I love classical music*. Listen to it via streaming radio all the time. However, the local classical station, KVOD, spends hours every day playing shallow, derivative, tedious crap from the late 18th Century that I’m sure was background music in its day. I can just imagine someone from that time, brought forward via a time machine, listening to KVOD and shaking his head in wonder. “Dude,” he would say, in the 18th-Century equivalent, “you actually sit in concert halls listening to that crap? Man, in my day, that was playing in the background while we drank and played cards and tried to get girls to go to bed with us. You people are twisted.”
* Oh, come on. You know what I mean by that phrase. Don’t give me that music-history shit.
12 comments:
I like "classical" music, but I have no idea how to describe just what I do and don't like. Other than I know that I really like Tchaikovsky.
When I went to school at Indiana University, home of one of the world's foremost music schools (most non-musicians are surprised to learn that) and made friends with a bunch of music students, they sneered when I told them that I liked Tchaikovsky. When I said I liked classical music, they explained that Tchaikovsky isn't Classical, he's Romantic. Classical = Bach, who was their musical god.
Normal people like us use Classical Music in a more general way. Lately, I've seen "Concert Music" suggested instead, to avoid that confusion. But that's dumb, because every type of music is played in concerts.
How does one make the distinction? Is it a matter of style? Of time frame? What makes the difference?
I also like Vivaldi. Would they sneer at that as well?
I think it's mainly time periods. It goes Classical --> Baroque --> Romantic. I think.
Vivaldi is acceptable. I suspect that they secretly sneer at his Four Seasons, though, because it's so tuneful.
Whatever. I like certain kinds of music that involve a full orchestra. "Classical" is my shorthand for that, and if they don't like it, they can run off and start some kind of crabby, codgery, pushing-the-boulder-endlessly-up-the-hell website about what they would do if they were the monarchs of some imaginary kingdom governing the proper ways to talk about music.
But, of course, nobody has the time to do something as pointless and silly as that, and nobody'd be silly enough to read it and repeatedly link to it even if they did. ;)
By the way, Wikipedia says that the "common practice" period goes Baroque -> Classical -> Romantic. And since it's on Wikipedia, it must be true!
Duh. I never can keep that straight.
Hey, Tom. Leonore here. I am very glad to see that you share our musical tastes. We both love Tchaikovsky and Vivaldi.
Argh. Why is it saying that I am "anonymous"? I'm putting in my user name and all. Help, David! I want my identity back!
I've noticed that you always show up as anonymous. I'll have to watch over your shoulder while you do it next time.
eyeblister.blogspot.com; You saved my day again.
Hello. And Bye.
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