to make it worthwhile. That's just me speculating, though, as I have no idea if such even applies in this context, but I wouldn't put it past it.

[@MichaelChengSanJose]

When I brought my 6th grader to her first classical music concert, the Rach 2 piano concerto, I gave her just the barest of introductions, but she thoroughly enjoyed the experience, even more than I did as the performance wasn’t the best. Now, she looks forward to more concertos and symphonies. So, I think your suggestion would work wonders as I didn’t see many other young people under 30 at the concert.

[@kathleenking47]

I think, not having instrumentals could be a reason.at least partially People aren't even doing vocals

[@NealSchultz]

I frequently as a kid was the youngest person in the auditorium. I was always sad with that realization.

[@Alix777.]

boring music

[@spaghettiking7312]

I am happy to report the symphony performances in my small town are always packed.

[@vvaveflakz]

Omg spaghettiking7312 hi!!

[@spaghettiking7312]

@@vvaveflakz Hi.😁

[@albal156]

Thats fantastic to hear!

[@Alix777.]

packed with 80 yo people yeah

[@spaghettiking7312]

@user-gy5qh4ff3g The average age in my town is 56. Most people seem middle aged, some older, some younger.

[@albertoporras04]

In addition to Ray Chen, I love Hilary Hahn's social media output surrounding many of her recording releases, a genuine attempt at educating her audience and improving their understanding of her work. Its interesting the exent to which she engaged with another, very different, attempt to engage with new audiences, TwoSet Violin. The fact that most of the rest of the industry does almost nothing inthis area is the real problem, they dont see it as part of their job and I think many look down on such efforts.

[@LongshanMusic]

Hillary is amazing-I love the work she does to show folks what it’s like being a musician. And her Sibelius violin concerto is outstanding.

[@phil6419]

Hilary is the reason I got in to classical. Partially because of how great a musician she is, partially because of her engagement online.

[@waltuh2.3bviews3secondsago3]

I’m sure Hilary has gotten quite a few people into classical music

[@jiifigmentforever]

As a composer in this field, this assessment I find is both correct and incorrect on many levels, supplemented by many comments in the comment section discussing more popular styles like video games and film scores as concert repertoire for the audience to get involved with which can lead the field into some rather dangerous territory. Yes, we desperately need to educate the audience and bring them into the fold of what we as classical musicians and practitioners know. Yes, we can't assume they know what makes a symphony versus a concerto versus a sonata, etc. It's as much our duty to play the music as it is to lift the audience up into it so they can understand it as we do. The Aurora Orchestra anecdote that you provided is one excellent method to introduce the history, context, and meaning behind the music to the newcomer. It's engaging and enlightening and interactive all at once. That's a great evolution of the Bernstein Young Peoples' Concerts as well as the Britten "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra," which would be an AMAZING piece to continue using as a teaching tool to better understand music. Despite his flaws, that's what Benjamin Zander is so good at doing in the Boston scene: he is a charismatic figure that can discuss music with the audience in a way that makes it demystifying. What isn't the answer is "Play just what the audiences want to hear!" or "Video game and film music all the time!" or "Ignore the Babbitt generation!" Those are throwing your hands up and admitting defeat in the task because it's easier to just do that. There's no lack of precedence for that: The Boston Pops does pop concerts and film scores all the time, lining Symphony Hall and generating massive sales. Do any of them ever return for a mainstage BSO concert? Not many, if any. We're not expanding the audience that way. Playing Beethoven 5 endlessly without breaking down what it means for the newcomer won't engage them. They'll listen for the famous "Fate" motif and then tune out. Audiences don't know Vivaldi past The Four Seasons, and mainly Spring at that. Do we just play that endlessly? No, as that's the same issue as before. Video game scores can draw in an audience for the gamer symphony orchestra. As I did back in my undergraduate, we had one that was student run. It would FILL the hall because the music is recognizable. Not a single audience member aside from music students came back to any other concerts after that one. It's giving AN audience a lollipop and sending them home never to think of you again. I'm not saying NEVER do it, but it's not the ultimate fix. There HAS to be a balance. As with the Babbitt generation, the "Who Cares If You Listen?" article gets a lot of flak. It was originally "The Composer as Specialist," which is a lot less confrontational. The content of the article is also less confrontational. That's what the publisher didn't like about it. It was a publisher change to get outrage and admonishment in order to sell copies. Modern music of that time period can EASILY be explained to the audience as any other type of music. I mean, you watched it with The Rite of Spring. That's a VERY complex piece of music. Not atonal, but it's still highly dissonant and intense. Is there a content difference between that and, let's say, Ligeti's "Atmospheres?" Not really, other than one is "standard rep" and one isn't. I talk with audiences all the time about the music I compose and what I did, and I've rarely had actual bad reactions when I'm able to walk the listener through the process or my thoughts and why I did what I did. Is that not the pre-concert talk of yore? It CAN be done. Just pretend the stigma isn't there and work from square one. I know this a lot to read, but I wonder if this can help the situation, too.

[@bassmaiasa1312]

"Not many, if any." The 'not many' won't ever change into mass market popularity. It's the "if any" that's worrisome. Will the classical niche market disappear? My gateway was the Bach Double at age 11. My teacher dragged us to the ballet on a 'cultural enrichment field trip.' I didn't pay much attention to the ballet. But at one point, I noticed and thought to myself, "the violins are talking to each other.' I looked at the program afterwards. What was that music? Obviously, it was the 'Concerto for Two Violins.' I didn't know what 'concerto' meant but I knew what two violins meant. Fast forward 10 years: my roommate complaining when I listened to classical. One afternoon, I came home to find him listening to Debussy. He knew nothing from French impressionism. "It sounds like a dream," he said. Debussy reached him directly, just like Bach reached me at 11. A journalist asked Duke Ellington 'what is the definition of good music.' Ellington could have bloviated for hours, but instead he quoted Louis Armstrong: "Good music is music that sounds good." Well, Beethoven has no problem meeting the Duke Ellington test. He sounds good. I don't relate to any risk factor for classical music. I'll just say two things: 1. Rick Beato on his monster 'Everything Music' channel says Generation Whatever is just not into any music so much, not even the popular styles. 2. I don't think people need to educated to enjoy Chopin. I think the problem is the stigma of snobbery. Imagine a beautiful mural. Along comes the snob who urinates on the mural, like a dog marks a hydrant. Now everyone who sees the mural forms a Pavlovian connection between the mural and the pissy snob. Even Chopin has difficulty overcoming that smell. It is the duty of classical musicians to stop snobs from pissing on your art form. I am blessed that my first classical music exposure was not to the classical snob, but to those two violins talking to each other and sounding good.

[@PianoturtleX]

The snobbishness associated always bothered me.

[@jixer1956]

I find your view problematic because think what turns people away from classical music is the idea that they need to be educated with special knowledge in order to enjoy it. In my opinion, you do not need to be "in the fold" of what musicians know to enjoy a good concert. You just...listen. While some people might be interested in understanding the musicology and composition of the piece they're hearing, it is definitely not a necessity. The crisis in classical music is on of PR. If people are under the impression they essentially need a degree in music in order to enjoy a classical concert, they're less likely to come. If you can get someone into a concert hall, they generally like what they hear without needing any musicological understanding. People's biases against classical music are usually a product of PR, not that they're too uneducated to understand it. Your view that someone would tune out of Beethoven 5 after the opening bars if they don't understand the musicology indicates how differently professional musicians interact with music compared to how normal people do. Young children engage with music intuitively despite having zero academic knowledge. Music for non-musicians is all about the emotions a piece invokes and you can feel those perfectly fine without needing to understand why. I'm personally a classical music fan who knows squat about the musicology behind my favorite pieces and I have no inclination to change that. It's snobbery like yours that drive people away from this art form.

[@eyvindjr]

I think one major problem is indifference, and lack of true engagement. I have been part of some disgraceful performances and played some awful pieces of music, but you can always expect the minimum of polite applause. It is actually quite sad!

