Howdy y’all! Today I wanted to pose the question that is on everyone’s mind: why should we care about classical music? I may be revealing my former band kid self once again, but I firmly believe in the benefits and importance of classical music.
If you’ve been on TikTok recently, you’ve probably heard the Nutcracker X Griddy song that has been floating around. If I were to give you one example of how Classical has been able to transcend time and stay relevant, I’d offer you this. The Nutcracker, Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s third ballet, was first performed in 1892. That is over a century of relevance (every Christmas calls for the music from The Nutcracker). Popular music today is often simpler than classical, and requires less of the listener to identify the melodies. It is easy for us now to find a catchy part of a song (it also helps that pop music has words), where we don’t usually go around singing parts of a classical piece.
Classical music also offers a plethora of benefits. It can decrease blood pressure, reduce stress, aid sleep, improve memory retention, and boost mental well-being. Music is a vital aspect of our society and has been since the start of mankind. 40,000 years ago, early human hunting parties had very little and lived in harsh conditions, but they still had music. In 2009, scientists found this group’s musical instruments buried. There were four flutes, each made to create a tonal difference. How incredible is that? The benefits of classical music have been scientifically studied and proven.
Now you may be asking, dj mozzie, why don’t we hear about classical works today like we would have if we were living during Mozart’s time? For starters, music is not ingrained in nobility and the church as it is today. Classical composers were huge for their time, and society back then was more connected. Mozart and Beethoven would be like a modern day equivalent to The Beatles or Prince. Another factor is that genres have increased tenfold since the 1800s. Stomp and Holler and Neo Mallow situate music into tighter and more refined niches. All current artists aren’t working in one genre of music, they’re building up their own respectively.
The future of classical music is bright but uncertain. Classical music is rooted in deep tradition, therefore discouraging experimentation amongst young composers and conductors. We want music to change with us, to bring in new cultural elements, and to remind us about what it means to be human. I ask that you give classical music a chance if you haven’t before.
