# Music as a profession



## sree (May 31, 2009)

Hi,

Thei are many music school whre classical music is taught. Student leran musical instrument and they perform in various shows. How many student/s really make to the top as a music composer. Either self employed or in a organization?

Cheers!!!


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## PostMinimalist (May 14, 2008)

Very, very few. Think of your school year. There is a chance one of those guys will end up as a professional musician. Now think of the whole school. May be every ten or twenty years they might turn out someone who might be in a highly paid/respected position by the time thay are 40. Yup, the percentages are really low!


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## sree (May 31, 2009)

You are correct.... Reality is big ....


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## Yosser (May 29, 2009)

*'Making it'*

As an example, you may be aware that the Van Cliburn music competition is running right now. The piano competition is murderous. Every entrant, even the ones who don't make it through the preliminaries, can rattle off the Ligeti Etudes before lunch, the Hammerklavier in the afternoon and Rachmaninov 3 in the evening. To place in the top 3 in this competition you have truly to have the technique of a Liszt and the stamina of a triathlete.

Yet in all the years the competition has been running, I believe that only one prizewinner subsequently enjoyed a career as a virtuoso (Radu Lupu).

And that's just playing the piano. The odds on becoming a successful composer (even posthumously) are far, far worse.


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## sree (May 31, 2009)

Yes this is one of the best way to get into the industry and to be recoganized


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## danae (Jan 7, 2009)

Yosser said:


> And that's just playing the piano. The odds on becoming a successful composer (even posthumously) are far, far worse.


It depends on what you mean by "successful". There are successful composers that are not commercial.


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## sree (May 31, 2009)

yes you r correct... many talented composers never get the spot light they deserve...


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## Yosser (May 29, 2009)

danae said:


> It depends on what you mean by "successful". There are successful composers that are not commercial.


Perhaps incorrectly, I understood the topic of the thread to be 'what are the chances that I can make a living as a composer of classical music'. As you note, a composer can be by any definition of the word 'successful' but not at all commercial in the sense that his compositions provided him with a livelihood. Franz Schubert and J.S.Bach are two prime examples.

If the topic is 'what are the chances I can have a career in music and be a successful composer', I would still say the odds remain very, very slim.

I'm sure we could have an interesting debate as to a reasonable definition of the word 'successful' as applied to a composer, but this thread is not the place for it.


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## Mirror Image (Apr 20, 2009)

Yosser said:


> I'm sure we could have an interesting debate as to a reasonable definition of the word 'successful' as applied to a composer, but this thread is not the place for it.


There is no debate and should not be any debate in this thread. This is question has only one answer, which is, the composers that "make it," so to speak are very, very fortunate and happen to be in the right place at the right time.

Let's take Stravinsky for example. If Anatoly Lyadov didn't back out of an offer to compose a ballet piece for Sergei Diaghilev, then Stravinsky would have never had the international success of "The Firebird," because it was Diaghilev who wanted Lyadov, not Stravinsky, but Stravinsky made a strong impression on him in the end and the rest, as they say, is history. Stravinsky just happened to be in the right place, at the right time.


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## sree (May 31, 2009)

Yes the word successful needs to be defined in this context. And at the same time as mirror image said "*to be in the right place, at the right time*". is very true. Many a times due to fewer contacts and other issues , a good composers is not able to exhibit his / her works. The due spot light is not given properly.... I think big music universitys or orther organization which funds for music should select good composer and they should help to bring out their albums.... But i wonder is it really possible....

Cheers!!!


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## Yosser (May 29, 2009)

Mirror Image said:


> There is no debate and should not be any debate in this thread. This is question has only one answer, which is, the composers that "make it," so to speak are very, very fortunate and happen to be in the right place at the right time.


I take massive exception to your assertion that composers who 'make it' did so by happenstance. Quite frankly, taken at face value, I think this is an utterly ridiculous assertion (and apologies if this is too direct).

Possibly I have misunderstood what you meant. If you wish to debate the issue, I would happy to do so, but in a separate thread.


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