[@ferminleon]

Agreed on all, but let's leave poor Babbit to rest please. From wiki: ""Who Cares if You Listen?" is an article written by the American composer Milton Babbitt (1916-2011) and published in the February, 1958, issue of High Fidelity. Originally titled by Babbitt as "The Composer as Specialist", the article was subsequently retitled by the magazine's editors against his wishes."

[@vgguru39]

Was actually gonna post this. Happy to see other people know it wasn't Babbitt's fault.

[@theodentherenewed4785]

You encouraged me to read the article of mr. Babbit. He compared music to physics, with a view to indicating that a lay person can't comprehend the intricacies of modern music. As this video stated - this opinion failed completely. It's believed that states shouldn't fund arts if they don't serve any public purpose, if the art isn't made for the public. And in Babbit's idea, music belongs to universities, where it could grow more and more complex.

[@vgguru39]

@@theodentherenewed4785 I don't necessarily think it's an incorrect view. I think many styles of music exist for many reasons. I think without the musical advancements of the avantgarde, film scoring and many other aspects of modern music would not be what they are now. It's not all or nothing. There can be music that explores new ideas and music that pulls from the past. Art is full of people with different voices. I completely understand that Ferneyhough will not have the appeal of Hanz Zimmer, but they are targeting different audiences and that's fine.

[@UnexpectedBooks]

@@theodentherenewed4785 Thanks. I was curious about this, too.

[@ferminleon]

@@theodentherenewed4785 I'm happy to hear you read it, you encouraged me to read it again! From where I see it, the article and this video share the same conclusions. Enjoyment of classical music cannot be achieved without educating the public, and we should not expect the public to educate itself. This video's insight is that it is also our responsibility to do so, and not just the universities' as Babbit suggested. The inflammatory title allocated to this article by its editors obscures these commonalities and its positive impact to the classical music communities.

[@Javiermontanespianista]

Totally agree. That's why I always explain briefly the piano pieces that I'm about to play on the stage. The public really appreciates it

[@Dawnmusic]

I've agree, as someone who loves classical music, I hope more people have the chance to appreciate it. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think some game soundtracks have helped people become exposed to classical styles and begin to appreciate it more. Some games are investing heavily in the arts and actually include classical music in their soundtracks. While they do not solely focus on classical style, many people have been introduced to it and some have even been inspired to start learning an instrument. It could be an opportunity for those interested to take a step further into the world of classical music.

[@NealSchultz]

For me it was movie scores that pulled me into classical music - and yes John Williams had a lot to do with it. That moment when I realized that the Main Theme from Jaws was clearly a reference to Rite of Spring (Dance of the Adolescents) I felt like an instant insider. So I can see your point with video game music - although I have had a number of experiences listening first to the score and then wanting to see the movie. The main theme from "Laura" by David Raksin. First I heard the music, then I saw the movie and then I bought the sheet music for the piano etc. This has happened multiple times for me. :-)

[@eyvindjr]

It has been done, many times. It works to catch a different audience for a week, but you can not build an entire season around it. Every orchestra in the world faces the same problem, so I doubt you can come up with something which has not been tried already

[@Dawnmusic]

@@eyvindjr Try looking into Genshin Impact OSTs, they work with the London Symphony Orchestra and as well as other Orchestras around the world to produce soundtracks on a regular basis relating to certain regions, characters or cutscenes in the game. They have definitely invested into their music and already had successful concerts around the world.

[@matheusalmeida2737]

Great video, but I was surprised you didn't touch upon the exorbitant ticket prices for many classical music events. I love classical music and used to go to many concerts and operas in Brazil. Now I’m living in Ireland and I traveled a bit to see some concerts and operas. Unfortunately I can’t go to see some of my childhood dream orchestras and theaters, like the Vienna philharmonic (180€) and Scala di Milano (330€ or 180€ with NO view to the stage). But I’ve seen the stunning Nixon in China with stellar cast for 150€ in Paris and the Oslo philharmonic, seating in the first row for 26€, both very fair prices. I was looking forward to see the new production of Tristan und Isolde in Bayreuther, but tickets were 400€ or 3k€ for the full circle of the Ring des Nibelungen. I think the real solution is public funding (like they are in Brazil, France and Norway) or the orchestras and theaters should be more transparent to justify to the audience these prices.

[@joshgrumiaux6820]

Let's face it, the big institutions like Vienna Phil or La Scala charge exorbitant prices because they can afford to. Their success comes from the elitism, not in spite of an elitist perception. The vast majority of orchestras (the bottom 99%) will do everything they can to fill seats and bring in new audiences, even if it means practically giving away tickets for free. The trick isn't getting a handful of people to spend hundreds of dollars on a ticket; it's convincing hundreds of people to spend $30 on a ticket, even if they spend way more at the movies or sporting events (or ridiculously more at pop concerts). The only way to "save" classical music is to make the product more appealing to a broader audience through education and marketing, as described in the video. Unfortunately, the big-ticket items leaves less-than-wealthy connoisseurs like you out in the cold. They don't need you. But there is plenty of high quality talent to be supported, because public funding is scarce. The unfortunate irony is that most people wouldn't be caught dead at a classical concert no matter what desperate gimmicks the orchestras employ, even if they've never attended in their lives, which makes them more exclusionist than the most expensive opera companies.

[@jeffreykalb9752]

A century ago, musicians played all the time, many performances each week, sometimes two in the same day. They viewed it as a job and were willing to do the drudgery. Now they view it as a special calling and can't be bothered to play more than a few times a month. All practice, no performance. That makes live music very expensive.

[@csieweng]

My country, Malaysia, used to sponsor classical music performances through our petrol income and I could watch an average of once a month. But ticket prices have risen 8 times for the cheapest. I might be able to catch one performance a year from my retirement savings at the cost of other artistic performances that are cheaper.

[@sluggo206]

Why do you need to go to an elite orchestra? OK, you really want to. But that sounds like how big-name pop bands in large stadiums charge $100-200 when innovative bands at 500-person punk venues charge $20. My symphony hall in the US charges $90 for a mid-range seat, and you can probably go lower with a subscription or a secondary event.

[@Ven-7xv]

Last concert I went to had a very prestigious orchestra, (they were amazing) was in a landmark historic hall, was about two hours long and cost me €17 even though I booked two days before and we got good seats. It’s not all unaffordable. But anyway have you seen the price of Taylor swift concerts? They are way more expensive

[@JimCullen]

"Don't assume that people will buy the programme, or even buy the programme." Wow, you have to _buy_ the programme? My local symphony orchestra hands the programmes out for free at the door. They regularly contain a section explaining the music aimed at kids, in addition to the more "adult" section. But even the kids' section does not talk down. They've got a new conductor recently too, who has been excellent. He regularly gives a brief talk about the programme just before the concert begins (this _on top of_ the "pre-concert talk" usually given by one of the musicians an hour before the concert which the orchestra has done for years, but which is really aimed at a more hardcore audience). At the concert I went to last weekend it was especially good, with a talk about the first half of the programme at the start, and then after the intermission he gave another talk including excerpts. The piece was Mozart's 41st symphony, and he went through explaining all the different themes that make up the excellent fugue in the 4th movement. I don't have access to their finances, but looking at the size of audiences when I've attended, it certainly doesn't seem to be the case that they are in need of saving at all.

[@storiesofnotes4059]

Look, I am a jazz musician who came from classical music, and still study it, I can say that the biggest thing that stops me from going into classical music is elitism, but not in the sense that you mentioned. Before I continue, I still study and enjoy classical music alongside jazz, but I have some qualms with the classical music community. In my mind, there is little room for creativity or spirituality in classical music. For example, my personal favourite classical composer is Bach, being a pianist, he is vital for hand independence. However, whilst he was a genius beyond me, far far, beyond me, I don’t always agree with every aspect of his composition. They’re not large things, but occasionally I would change something very subtle in my performances. And my classical teacher would say that people who played like this had “No respect for the music” What? It is precisely because I respect it so much that I am trying to develop it and reshape it honouring the original composers. I’m not saying “Hey my version is better than what Bach wrote” I’m saying that I am going to use this piece to express myself, not anyone else. And this is the point. Why should I be “channeling what Mozart was feeling?” When he’s already done that better than I ever could. But I can still channel me. And what’s the point of playing these pieces again exactly as they have been done thousands of times. What exactly are you contributing? It’s like imagine a poet only recited other peoples poems. In jazz, we play the music of greats from long ago, but we make it our own to where each version is barely recognisable. Now you are contribu something. Sorry I know this was long-winded, but I wanted to give a perspective from an outsider kind of, who’s also a musician

[@mariekuijkenhistoricallyaw2598]

That's the difference between classical and jazz.

