TASK:
The representation of music I savor is classical music.
Momentarily I do conjecture that my partiality here is mildly esoteric - especially in this droplet of popular culture encapsulating numerous forms of pop music. Classical music has been transferred to its adumbrations and fondly coined as “the oldies”, but it is nevertheless not an astonishment that millions of striving musicians still investigate this genre with tremendous passion, and millions more listen to hours of decompressing classical music while occupying in work endeavors. Myself incorporated. So why the application?
Firstly, the most influential of classical music intensifies upon a series of delightful chord improvements and frames its melody based on these primaries. Well-known examples include Beethoven’s Ode to Joy and Rage over a Lost Penny, Chopin’s Grande Valse Brilliante and sonata in Bb spring that was more prominently known as the “Funeral March”, and Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers and dream-like Nutcracker Suite that tranquil echo in the choreography world today. These organize upon community major progressions (with me looking at the more grass-roots examples) such as the “I V vi IV” chord improvement which I shall not dwell on in technological jargon here, but which generate a pleasing effect to our ears, and making it very easy for earworms to be created!! When I was merely a beginner in music, this was the main reason for my love for classical music - it is simply pleasing to listen to with an extraordinary melody line.
Secondly, when I slowly advancing in my musical journey through tougher classical works by Schubert and Bach, I accomplished that classical music has various courses which build upon one another, orbiting around a set of themes that never fail to astonish me. This was also the moment when I began experimenting with music presentation, and I often lamented how difficult it was to create a nice melody, how difficult it was to finish a piece, and how boring and trashy it sounded when I was “finished” with my “treasure”. Being the amateur I was, I wrote down anything - really anything - that popped into my head, that sounded decent in my mind, and threw it down without acknowledging if the various consonances actually linked. I finished with 20 different melodic lines that could have been the basis of 20 good compositions, but when put together, were more like 20 differently colored threads of my cardigan - simply an eyesore and a huge distraction too. However, upon careful analysis of Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata and Pathetique Sonata (which wasn’t the slightest pathetic :p), it dawned upon me the very basic theme that those two pieces lay their foundations upon through the very first introductory line. The melodies then resurfaced, with a slight twist be it in a minor key this time, more syncopated rhythms, or an extra line for harmony that gives me shivers since it reinforced the melody line. That’s the beauty of classical music. It builds upon the foundation of a certain theme, plays around with it, gives you yearning for more, throws in a bridging motif, and then gives you back the theme but with a slight tantalizing twist that transmits you satisfied. Go listen to Schubert’s F minor Fantasie for a piano duet to understand what I’m saying.
Lastly, there is commonly so much depth in it, and the more I scrutinize it, the more I want to understand it. It’s just like the saying that “the more you know, the more you comprehend what you don’t know, thus the less you know”. Classical music has often shown me how much thought the composer has put in to produce his piece, with thought into every little segment, yet derailing from the usual chord progressions prescribed by theory. So why is Faure’s Barcarolle compared to Chopin’s Barcarolle, so well-known despite its huge dissonance that can seem jarring and unpleasant to the ears? Why do different performers perform such a different rendition of the same piece, and give me such a different, yet pleasing, interpretation of the same melody, just by playing the same parts contradictorily? Chopin’s Barcarolle has many top pianists performing it - Pollini, Arthur Rubinstein, Zimerman, Kissin - and all have been compiled into a single video for simultaneous enjoyment. Pollini’s warm and lyrical playing, juxtaposed with Zimerman’s hushed and worshipful performance, makes it a rather agreeable and fulfilling musical journey for my ears. To more matured pianists, there is a never-ending thirst to fully analyze these stunning classical works, and a passion to interpret various pianists’ renditions of the same piece, that gives classical music its meaning. It is the depth of it, and the knowledge that it never gets monotonous, that makes me enjoy it so much.
So why is it that pop music seems to be the way to go now? Well, pop music has a comparatively straightforward melody line that grips listeners with hyped-up percussion/EDM/rap, funny/mildly offensive/cheeky lyrics, and a desirable hot artist. You don’t get that for Beethoven or Bach. But what you do get is a whole lot more mysterious abyss in classical music, that unfortunately, posterior compete for the attention span of a younger generation that lusts for instant satisfaction. Not downplaying pop music, but I do believe that there’s a reason why classical music has outlived the popularity of pop music and has remained at a stable level of popularity over decades or so. It continually gives you new insights, has so much potential for beauty, and never gets dry and boring. And this is why it is different from pop music. And this is why I really love classical music.
học tốt!!!
