RE: (western) classical music discussion
March 22, 2016 at 9:38 am
(This post was last modified: March 22, 2016 at 9:46 am by I_am_not_mafia.)
(March 22, 2016 at 9:22 am)Alex K Wrote:(March 22, 2016 at 9:10 am)Mathilda Wrote: Most of the classical I listen to is from the 20th century. I find stuff beforehand is either too simplistic, or created by rich people who don't particularly have much to say musically. I'm desperately in need of new composers to listen to. I'll have to check out Bartok, Copland and Scriabin.
If you had said "for rich people" I would almost agree at least partially. That it was mostly created by rich people seems very inaccurate.
You're probably right. But that's what it sounds like to me, probably because it was created for rich people because that's what sold.
(March 22, 2016 at 9:22 am)Alex K Wrote:(March 22, 2016 at 9:10 am)Mathilda Wrote: Over the centuries classical music has become increasingly complex and sophisticated.
This view is too simplistic for my taste. During the late 1500s all the way through the 1700s, championed by people like Palestrina, counterpoint techniques and figured bass have become extremely sophisticated, culminating in J.S. Bach's work. Then there was a rather harsh break in musical tradition and the galant style of the 1700s and the following classical period were in many ways marked by a reduction in complexity, and this is when, in my opinion, a lot of ear candy for rich people was produced. The late classical and romantic era composers again slowly built up both the complexity and the range of expression until music became interesting again (to me). Late romantic can become a bit overwrought and burdened by their sheer monumental scope.
But forgetting about the rich ear candy, in a way you are demonstrating my point. You're arguing that counterpoint techniques and figured bass became extremely sophisticated over time. It's probably because of technological progress that complexity of melodies came before tonal complexity because there were fewer instruments to work with.
I suspect the rich ear candy music is also a product of technological progress. Like pop music, this could well have come about due to a new audience who were wanting easy background music rather than music to listen to in its own right.
Maybe I'm talking shite here, I don't really know. I'm not a musicologist. I'm just putting forwards a theory.