[@classicgameplay10]

I agree 100% with your comment. The elitism of classical musicians in general makes it less enjoyable to people. Also, the Cult personality that there is regarding classical composers and their music is stagering. In the end they think that modern music is inferior form of art because it doesnt follow classical conventions. If people back then thought of things like this, people like Beethoven and Wagner would have never existed.

[@classicgameplay10]

@@mariekuijkenhistoricallyaw2598 there is less difference than you think. Improvising, expressing yourself was part of the classical world. Later they starting seeing the score as the bible. Thats why most modern classical musicians cant improvise on a theme or change the music on the spot. But people like Mozart and Bach could.

[@bassmaiasa1312]

But was that just one teacher? I sat in on a master class where the teacher criticized the student for playing 'too perfectly.' Mykola Suk teaches his students "you can play before the beat, on the beat, after the beat. But never the same!" On a recording, I heard Alfred Cortot suddenly double-time the tempo in the middle of the piece. I could find nothing in the score that authorized double-time. Cortot just did it because he felt like it. Pianists violate tempos all the time. I hear this stuff about the "composer's intent" but I suspect it is a make-believe debate in the classical world. Nobody actually obeys the composer, and a few people like to rant about it as if it really was a thing. As a novelist, I can't imagine saying "don't interpret my novel, just read it." But if I did, people would just laugh at me and read what they want into my book anyway. Just because I wrote it doesn't make me the authority on it. I don't see how music would be any different. I'm referencing the famous Ravel quote, but again, I wonder if that quote is a myth. He said it to a student, not to Joseph Hofmann. Was the student cheating and calling it "rubato?"

[@bassmaiasa1312]

@@classicgameplay10 I honestly think you are mixing up classical musicians with classical snobs who don't play. I've never heard any classical musician say modern music is 'inferior.' I've heard Lang Lang, Daniel Barenboim, and Vikingur Olaffson explicitly reject that idea. There's a Lithuanian pianist, Simonas Miknius, a genius I think, who also records his own EDM tracks. The 'cult of personality' is a select group of composers who have survived the test of centuries, based on timeless excellence. Most composers from 100-200 years ago are long forgotten, classical conventions or not, like most pop musicians from 20 years ago. As a non-classical music lover once told me, "there's a reason these people still exist after 200 years."

[@absaelmaldonado297]

That education part is actually really good it makes the experience all the more better. That’s how it was the first time I went to a concert from our symphony orchestra.

[@Jack-hy1zq]

*all the more enjoyable - (because your post is about education, I think you might want to edit it).

[@rockz9783]

another reason might be that the newer generation thinks that classical music is boring, lame, cringe, etc. and only those who have been exposed to classical music at a young age (like me) really listen to it

[@franciskafayeszter4138]

Education is really a game changer. My grandfather somehow saw when I was a toddler, that I have an affinity to music. We lived in two different countries at the time, so I only met him three times a year. Between these times he collected recordings of classical pieces, that can be understood by a child, like Mozart's The Magic Flute or Don Giovanni. They had a clear soundscape and story, so it could be easily explained to a 5 year old. He died when I was 6, so that special "education program" was not too long and still my relationship to classical music was very different, than for example, my classmates'. It reminded me of my grandfather and at the same time it was something familiar (also, my father played classical music in the car every morning, when he brought us to school making it familiar in a passive listening way). This doesn't have to be a unique thing. My little sister, who never even had a chance to meet our grandfather, also recieved a similar kind of education. One of the concert halls in our city offered a special program, targeted to children. It was similar to what our grandfather did: they played pieces, that kids could understand, first going through step by step, introducing them to the composer, the instruments, the story, etc. and in the end they played the whole piece. The tickets where relatively cheap (it was barely more than 1 ticket for 2 people: a child and an adult, so it was basically free for the kids), to make it affordable to a wider audience. I went with my little sister one time, when my grandmother and parents couldn't. They played Pictures of an Exhibition and it was great! They showed the actual pictures that inspired Mussorgsky (at least the ones still available), they showed the sections separatly on the piano and in the end, they played the orchestrated version by Ravel (they also showed a few excerpts from other versions as well). They didn't dumbed it down, they kept it interesting and also paid attention to the shorter attention spans of a concert hall full of very young Gen Z kids. This way they learned what they are hearing, what they should listen to and they weren't exhausted, because they had enough breaks (I think it was every 20 minutes). In the end they sat through the whole piece in silence. My sister still enjoys classical music.

[@stevenho660]

A Kronos quartet concert they put a big screen in the background with the score scrolling as they played. I guess it could be distracting but I loved seeing the the music. Throw in some text bits that gives you a roadmap of the piece, that would engage the audience even more.

[@christophermaccarthy]

Yeah, I find scores are a good thing to look at when I’m first listening to the piece. They just make it easier to hear the other parts. The only problem is, does that rest of the audience know how to read a score? It would be easy to learn as you don’t need read like a musician if you’re only following along, but I wonder if new people would find it as useful? Perhaps some new audience members might find it intimidating also. But overall a good idea.

[@csieweng]

I think another screen that shows close-ups of relevant musicians or the musical mood, as how a good camera control switcher would do, can add to our enjoyment and understanding of what's going on as well.

[@sluggo206]

Some KZbin videos show the running score, so that would give an idea what it's like to see. Kronos may have done it as a special feature of their unique style.

[@dactylntrochee]

Kronos had a good package. They had a weekly radio show. They did all kinds of music, and probably not in movements over eight or ten minutes long. I remember that show fondly.

[@zemlidrakona2915]

Personally I think if you are going to introduce classical music to kids, play them something that sounds like an epic movie soundtrack. In other words something that they can relate to more. If you had to play a Shostakovitch symphony, I might start them out with 12, but maybe shorter form music is better.

[@Batmans_Pet_Goldfish]

Or play Chopin's Nocturnes every night when they go to bed.

[@waichui2988]

Watch a video of Andre Rieu concert and you see one way to save classical music.

[@officialwintur]

Yeah movie scores to me is just evolved version of classical music

[@Bvic3]

Exactly. Epic and melancholic classical music are still fresh. Tons of other old genra aged poorly. Also, don't segregate old and new. Put Nier Automata next to XIX century epic operas.

[@davecook8378]

Nobody starts their experience of Shostakovich with No. 12. You're a crazy person.

[@TheJH1015]

my mum often told me that back in her youth (early 70s), her music education started with the class listening to Prokofiev's Peter And The Wolf, and after listening having to describe who or what they thought each instrument represented and what the piece was about. Fast forward 35 years during MY youth and the only music education in school I got was watching videos about the instruments of the symphonic orchestra along with some traditional folk instruments from different cultures, and singing along to some songs that were only made for the sake of singing along... Luckily I was already classically trained because I had been active in local wind bands like my parents, to the point *I* had to teach the rest of the class base music script reading skills and listening to musical cues because the teacher had no clue how anything of it worked.

[@mechanussunrise]

I grew up watching videos of Peter and the Wolf with those instrument explanations. I was probably between 5 and 8 and it started a love of classical. This was more important for me than learning about themes or development.

[@MrPianoism73]

I do like classical music, but I actually think your 2nd point is more important your 1st point about education. I never had to take a class on rock to like it at a concert, and I don't expect a rapper to walk me through every song. And yeah a lot of those have artists with words, but people seemed to love a Rodrigo y Gabriela concert. I think it's the personal connection to classical music that is lacking. The creator of the music may have been dead for hundreds of years, so the performing artists need to bring the human connection to the present. I do agree about the education during the concert and packaging is helpful, even if it's just a little bit. I'll add one more thing. In my hometown, there's a very successful concert series at our main capitol building where people can picnic for free in the evening. It's so packed people lay down picnic blankets the morning of the concert to secure a spot. I think it shows people enjoy classical music, but to your point there's an appeal that needs to be made to more casual music lovers that is missing from other classical music events.

