# Classical music is borrring!



## willgardner1 (Jan 22, 2010)

please have your say on this most relevant problem from classical music in society today: its perception as boring and out-dated

my dissertation aims to put this right

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/music-youth


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## tahnak (Jan 19, 2009)

This is a Classical Music Forum. Classical music cannot be described as boring because 'boring' is a relative term. What is boring for a moron will not be boring for a connoisseur. Music is the highest medium of language through which God could be praised and there can be a personal communication and dialogue with the creator. People who cannot stand classical music are of those category who like a vulgar background beat or an easy lilting folk theme that converses for a few minutes and fades out of time and matter. Would you be able to give us popular or folk music from any age as far back as 1685 or 1827 or 1911 that has survived barring those themes that have been immortalized by the classical masters? 
Any good thing in life has to be with form and structure and discipline. There is a difference between Britney Spears and Dmitri Shostakovich the some way as there is a difference between a Salman Rushdie and Charles Dickens. Thus, those who find classical music borrring can bore their existence in some other snouts but not in this forum.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Britney Spears and Shostakovich = Salman Rushdie and Dickens?!?!?! :O

I answered your survey - I understand that you're not necessarily putting forward any view of your own, but rather looking for the opinions of classical music fans and despisers alike!


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## Fsharpmajor (Dec 14, 2008)

You can't really say that classical music is out-dated when new pieces are being written and performed all the time. It is quite capable of addressing modern concerns and themes; take for example _On the Transmigration of Souls_, by John Adams, which won the Pulitzer Prize for music; here's an excerpt:






I don't think anybody would say that piece is boring, whether they like it or not.

Michael Daugherty writes excellent classical music about American popular culture. Some other good contemporary composers who come to mind are James MacMillan, Thomas Ades, John Corigliano and Paul Moravec.


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## hawk (Oct 1, 2007)

I may not fully understand your sentiments here however there are musics that "survived" much longer than the dates you mention and probably have listeners who do not like classical music.
Some of the music from West Africa (kora, balaphon) is at least 700 years old and has a set of very complex musical rules and structure. For those who would listen for a down beat they would have a difficult time because often this "beat" is an empty space filled in by those listening/moving. The musicians and the listeners or dancers create a whole image of the music. 
The music of Shona people (Zimbabwe) played on mbira is about 1500 years in its present form. This music also has very intricate and complex structures. A basic melody overlayed with inverted and reversed patterns and variations played by a single musician on one instrument. Really great music.

BTW much of this music (Shona and Jaliya (w. africa) is prayer/ceremonial.

I think there are many people(s) who have not learned to like classical music because their cultural relationship to music causes classical to make no musical sense...



tahnak said:


> This is a Classical Music Forum. Classical music cannot be described as boring because 'boring' is a relative term. What is boring for a moron will not be boring for a connoisseur. _Music is the highest medium of language through which God could be praised and there can be a personal communication and dialogue with the creator. People who cannot stand classical music are of those category who like a vulgar background beat or an easy lilting folk theme that converses for a few minutes and fades out of time and matter. Would you be able to give us popular or folk music from any age as far back as 1685 or 1827 or 1911 that has survived barring those themes that have been immortalized by the classical masters? _Any good thing in life has to be with form and structure and discipline. There is a difference between Britney Spears and Dmitri Shostakovich the some way as there is a difference between a Salman Rushdie and Charles Dickens. Thus, those who find classical music borrring can bore their existence in some other snouts but not in this forum.


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## Fsharpmajor (Dec 14, 2008)

Here's the second movement of Shostakovich's 10th symphony, being played by a bunch of teenagers who don't seem to find it boring.






I don't think anyone would say that Penderecki's _Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima_ is boring. It's meant to shock the living daylights out of you. 

Wagner certainly isn't boring (at least in doses of reasonable length  ). His music is exciting and dramatic, and it has been used in countless films.

James MacMillan's _The Confession of Isobel Gowdie_, about the burning of a witch in Scotland, comes to mind. Here's the Wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Confession_of_Isobel_Gowdie


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Fsharpmajor said:


> Here's the second movement of Shostakovich's 10th symphony, being played by a bunch of teenagers who don't seem to find it boring.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Though I suppose such lists all depend on who you're talking to because, eventually, you can list every piece ever written and say it isn't boring!


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## Fsharpmajor (Dec 14, 2008)

I guess what I'm trying to say that classical music can be exciting, dramatic, modern, topical and even controversial, as well as appealing to young people, with those as my chosen examples. As opposed to the dull, stodgy and academic image some people have of it. I know there's no objective way of saying what's boring or not.


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Excellent poll, I hope you assess the information scientifically and share the results with us!


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## KaerbEmEvig (Dec 15, 2009)

Polednice said:


> Britney Spears and Shostakovich = Salman Rushdie and Dickens?!?!?! :O
> 
> I answered your survey - I understand that you're not necessarily putting forward any view of your own, but rather looking for the opinions of classical music fans and despisers alike!


As in Shostakovich is gay and Britney hates muslims.


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## ScipioAfricanus (Jan 7, 2010)

classical music is boring to those ignorant of it and by a large part the uneducated. But these same buffoons whenever they are in a movie, they get manipulated by classical composers who toy with the feelings to enhance a particular scene in the movie. All these buffoons love star warz, superman and Indiana Jones.


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Chill everyone, I dont think the OP is necessarily attacking classical music, why dont you click on the link hes posted and see what he wants?


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## bplary (Sep 13, 2009)

Classical music is not boring.


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## willgardner1 (Jan 22, 2010)

hehe. yeh don't get all angry about the title of the post it was just meant to get your attention. actually if you read the whole post it says "my dissertation aims to put this right"

so do take the survey!


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

I did. Will we be able to see the results any time soon?


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## MisquotedTeabag (Jan 24, 2010)

Completed the survey...That was long...Lol...


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## Sorin Eushayson (May 10, 2009)

MisquotedTeabag said:


> Completed the survey...That was long...Lol...


So did I and yes it was! The more introspective questions were actually quite challenging as well.


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