CLASSICAL MUSIC IS NOT A GENRE!!!!!!!!!!!

Its mostly a specific type of process for creating and performing music, and that process is notation. The story of classical music begins with Gregorian chant, and the creation of musical notation. Since then its been over 500 hundred years of people from all over the world using that process to create some of the most divergent music imaginable. Just compare the music of Bach, to Schoenberg to Philip Glass. They are just about as far apart from each other as music could be. Their musical values are almost alien to each other, but they all have this process in common (on a secondary level they all use similar instrumentation). I think its a problem when classical music is conceived of a certain type of sound (aka sounds like Bach, Mozart, or Beethoven). This is a huge limiting factor for classical music to over come, both for composer, and audience. The process of a composer using notation opens up gigantic realms of musical possibilities that could never be achieved with any other method. And the majority of these possibilities wont “sound like classical music”.

BACH

Bach is the only musician I honestly think every person should listen to. Its so rich, its so right and beautiful and logical. His music is dense and gentle, brainy and sweet, complex and approachable. When I listen, its a music I have to let wash over me, there is just so much melodic activity you cant sort it all out (strangely thats the same way to listen to ambient music which is almost its polar opposite) It just keeps coming and coming. Its music that feels healthy to listen to, like being in the sunshine, or talking a walk. He is the mother river that so much music has come from. His admires include Bill Evans, Bud Powell, Stravinsky, Schournberg, Steve Reich, Joe Harley (points if you know who this is), Dieter Rams (points if you know who this is) and Steve Jobs. For me his contrapuntal writing (melody on melody) I find hugely fascinating, and opens up a whole new worlds of musical possibilities. It seems to me an area in music that has largely been underdeveloped (especially out side of the world of classical music).

It blows my mind that in his life time Bach was only regionally famous and that mostly due to his keyboard and improvising abilities. Also in Bach’s lifetime the trends in music were already beginning to shift to a more pared down less cluttered texture and he was becoming out dated and out of fashion. But here we are 300 hundred years later still talking about and still listening to his music.

Suggested listening

Brandonburg concertos

Cello suites

The Goldburg variations