[@threethrushes]

Right. I've had no formal music education and I discovered classical music, rap, rock, no problem.

[@NikolaNevenov86]

As a person who likes classical music, and spent many student nights listening to classical pices(I never remembered their names since all were "track x"), what got me off from the few concerts I've been, is the virtuoso pices where it's like a show off on technical skill...a kind of jazz gibberish that make no sense, but is super hard to execute. I like melodies that have stories behind them. That invoke images. That's why I listen a lot to film music.

[@davidrondeau1979]

My son, who is 12, has recently got into Mozart because Requiem in D minor was used in a meme. The same goes for ride of the Valkyries, although he prefers Mozart to Wagner . Kids are just introduced to music in a different way today. I got into classical music through film scores. This has motivated me to take my kids to a classical concert.

[@teacake_94]

Another argument that is the case for me and maybe many others (not sure tho) is that now you can just find your favourite recording of a piece, blast it at full volume on your speakers and probably get a better listening experience for free than most concerts could deliver. I attended a performance of Die Walkure last year and overall it was a wonderful experience but I have to confess I was initially quite disappointed at the power of the orchestra in comparison to my headphones going at full volume. Great video though, I totally agree with basically all your points and I do hope it helps.

[@ethanmundt]

I compose classical inspired instrumental music and I hope that the genre makes a comeback and people start appreciating it again.

[@jeffreykalb9752]

Only if you actually compose good music.

[@daccrowell4776]

​@@jeffreykalb9752And that would happen to be what, exactly?

[@SquareyCircley]

Your solutions all ring true with me. I'm just a normal guy who buys a few CDs and attends a few concerts a year. It was educational content like yours helping me know what to listen for that got me started listening and enjoying. And it was social media 'celebrity' soloists giving me a connection that first got me to the concert hall. And yeah, I looked up clothing and stuff before I went cus I had the same (wrong) expectations you mentioned.

[@AlistairKiwi]

I'm 60, & when I was a kid at boarding school, many Stravinsky ballets were on NZ radio. So Rite of Spring, Firebird, etc, were normal. But, we'd studied these. Old school New Zealand.

[@elizabethkenobi1365]

Omg you're so right! I take for granted that I grew up with parents who introduced me to classical/symphonic music, having befriended musical nerds and geniuses who introduced THEM. Introduction is so important, and like everything these days, parents and schools can't be relied on anymore. So we need someone to take that on, and Bernstein understood this. I want to try to get this out to my local symphony orchestra!

[@Mr_Classical]

I think, in addition to education, we have to consider upbringing and social circles. I am a good example, I was my father's firstborn, and he played baroque and classical music for me every day for as long as I can remember (in addition to other genres as well). If not this fact alone made me love classical music, it certainly enhanced it. My youngest sister, however, never got exposed much to it, and certainly not nearly as much as I did, I'd say barely at all. She got more accustomed to more modernized music, although she did love more traditional music, especially when she was younger and home by herself in her room. However, as she started growing up, in new social circles, her music taste got more modernized, TikTok, KZbin, Instagram, you name it. Her interest for classical and more old school 80s / 90s music slowly faded, HOWEVER, it never died, she still likes it when she listens to it, it's just that she usually don't listen to it, as she is more accustomed to what's "hip" these days. She absolutely loves it when I play a good classical tune on the piano, especially if it is fast-paced, and has some good vibes to it. So my personal belief is that your upbringing and your social network has a lot to say. What is mainstream is what people go after first, because it is a sort of "safe haven", where you don't stick out of the crowd. I think we need to increase the use of classical music in social media, so it is on par with modern music. That being advertisements, short videos, longer videos, documentaries, radio, and movies / TV series, etc. Yes, it has already been done, but the exposure is WAAAY too low compared to modern music. We need more of it!

[@daccrowell4776]

Bollocks. The first several years of my childhood was spent living in a cinder block and tar paper shack by the Radnor Yards in Nashville. There was even a coal yard immediately behind our property. By your rationale, the fact that I wound up studying with Stockhausen many years later shouldn't have happened. The idea that "class" and "social standing" are critical to the process of minting new composers is patently ridiculous, as is the concept that classical music can only be appreciated by the "proper" society strata. Both of those really make me bristle.

[@Mr_Classical]

@@daccrowell4776 I think your reply makes zero sense. Exposure is the one key to what makes humans more aware and curious about something. Do the math. Someone who is more exposed to something will WITHOUT DOUBT have that more in mind than anyone who is less exposed to it. Even a 5 year old could grasp that fact. Of course everyone is different, but in the grander scheme of things, exposure does really make a difference.

[@MrGombie555]

@@daccrowell4776 He never said that music cannot be appreciated by anyone but the "proper" class of society. You dictated your own thoughts and assumed that is what he said. He is clearly talking about the importance of exposure so classical music doesn’t get overshadowed by every other musical genre there is, and therefore wither away. Pay attention to what he wrote!

[@daccrowell4776]

​@@MrGombie555Well, yes, I did read what was written. And I do agree that exposure is critical. But my observations across around 55 years of music training and composition and the like tell me that there IS a class stratification with classical music, and that it's rather insidious. Many people presume that the scenario presented above is the "norm" for how one experiences classical music. I've watched it constantly contract from how exposure was achieved when I was still a kid (via student symphony concerts and substantial classes in music in the late 1960s and throughout the 70s), and much of the participation from that period has fallen off due to the gradual defending and "non-essential nature" of music in education that became the norm through the 1980s and on. I'm inclined...again, by observation...to link the decline in classical music to the erosion of the middle class in many parts of the world. And also, to ideas that meritocracy should guide society and all efforts to broaden the middle class should cease. No, the OP on this part of the thread wasn't being ignored by me, and I fully understand what they're saying. But I'm looking at this from the standpoint of a participant, and saying that while exposure is extremely important, the opportunities FOR exposure are slowly being eliminated due partly to class stratification. So while it's a nice idea that the above might've been more of the norm, the fact remains that as the middle class collapses, stories like the above are becoming rarer. So it's essential...to me, at least...that we stop pretending that that's how it works "now" and that those of us who DO care about music and its importance push harder to get things back to where the above takes place as a common occurrence.

[@Mr_Classical]

@@daccrowell4776 Well if that is the case, then we were in an agreement all this time. I completely agree that the erosion of the middle class plays a substantial role in all of this, and I wasn’t aware that my case was so rare. I suppose that is a note to myself. I think I assumed that it was common for many people of my generation to be better “trained” in classical music (while the middle class were still intact), compared to the upcoming generation. The problem is that it has become a pretty much universally accepted thing that classical music is for “the upper class”. I am truly dreaming about a time when anyone, anywhere can enjoy classical music to their hearts full extent, without all the fear and assumptions about it. Essentially we need to figure out how to stop the erosion of the middle class, which is no easy task. Therefore one might ask if there are other alternatives, as we are starting to run out of time.

[@threethrushes]

I've been going to classical music concerts for 25 years across Europe (London, Vienna, Prague, St. Petersburg) and they are almost always packed. The crowd is always full of middle-aged and older people - and it has been that way forever it seems. They have time, disposable income, and the desire to enjoy great music.

[@T-J-S]

I am 15, and I love classical music. I put it in the background most of the time, and enjoy my time listening to it for a long time aswell. I sometimes keep listening to a single piece over and over again to understand it well. I don't get why it is hated by many, for me, it is what keeps me a sane person. Just listen to Rachmaninoff's 3rd Concerto, my current favourite piece (since they always change based on how much time I spend listening to a new piece. I really love the way they played the Rite of Spring! There should always be something before the concert which explains and teaches the people about the music, for example, letting the generally uneducated audience know what a movement is. I recently went to listen to Brahms Symphony 1, and I had only fully listened to it two times before. I didn't enjoy it as much as if I had heard it 10 times before, but I enjoyed all of it, and let all the music get ino me. I usually listen to something and think "this is so genius and I really love it", while others don't understand anything. Thanks for making this video! I really loved it

[@danielvandommele1204]

13:30 true, I always took Sonata form for granted but when I finally understood how they really worked it made the pieces so much more interesting!

