I have a lot of questions about contemporary classical music and find this topic extremely interesting, even though I am not very knowledgeable about it.
1. Does one have to be very familiar with music from all the previous periods in order to appreciate contemporary classical music?
2. Does it make any sense to dedicate one's time to contemporary classical music if you haven't listened to the most important works from the past centuries?
3. If you really have to be familiar with all the preceding classical music in order to understand contemporary, does it means that the public for contemporary classical music is EXTREMELY small. I mean, public for classical music in general is very small - but still FAR MORE people listen to Bach, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Brahms, etc - than to contemporary composers.
4. Knowing all that we face another question - Is there any social or any other purpose of contemporary classical music outside academic circles?
5. Are contemporary composers "allowed" to compose in traditional styles such as styles of Baroque, Classicism and Romanticism OR this is a deadly sin which automatically gives them reputation of being backward, imitators and unoriginal?
6. A thought experiment. Let's say Beethoven NEVER composed the Third symphony - Eroica. He still composed all of the 8 other symphonies, but not the Third.
And, now, in 2010 - some contemporary composer composes Eroica. Exactly the same thing. Would Eroica, if composed in 2010 still be held in so high regard and would it still be considered a masterpiece OR would all the critics jump on the poor guy and say "this is so unoriginal" "this is backwards" - "too old fashioned", "it is good for what it is, but this is not art music" and similar comments.
7. Is there any way to make contemporary classical music more popular? Or it seems that the art music is dying and that all the things that had to be composed are already composed?
8. How many of you are familiar with the works of living composers, and what are the most important musical compositions of our time?
9. Do you actually LIKE contemporary classical music?
1. Does one have to be very familiar with music from all the previous periods in order to appreciate contemporary classical music?
2. Does it make any sense to dedicate one's time to contemporary classical music if you haven't listened to the most important works from the past centuries?
3. If you really have to be familiar with all the preceding classical music in order to understand contemporary, does it means that the public for contemporary classical music is EXTREMELY small. I mean, public for classical music in general is very small - but still FAR MORE people listen to Bach, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Brahms, etc - than to contemporary composers.
4. Knowing all that we face another question - Is there any social or any other purpose of contemporary classical music outside academic circles?
5. Are contemporary composers "allowed" to compose in traditional styles such as styles of Baroque, Classicism and Romanticism OR this is a deadly sin which automatically gives them reputation of being backward, imitators and unoriginal?
6. A thought experiment. Let's say Beethoven NEVER composed the Third symphony - Eroica. He still composed all of the 8 other symphonies, but not the Third.
And, now, in 2010 - some contemporary composer composes Eroica. Exactly the same thing. Would Eroica, if composed in 2010 still be held in so high regard and would it still be considered a masterpiece OR would all the critics jump on the poor guy and say "this is so unoriginal" "this is backwards" - "too old fashioned", "it is good for what it is, but this is not art music" and similar comments.
7. Is there any way to make contemporary classical music more popular? Or it seems that the art music is dying and that all the things that had to be composed are already composed?
8. How many of you are familiar with the works of living composers, and what are the most important musical compositions of our time?
9. Do you actually LIKE contemporary classical music?