I read an article in Time magazine recently reporting that the members of the St. Louis Symphony had settled a labor dispute with the orchestra's management. After their contract had expired, the musicians were on strike for nearly two months, returning after the two sides reached an agreement on salary and benefits. Jeremy Caplan, the author of the article, also cites several other problems with major and minor orchestras in the United States, including aging audiences and rising production costs outstripping endowment money. These observations seem familiar and troubling. Is it conceivable that some years down the line, the United States could be without major orchestras, and even worse, without classical music?
Because I spend the majority of my time teaching and studying classical music, this thought is particularly disturbing to me. I must admit that at times I have gazed out at the students in my classes and wondered what they would be doing in ten years; surely not all of them will become members of top symphony orchestras, college professors, or even lounge pianists at the Holiday Inn. Despite these moments of doubt, I continue to believe in the power and force of classical music and argue that to eliminate it from our culture would be a devastating mistake that is shortsighted, naïve, and harmful.
Americans understandably have a tepid reaction to classical music. Unlike in most European countries, this music is not native to the United States; moreover, most of America's well-known composers achieved success only since the twentieth century. Additionally, there is much diversity in the kinds of music found in the United States, from fiddle tunes to blues, from sacred harp singing to hip-hop. With this variety of styles, is it any wonder why classical music - which requires some background knowledge for full appreciation - has slipped under the radar of most Americans?
I would like to propose several ways that we can enlarge the audience for classical music and change some of the attitudes that dissuade people from attending a concert or an opera. The first and most important of these is not to dumb down the music for the audience. To be sure, everyone enjoys attending a "Pops" concert and humming along with tunes that they know. Indeed, some fine pieces written by celebrated composers are featured prominently on collections entitled "The Greatest Hits of Classical Music." However, if this is all we do, we help to propagate the hackneyed attitude that music exists only for entertainment. In a recent column, music critic and author Norman Lebrecht explains that "electronic gizmos and kid soloists" are "gimmicks bred of desperation, not a coherent approach to cultural crisis." By continuing to play works of high quality, audiences can become acquainted with music that has survived for hundreds of years and that still moves people.
Second, classical music must be viewed as necessary and beneficial to our society. This effort should begin in elementary and secondary schools, where a younger audience can be cultivated. With continuing tight budgets and a seeming obsession with testing, making room for the arts in K-12 curricula has become an ongoing battle. It must be made clear to school boards, parents, and the community that fine arts are not merely frills where kids paint pretty pictures and blow a few screechy notes on the clarinet. Rather, education in the arts can expose students to some of the greatest expressions of the human spirit that can teach immeasurable lessons outside of the classroom. Why is it that some schools are quick to eliminate music and art programs, but then keep the sports teams no matter what the expense? Redoubling our focus on arts education, even if it can be included only one or two days per week, sends the right message to our students. Moreover, it would be terrific for artistically inclined parents to volunteer their talents in the classroom as well; I fondly remember some of my friends' mothers acting as "picture ladies" in grade school, sharing information on fine art while allowing us to gaze at prints by Picasso and Monet.
A third way to ensure viability for classical music is to teach our aspiring music majors to be versatile and knowledgeable in all styles. In my own teaching, I include a unit on popular music that prepares the students to speak intelligently about the structure and mechanics behind an increasingly important repertoire. In today's competitive marketplace, a violinist who can play the Beethoven concerto on a Friday night might be asked to participate in a background orchestra for a popular singer on Saturday night. While there is still a place for someone trained exclusively as a classical musician, attaining a greater facility with other genres of music can enhance and enrich that performer's experience. Furthermore, audiences might be inspired to learn more about classical music after seeing a particular violinist in various settings. To that same end, classical composers have attracted a wider and more diverse audience by writing music that fuses elements of other styles. Some notable examples are composers Steve Reich and Philip Glass, whose compositions feature influences from non-Western sources such as African drumming and Indian music, and Christopher Rouse, some of whose works appropriate elements of rock-and-roll in a classical setting.
A fourth way for classical musicians to support their art is to become more visible in society. Unfortunately, we cannot rely on professional orchestras alone to carry the weight of this endeavor. As an alternative, many performing arts series are beginning to emphasize chamber groups over larger and more-expensive orchestras. A smaller ensemble such as a string quartet or a woodwind quintet can be an attractive selling point for venuesstrapped for cash; while not as expensive as an orchestra, they can play music of high quality and educate and entertain an audience at the same time. An innovative example of this approach occurred in 1997, when the Ying Quartet participated in the Chamber Music Rural Residencies program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. The string quartet spent two years in Jesup, Iowa, where they engaged with the townspeople by holding an eightconcert series with guest artists along with free music-education classes and lessons in the evenings. This project epitomizes the type of creative thinking needed to sustain classical music.
I believe that is the primary message we must take from stories such as the labor dispute in St. Louis. For classical music to survive in the United States, its advocates must continue the often-frustrating task of educating and reshaping audience attitudes. Like Lebrecht, I strongly disagree with the argument that we need to make classical music "relevant" to twenty-first century audiences by spicing it up with light shows and teenage "prodigies" warbling poor arrangements of "Ave Maria." This music has been around for hundreds of years, and nobody will forget Mozart or Beethoven any time soon; instead, we must beat the drum (no pun intended) for its inclusion in our world. I remain positive and encouraged by so many creative people who continue to be passionate about their art. Let's thank them for sharing their talents with us by buying a ticket to the symphony, opera, or recital.
David Thurmaieris an assistant professor of music theory at Central Missouri State University. His musical interests include Charles Ives, American music of all types, and the Beatles. He is also an active composer and performer on horn and guitar.
Bibliography for "Whatever Happened to Classical Music?"Copyright National Forum: Phi Kappa Phi Journal Summer 2005
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