[@katttttt]

Where did you get to know how the form works?

[@danielvandommele1204]

@@kattttttFrom this same channel actually!

[@mikebauer6917]

Musical instruments of any sort are waning in popular music. Your point about dress code and other expectations being made clear is a wise viewpoint. I live 500 m from Lincoln Center in NYC and rarely go there. And I play music for fun (guitar) and listen to a range of music (including classical) every day. Why I don’t go? I’m not sure. I attend a couple of music performances and broadway shows every year. I guess I don’t know what to expect at a concert and feel that it’s not my crowd? Ridiculous I know.

[@csieweng]

Maybe going with like-minded people helps.

[@commentingchannel9776]

​@@csiewengDefinitely. It feels kind of bad to be the youngest person in an entire section of seats, but go with a friend or two and it's a completely different story.

[@LISZT-]

I am 14 years old and I still enjoy classical music (Debussy, Ravel, Bach) :D

[@baritone_vocalist]

I feel like what we need to do is to make classical music more accessible through mainstream media such as videogames and movies.

[@forsaken841]

Moar Vivaldi in John Wick. So good.

[@feedeevit]

This. I'm 100x more likely to listen to a piece if I know it from a movie / TV show / videogame. It gets engrained in my mind, it connects the music to another enjoyable experience and when I wanna relive that moment, I can just listen to the music, standalone. For those reasons, I'm much more likely to visit a concert of John Williams' music rather than Beethoven's music.

[@Checkmate1138]

That's already incredibly common. Classical music perforates all of the fabric that is mainstream media, though of course it is not as prominent as you might think. But from 2001 A Space Oddessy to your average TV commercial or mall background music, Classical Music will always have a place in society.

[@Checkmate1138]

Plus, the answer to your question is "John Williams"

[@DeathScyther006]

The majority of Film and Video Game music falls into the category colloquially known as Classical

[@nywicks]

TwoSet Violin educates (as well as entertains) those new and familiar to classical music. They sell out their world tour concerts where the average age of their audience is under 30. The comedy part may not be for everyone but they’re bringing in new audiences for this genre. I watched Michael Tilson Thomas with the SFS (Keeping Score) explain the Rite of Spring. It made me want to see it performed live which I eventually did.

[@johnchessant3012]

Great message! Here in Pittsburgh, our symphony orchestra has already started to do this with a series of 3-4 concerts per year in a similar vein as the concert you described at 9:28. The conductor and soloist discussed the piece a bit before each movement, and at one point they put the soloist's (pre-written, of course) thoughts on the screen while he was playing. So cool! For the contemporary piece we got the composer to go up on stage and say a few words too.

[@sluggo206]

That's like at film festivals where the director comes to say a few words before or after the film.

[@ianorr1388]

How to save classical music: make more of it

[@CheyenneSedai]

Shoutout to Two Set Violin and Ray Chen for making classical music super accessible with their videos! edit: I listen to a lot of classical music, in fact, I knew it would be my top category for my Spotify wrapped, but because of the sheer amount of different recordings, and who a piece is credited to in the app, the relatively few in comparison of a single artist (Taylor Swift) took the top artist spot, if not the genre one.

[@SonataSecrets]

Great video! Can't agree more with all points on engaging education and packaging in general. But also the "product" at the core, of listening intently for a longer time to nothing else than musical sounds, feels more and more at odds with our times in general. I don't really know what to do about that - maybe some combination of both resistance and acceptance of an evolution into the next era (as with all other cultural forms as well).

[@Overandout19]

Remember that the audience of a Liszt or Chopin concert was mostly composed (no pun intended) of young women. Orchestras are governed by boards of trustees who what to see a ROI and couldn’t care less about the social functions of an orchestra (or music). They think that by stubbornly standing by their outdated recipes they can wait until yet another critical moment blows over. But they have other jobs than music… Without massive government funding classical music is dead.

[@held2157]

100% agree

Yes. The solution in this video is desperate and false. Education won't solve the issue. Music has always been founded by Churches and by Statesmen. History tells us that classical musicians are the servants of the most rich people. So, this people miss their target by going after the masses with classical propaganda, and they'll get frustrated because it won't work. I'm studying orchestral conducting and I tell you I am not afraid a bit about the future of classical music. On the contrary, the best days might be ahead!

[@TimeTravelReads]

I saw a singer do a concert once at my college. He did the education you're speaking of. He talked about why each song was important to history and to him personally. I still have fond memories of that concert.

[@bhag628]

This is universally true in every culture. Classical forms of music in many cultures are increasingly becoming museum pieces that don’t correlate to a modern context. They aren’t fresh or relatable. People don’t buy paintings, they don’t attend classical concerts, they don’t own anything of heirloom quality, they don’t live in homes with artisanal accents or see architecture that is anything beyond utilitarian. The classical world is fading, not just classical music. Late stage capitalism 🤷‍♂️ People’s lives generally just don’t have much artistic or cultural quality in them. But did the massive majority of people who made up the peasantry at the time of classical music’s hayday really interact with art very much either? I also think that the place of Western classical music is overblown. There’s a lot of fascinating and artistically valuable music out there, and I don’t think symphonic music deserves to be at its center, just one of many.

[@DarkShadow-tx8mo]

I think it's a really big problem that most people don't know that so much of the music they listen everyday comes from classical music., whether it's playing in the background of a video, movie or a mall. I had absolutely no idea that while watching Hyouka, I was listening to music composed by Bach but never knew until I actively started listening to Bach. People need to know that the piece playing in the background of a short was composed by Mozart, Vivaldi, Grieg or Offenbach to appreciate it. They need to know that the Christmas music they listen to so much was composed by Tchaikovsky. They need to know that the score of their favourite movies is inspired by music composed by Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Holst, Stravinsky, Chopin or Korngold; their favourite songs sample pieces composed by Bach, Paganini or Liszt; and that their favourite video games like Minecraft have music heavily inspired by composers like Satie. We need more media that can introduce youngsters to classical music. If I never watched Your Lie In April, I would never come to appreciate Chopin's Ballade No.1 as I can now. The problem is not that most people have never listened to classical music, it's that they don't know they have listened to so much classical music. Its why to me, Rachmaninoff's music has this really familiar feeling to it. I'm still trying to find where I heard Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini for the first time.

[@anlingitalia]

It’s in the movie Somewhere in Time

[@DarkShadow-tx8mo]

@@anlingitalia I haven't watched it so no

[@gimenezagustin]

Hello, im from Argentina, i've got 21 years old and I suscribed to your channel about 3 or 4 years ago. I dont go to concerts because i've got no money 😅 but its one of my dreams. I hope Classical music manage its way to survive and more than that, become popular again. It's such a shame that people of my age don't know how to value this wonderfull expression of the human soul that classical music is.

[@everab1209]

Vaya, Argentina debe estar muy mal como para que no puedas pagarte un concierto :/. Si en europa la música clásica tiene poco público, aquí en latam es menos

[@ultimateconstruction]

21st century is the worst thing that has ever happened to humanity... It's unbelievable how much people have degraded in like 50 years.....

[@BigBeety]

I'm also from Argentina. There are a lot of free or cheap options to go enjoy classical music here.

[@liam5075]

Really good content, as aways. You are surely doing your part on saving classical music!

[@JerryEboy69]

The issue these days is the lack of “high class.” The major component of classical music is the classiness, which people these days lack appreciation for. Also, I totally agree with education. In the past, (it seems to make sense that) music teachers taught classical music more than these days. Nowadays, we don’t see much classical activity in schooling, causing interest deficit

[@riccardo50001]

I've been worried about this for years. When I watch American's Got Talent and see these massive audiences, or a rock concert and consider if any of them are being taught anything about classical music. I remember very distinctively one of first musis teachers play one work at the beginning of some classes. I'm a classical/opera/theater singer and voice teacher. Of course, most students want to learn pop music. I do it, but it doesn't give me as much pleasure as classical, but I have earn.

