THE CLASSICAL KICK

posted by James Reel

    NewMusicBox has published an essay by composer Roger Rudenstein that’s exactly on the mark in its account of how classical music lost favor with the American public in the 1960s and later, and what can be done to advance the classical cause today. One thing Rudenstein is not afraid to make clear is that “classical music is an important art form and potentially achieves more depth and complexity than popular forms, however wonderful those are.” In other words, all music is not created equal, and by certain standards and for certain purposes, classical music can be superior to other kinds. (Too often, however, it is not.) Rudenstein observes that since the 1960s, classical music has been a “victim of shallow populism that has been a reaction to arrogant elitism.” Part of that elitism can be traced to the audience-unfriendly Modernist style, but that wasn’t the entire problem. Writes Rudenstein:

I doubt, however, that rejection of modernism is what drove Baby Boomers away from classical music. They weren't there in the first place. Part of their act of rebellion was to put a minus sign on anything their parents found important and classical music was seen as part of the conformity and stuffiness of the middle class life they rejected. To make matters worse, music education in the schools was gutted as the post-war prosperity waned and brought massive school budget cutbacks. So, it can't really be said that most Baby Boomers and, especially, the generations following, considered classical music and then rejected it. It was simply not an option.

    Now, I have nothing against elitism, as long as it isn’t arrogant, which it was in Modernist circles 40 and 50 years ago, and in their arrogance Modernist composer helped dig classical music’s early grave. That grave hasn’t yet been filled, though, Rudenstein’s essay is titled “Classical Music: Alive and Kicking,” and the composer offers several good ideas about how to keep it that way. Please do read the full article.