[@LongshanMusic]

YES, YES, YES!!!!!!!! I am weeping with passion and gratitude for this video. I agree, but I think you are too conservative here. We need to tackle the issue of classism more deeply. We need to make it feasible for that segment of the working class that is struggling, to fall in love with classical music concerts. We need to send our orchestras out to the people more. There are so many changes we could make that would help give the message that "Classical music is music FOR YOU!!" Or, that "Your city's orchestra IS YOUR ORCHESTRA, AND THEIR JOBS EXIST TO SERVE YOU." But I don't agree, in theory, that orchestras should be run "like a business." Businesses need to make money; an orchestra should be a public service, like a library or hospital. They are a resource that, in theory, benefit us all, because culture improves the quality of our lives-especially the collective quality of our life. This is such a great message from you-THANK YOU!!! 📯

[@csieweng]

Yes, public service. Music will always be a source of comfort and expression. Essential to our well-being. Not a commercial commodity.

[@Nilmand]

I felt uneasy for most of the video because of this, ngl

[@bigalexg]

when I was a tiny kid, just a toddler, my dad used to play Beethoven's violin concerto on his den stereo, over and over, and I sat at the bottom of the stairs entranced by it. No fancy introduction was needed. It simply sounded amazing to my young ears, and that love has stayed with me ever since. Point being? Maybe kids need to be exposed to accessible classical music when they are very young to get it in their blood? Not sure how this helps solving our problem here but I wonder how many lovers of classical music picked up the love later in life compared to those who had early, familial immersion. I think another avenue might be movies and TV shows that use classical appropriately in the context of the story. Music really hits you in the gut when it comes in a powerful literary/cinematic context.

[@samuelstephens6163]

I became a classical junkie at 16 and olayed it around my siblings. We played video games with it on. They still got into rock and pop, but classical never left them and the other day my youngest sisters attended a Brahms chamber concert without my knowledge. They didn't even invite me!

[@enjoyclassicalmusic6006]

Well said! The fact you usually have to buy the concert brochure shows the lack of thought given to education in concerts...

[@ralucascona9277]

Great video and I agree with your points. What I would also say regarding concerts for newcomers is to showcase shorter pieces - a 1h symphony will be overwhelming to most new people. I feel symphonies are generally too long and complex for new audiences. Instead, having pieces of 5-10 mins with an introductory explainer for each one I think would be much more enjoyable and accessible.

[@brandonacker]

You completely nailed it. Brilliant video 👏 👏 👏

[@nopalitosms]

I agree 100% with you. I´m professional musician, educator, composer, conductor and music producer in Mexico. I own a music university school with students involved in many kinds of popular music genres. However we succesfully introduced them in classical music through engaging them, giving information about the works, musical forms, composers and many facts around the creation of these pieces of art. I can say that all our students enjoys classical music today, even they are mainly interested in popular music, just because they received an engaging education. Thank you for exposing all your ideas, it is very important to preserve musical culture.

[@MSchultheis]

Thanks for highlighting the importance of music education in school. As a teacher myself I see how much depends on the engagement of individual teachers to inspire your students. In fact, much can be achieved if you are passionate. However there is still too few cooperation between the professional world of theatre and concerts and school!

[@chamone28]

Amazing video, I hope more people can adopt these views, and I appreciate all the effort you make on your amazing videos 🙂

[@olympian3]

I’ve always been a fan of 80s and 90s pop and rock, and found pop music since has become less complex. Recently I have been delving into classical and it fills a gap for me.

[@AmbientSpirit-nh7ir]

When I was studying in the ECU music program, I remember being discouraged when I wrote music for what you might call "the common listener." And the pieces I was writing were specifically for performance. I feel that that can also be a problem. As a composer, I actually enjoy writing music that sounds pleasant and is easily accessible. However, in academia, I was steered toward writing Schoenberg-style works of great difficulty for both the performer AND the listener. When studying in my 20s at Wilkes University, it was the same. An instructor of mine had a music group called "Twitch". They performed Some of his original works and other ultra-modern, proportionally notated works that were full of sound effects and screaming...etc. The majority of audience left at the intermission during the concerts. Many were first time concert goers. It was actually a riot, but definitely not a great introduction to the art form. lol

[@fireball1066]

@AmbientSpirit-nh7ir: By music for the "common listener," do you mean melodic music, more in the style of, say, Borodin or Grieg? If so, I agree. I think melody is inherently pleasing and relatable because it operates emotionally rather than intellectually. Those composers got their basic themes from folk music, which typically has strong melodic lines that are practically instantly memorable. Good melodies are very hard to come up with. In my experience, I can't make a melody because I want to in that moment, or by intelletualizing it. When inspiration strikes (which I have no control over), I have to at least get some notes down to capture the idea before I forget it. Inspiration can happen anywhere (not always at the piano!). Sometimes I've just quickly jotted down note letters in the right sequence, writing them up or down on scratch paper to indicate pitch. I'll use commas to indicate a pause (e.g., a half note gets two commas).

[@AmbientSpirit-nh7ir]

@@fireball1066 Yes, that's exactly what I mean by common listener! Yes, I also find that good melodies can be difficult to come up with. I've written ton of atonal stuff through the years and actually, I find it fairly easy, but a really great melody; in my opinion, I haven't written very many if any at all. Have you tried a voice recorder to remember melodies? I usually carry one everywhere. When that moment hits, that's how I capture it.

[@fireball1066]

@@AmbientSpirit-nh7ir I don't like the sound of my voice! Writing notes is quickest and easiest for me. It's good practice, too, for keeping my sense of relative pitch in tune.

[@AmbientSpirit-nh7ir]

@@fireball1066Well, can't say I like mine either! Good point about relative pitch. Sibelius spoiled me when I comes to my inner ear.

[@fireball1066]

@@AmbientSpirit-nh7ir What also helps in figuring out a tune I'm developing is to regularly play major and natural minor scales in the head or, better still, to mentally play various intervals from famous songs (m2 = movie Jaws, octave = Somewhere Over the Rainbow, P5 = Star Wars, and so on). But if home, I'll just hit record on a keyboard. As for music composition professors, I can only speculate that they talk theory so much because to admit that moments of inspiration are what drive good music making runs counter to all they've been taught. (Maybe it's too populist?) Literature offers a glimpse at how this operates. English profs can parse novels and themes endlessly, and this serves the purpose of understanding the literature very well. But while there is considerable value in having that understanding, few have written great literature themselves. If you like melody, I strongly recommend listening mostly to what you consider the very best melodies. My theory is that too much listening to "the merely good" dulls the sharp impulse needed to make a great song.

[@josa720]

This was one of the rare longer videos in which I waited until it was done before reading the comments section. And this essay could have been twice as long - with more reasons for classical music's decline in interest, to its current state, to what needs to be done down the road. Concert halls are large pieces of prime real estate, for example. How do you get children to dedicate 20 years to violin and then join an orchestra while their peers are coding the next A.I. engine? And who's going to teach them and pay for that teacher? Will we still have an accessible Public Broadcasting System to send the occasional free concert to our living rooms? And what about competition from the other classical arts? There are so many more roads to go down. This was just the start.

[@HoH]

Thanks for making a video about this.

[@charne]

I agree about a lot of things you said. As a Frenchman living in Toulouse, I may have experienced a piece of the solution. I went to several Jean-François Zygel piano and orchestra concerts, and I have to say those are some of the best classical music shows I've been to, even for newcomers. I think the formula of these concerts has a lot to do with their success across all ages. One of his best performances in my opinion was for a 'composers going green' concert, in which he features a part of the Moldau by Smetana, among other carefully chosen excerpts, with easy-to-understand, often funny context presentation between every piece and explanations about the composer's choices to represent nature. He has a great sense of passion and connection with the crowd that comes to his concerts. That change in the format of a classical music concert may well be a piece of the solution.

[@michaelfierman3256]

I will suggest that the school should have taken a close look at the upcoming programs and chosen a concert that had a higher chance of engaging with a young uninformed audience. Let’s feed a little Mozart perhaps as the appetizer?

[@isabellesmahmoud6832]

Such a refreshing and inspiring perspective especially as a high school student passionate about classical music

[@gjs9366]

Brilliant video, excellent argument. Wishing you all the best!

[@PabloGambaccini]

I think the problem is to continue seeing music as an spectacle instead of a shared practice. I think the answer is going to the organic/sharing way of experiencing music. I organise for example mini concerts with my piano students once a month and it helps them to connect with music making and other music lovers. We make very small groups (5 to 10 people) but I think the main pro of this is vicinity, agency and regularity. The death of accademic music is not a material problem but an spiritual one.

[@mochachinospears]

More orchestral music is being recorded and consumed now than anytime in history through film/tv/games. The orchestras that incorporate this in their programming (alongside historical canon) will be the ones that succeed!

[@inyourgame6131]

Yes, but the whole agruement is about the fading of *classical* music, not orchestral music. Orchestras are still being written to this day, but classical music risk.

No. Sooner would film music dissapear, rather than the pieces of the classical canon.

[@MonnyArcade]

I agree some of the best, most accessible concerts ive been to have had a "compere" who has introduced pieces with funny anecdotes about their conception etc; it makes a difference!

[@Natesaquatics]

Such a well made video. A problem I glanced over but this broke it down and offered solutions to a problem I didn’t think was extraordinarily seriousz

[@Jantango]

Classical music is alive and well here in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the home of the famous Teatro Colon with concerts, operas, and ballets from March to December annually. I already have several concerts on my agenda this month, and all of them are free. Teatro Colon sells subscriptions, but they have free concerts as well. Orchestra concerts are live streamed on KZbin to make them available to a worldwide audience. I'm grateful for the opportunity to attend so many excellent concerts here. I began my music education attending youth concerts of the Chicago Symphony during the 1950s and watching Bernstein's programs on television. I started with private piano lesson at 8, then studied oboe from age 14 and played in a symphony orchestra in Chicago. Now in my 70s, concerts are a priority for me. Music feeds my soul.

[@larslaugesen8381]

I was introduced to classic music when I was around 5-6 when I listened to audiobooks. Back then you could get them with a booklet and a tape for a tape recorder. Then one I remember the most was R. L. Stevenson's "Treasure Island" and the music played fitted in with what happened in the story. As an example when the pirates go looking for Flints treasure and find a skeleton of one of Flints crew pointing to were the treasure is buried the music playing is Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy". It gives a feeling or sense of eeriness and mystery. Another one was "The Wind in the Willows". When Toad escapes from prison and the police are in pursuit the Wilhelm Tell overture is played in the background, which gives a sense of expediency. So again what happened in the story was reflected in the music choice, it reinforced the story to make it more engaging . That was my first experience with "classical" music. But then the choices you had to make then where limited to what you could buy in the store, both tapes and later CD's. Now the choices you have are basically unlimited and I think that has a paralyzing effect on people who don't know but would like to try.

[@pippip8744]

I only seriously started listening about ten years ago after visiting a doctor about panic attacks. He had suggested listening to Classical music. I appreciate his advice still as it worked better than the wretched tablets he gave me that went in the bin fairly soon. I am bewildered by the naming conventions and have no musical theory knowledge to speak of. I just enjoy it. Perhaps with so many stressed out people, some prescriptions for Chopin might not be such a bad idea and may broaden appeal and help soothe some jangled nerves. The comments in here are excellent and I have really enjoyed reading everyone's perspectives. Thank you everyone. Its really nice to be in a comment thread with so many clear thoughts and correct spellings. Its kind is in short supply.

[@zapveresepa1]

Thanks for making this video.

[@tutubism]

Classical music's influence & presence can still be felt in pop culture like videogames & films (and some forms of popular music) so it has not yet lost it's relevance. I think the biggest issue for most people and probably myself with performing classical music in a live setting apart from the dress code & expensive prices is the fact that it takes place indoors & is mostly sedentary. Sitting in a crowded room for a long period of time while listening to a lengthy piece can drive anyone insane! Pop or rock music concerts (especially rave/electronic dance or metal festivals) are more active & has bigger open spaces. I think that's it's biggest appeal & advantage over classical. The audience are able to interact with their environment. (e.g. stand, dance or sing) along to the music which makes it more fun & engaging. Depending on the location, being outdoors matched with physical movement/activities can improve well being & is also beneficial for our health so those are pros i would also consider.

[@FOXHOUND1871]

Ditch trying to be modern and avant-garde and go back to being actually good and beautiful.

[@chordsforchrist1920]

Besides more music education which definitely should have!! Parents, raise your children listening to classical music! I am a pianist currently pursuing a music education degree and neither of my parents are musicians they just exposed me to classical music from a young age. It was in baby Einstein and many other cartoons/ things I watched. It’s that simple it gives them an appreciation for music. Even classical music. ❤ I think my parents listening to all sorts of music really developed my love for music and that’s part of why I became a pianist. Don’t underestimate the power you have as a parent!

[@ChiefHerzensCoach]

great thoughts. in my town each year the orchestra made like 2 concerts for pupils for free and in the early afternoon. and they explained about the music e.g. in a symphonie they played the first and second theme of the first part. and explained the form etc. and it was shorter pieces and easier to hear and recognize structures etc. it helped newbees not to get lost.

[@briantorres3559]

Just wait for my first symphony man! I can help bring the hype back!

[@tamed4171]

Same here! I can't wait to hear yours

[@briantorres3559]

@@tamed4171 Currently only have one piece in my youtube since I take forever to compose, but at least the first movement is done, haha!

[@thebeltingbalaclava4798]

I don't think there is anything wrong with classical music being elitist. That doesn't mean you have to be wealthy to listen to it, simply that you view yourself as somewhat apart from the masses. This in and of itself gives the music an added layer of appeal.

[@Johnnywanton]

Let's be honest plenty of other music subcultures have their own form of elitism where if you don't look or act a certain way you're not seen as part of that culture. But people only seem to relate elitism to highbrow activities.

[@Syarikat]

Good points. I remember a performance of Gassmann’s l’Opera Seria (which is, ironically, a comical opera) where the audience got a pre-concert presentation with some preview fragments, a summary of the plot and a few explations about puns in the libretto. I worked great, especially since there were transate lyrics projected above the stage in real time. I went with two friends who were pretty much new to classical music and who had a distorted impression of opera. The ‘packaging’ however enabled them to thoroughly enjoy the performance and sparked their interest in hearing more classical music.

[@operaanna]

I loved this video, thank you so much for sharing this. I pre-ordered Aubrey Bergauer's book and am currently making my way through it. I've already been so inspired by her messages on Instagram and as a singer turning to classical music marketing, ALL of the points you made resonated with me so much. We have to stop assuming that 'the music speaks for itself' and if we just get people to come, they will love it 🦄 I even got some ideas for making my own videos on KZbin even more accessible, even though that's been my mission from day one! We can always improve how we connect to our audiences, and we have to if we want to help this art form thrive and continue its longevity. (also I CACKLED at your mention of the "famous opera house" that shares memes... 99% sure I know which you're talking about, and not that they're not connecting with *some* people, but I'm almost certain it's not with potential opera goers.)

[@peterfeltham5612]

Watch Leonard Bernstein and learn how to present Classical music to the younger generation.Keep it simple and do not try to be too clever.

[@officialwintur]

Isn’t the celebrity part is what helped Beethoven and Mozart? For me I rather go to a concert where Hans zimmer is playing or conducting because it is his music being played.

[@angeliktusv2280]

This is so true and so right on so many levels.

[@traininthebutt7215]

This reminds me a lot about the Harvard Jazz lectures. Super engaging. Learning makes you want to listen.

[@Cancoillotteman]

I didn't know the cycle started in classical music. The cycle of : - Do a deconstructive art - Get backlash - Blame audience for said backlash - Tell your audience you don't care if they come back to your art -Cry because no one comes to your art

[@held2157]

THIS ⬆️

[@A.J314]

Fun fact: More people go to classical music concerts in Germany than to Football matches.

[@zxbc1]

One major potential solution that is missing here, which is also a big personal attraction of classical music to myself, is the "film score gateway drug". For me, I only really got into classical music after hearing Tristan und Isolde prelude from the intro to the Lars Von Trier film "Melancholia". It was a completely eye (ear?) opening experience, because it introduced me to an entire classical period that heavily incorporated dissonance (which previously I thought was incompatible for classical music). I suspect that many people who would love certain aspects of classical music simply are not aware of its existence, because of how much music there is, and how little the mainstream utilizes and popularizes it. Most people associate classical music with "boring", "background" and "calm" whereas so much of it isn't any of those things. In this respect, film score is not only a gateway, but a direct descendent of the post romantic period of classical music, with direct influences found in the most famous composers like John Williams. There have been film concerts, where they showed films like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars and play the entire score in one concert, and they have been immensely popular. Not only does it foster the kind of "focused" listening habit in young/modern listeners, it introduces aspects of the classical music previously unknown to them. These concerts can be expanded to include not just the film score, but also classical music that are in the same style, or is direct influence to the score itself. For example, it isn't difficult to imagine a film score concert that headlines "Star Wars by John Williams" and together with a section of pieces from Holst's The Planets, and/or Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. As long as the pieces picked are stylistically coherent with the headlined film score, nobody would find it jarring and uncalled for, but instead discover a great wealth of influences from their favorite composers. And because you have a big screen showing images from the film, you could use that big screen to show images of the other composers, their period photos or drawings, and relevant "background information" directly. Not only does this accompaniment solve the issue of the "lacking context and prior knowledge" problem mentioned in this video, it would seem entirely natural and not didactic to the audience.

[@NealSchultz]

By the way.....this series of videos is really fantastic. I've always felt like I am ALONE in my passion for classical music. No one seems to know ANYTHING about classical music - and they become frustrated and anxious about thinking there is too much to learn so we will just ignore it.

[@RickLilShore]

I wouldn't mind some screen(s) or projector(s) displaying imagery and video clips related or thematically fitting to the music being played. Like drone footage of landscapes, nature, animals, architechture, paintings or maybe even some AI-generated material. And the same screens could show close-ups of the musicians especially during solos and difficult sections. Watching something non-distracting while listening to the music actually helps me consentrate more and also better remember the pieces. And seeing the musicians better makes me appreciate the skill more. It would especially help the seats with sub-par view.

[@mechanussunrise]

Good idea. Even visualizations like Fantasia has, including abstract ones. These were really important to me as a child

[@AlekseyMaksimovichPeshkov]

Not A.I. please. Thats what non-artists use in order to get more money for little work.

[@mechanussunrise]

@@AlekseyMaksimovichPeshkov Good stipulation.

[@emilev2134]

I think you are not realizing that this is not a classical music issue. All musical projects except a small handful of pop stars are going through the same problems. Actually classical music is better funded (by old rich people) than other types of music. We are all in the same boat. Home entertainment (Netflix, etc) and inflation have driven people out of live shows. Spotify and other platforms pay us all peanuts in comparison to the physical objects (CDs, Vinyl etc). Attention span has grown shorter and shorter as you point out. Plus starting a musical project has never been so easy with internet, so there is more choice and therefore more competition. For me the most compelling solution is to force the spotify and youtube of this world to pay the artists much better. It's not about us, it's about the systemic issues of the capitalist world we inhabit and the way giant corporations use internet to go around legislations that were made for a time when people listened their music mostly live or on the radio.

[@ssenaratne]

This is a great presentation. Thank

[@shell1951]

Brilliant message

[@koserini4717]

6:09 In fact, it is. I started listening to classical music quite time ago but i am completely uneducated person. I am STRUGGLE to find any people that can relate to this. I was interested because my girlfriend is musical school student and she got me into this world. First of all, classical music is one of the best things ever. Second, i actually quite well educated about modern music industry. I know this gonna hurt but classical music is extremely elitist and until we do something about it its not gonna be better. You see, basically most music students are people from upper class. If you going to public school with no essential music education - you dont know even that beethoven has 9 symphonies or even dont know who is beethoven except he is famous composer or something. This is first problem - classical music isnt accesible in this context, even with wide acces to catalogs because people dont know even what these catalogs are. Second problem is that attending to live performances are even more elitist - you gotta fit to the dresscode first, then you are surrounded by mostly rich people. Being poor little student surrounded by rich folks is pretty uncomfortable. At the same time u can go to any modern music concert and wear pikachu kigurumi and no one cares. Even tho u can be also surrounded by people with higher status youre not gonna feel that because everybody there tend to be individual person, not part of some movement. Third problem (in my opinion most important) - classical music rarely collaborating with other genres even to get some wider audience. I havent heard of any collaboration that wasnt "famous rock or metal band symphonic versions of their music". I saw some collaborations beetween rap producers and some classical musician but its always on amateur/underground level. Maybe its time to put classical music prides into pockets and start some mainstream collaborations with major artists. Metro boomin does live show with symphonic orchestra and it was really well received but once again - it wasnt new music, this was symphonic versions of his songs but u can see potential in it. In fact i think people are bored with short content and basic modern music. There are really big amount of people looking for something more ambitious but either they dont find it in mainstream music or just dont know where to look. I think some composer could try to do an album with original new songs including both orchestra and composition skills - and producers/modern artists accesibility. But what i know? Im just uneducated musician who loves classical music and want classical music to be wider recognised (i know, not too many like me) Anyway i enjoyed your video as always! I hope classical music will expand in the future

[@ultimateconstruction]

21st century is the worst thing that has ever happened to humanity... It's unbelievable how much people have degraded in like 50 years.....

[@Johnnywanton]

The dress code thing is very interesting to me. On one hand I can understand the apprehension towards events with very fancy dress codes. On the other hand some people regard any event where they can't wear their favourite sneakers jeans and hoodie as elitist. I mean, there are ways to dress up without putting on a three-piece suite,

[@greiner380]

I want to get into classical music, what should i do?

[@VisiblyJacked]

youtube is a great place, search for introduction to classical music type videos...

[@davecook8378]

Search for "Essential Classical" playlists here on youtube (or on your favorite streaming service). You can just let those play and click next when something doesn't appeal. Or play a classical music station from their web feed (or your favorite internet radio streaming source) as you go about your day. The station selects the program for you. When something catches your ear, look it up on the station's website and search for it here on youtube. I like KUSC.

[@csieweng]

There are introductory complications of favourite classical pieces. You can then Google about the composers or compositions that grabbed you. There's a rabbit hole from there.

[@jakethesyndicalist132]

My local symphony does a great job at youth outreach and as one youth, I love it. Firstly, they have $15 student tickets which is fantastic for anyone my age who is interested. Secondly, their programs explain the music making understanding much easier

[@kangaroofortytwo]

My first concert ive ever went to after being a fan of classical music since i was 12 and listening for close to 10 years outside a concert was when i went to see mahlers 1st by the Richmond symphony. The program at the beginning explaining the music and the meaning of the different movements really helped to make the experience so much more enjoyable. Brought 2 friends with me that never had any interest in classical music i genuinely believe that programming at the beginning helped them as well so much for having a enjoyable experience

[@Sigst]

The Dresden Philharmonic started to do "abgefrackt" concerts. (Frack is the German word for the suits that the musicians wear at a concert). The format is pretty simple: Only one piece, everyone (even the musicians) wear normal clothing and you use an app on your phone which tells you what you are hearing. I think this is the best solution.

[@renzo6490]

Sorry. I am not a youngster. But I will never go to a live concert or opera again. I despise sitting cramped and immobile in a row facing forward for a long period of time. Surrounded by people wearing sharp scents, tobacco odor,bad breath…squirming,talking,humming along,jiggling their legs,rustling programs and noisy cellophane candy wrappers and bags…coughing! Call me a Philistine . I love the music,the singing,the acting involved in classical music. But I will enjoy it only in my home surroundings with my high quality headphones,lying back in comfort,eyes closed with the phone off,no distractions. Just me and the listening experience I want.

[@tutubism]

Same here. People are just too obsessed with capitalist live music that was purely made for entertainment or marketing. I personally am content with listening to recorded music at home or outside.