Brush off the cobwebs
When I see something linked to as a call for elitism, I know I’m in for a bumpy ride. Even though I am, admittedly, a bit of an elitist (throw a hipster’s knowledge of popular culture into both characters, and I can easily play Niles to my brother’s Frasier), there’s a snobbery that always seems to be part of the mix – and it’s this snobbery that I hate. Shakespeare elitists look for plays to be produced the same way every time – otherwise it’s not “good” Shakespeare. Performance art elitists don’t like anything that has a plot they can actually follow. Indie rock elitists don’t like anything once they find five more people who have heard of it.
I cannot stand this attitude. For one thing, it makes people think they know everything.
Classical music has never been, nor should it be, a mass culture staple, but that doesn’t mean its audience has to be doddering. High art has always been created to be enjoyed by those who are educated to—or who educate themselves to—appreciate it. (Beethoven may have been a well-known composer in the 19th century, but the “popular” music of the time still consisted of folk songs, military band tunes, and hymns.)
Yeah. And Shakespeare never wrote for the groundlings.
The vast numbers of people in classical Germany who hit up three operas a night, never bothering to sit through an entire show, seeking out their friends to party and grab a bite to eat, certainly weren’t on the lookout for a good time. They were dedicated to “High Art.” They most certainly weren’t doing anything so base as “clubbing.”
Of course, there’s a point there. The “popular” music of the time was folk songs, military band tunes, and hymns. But that was in part because these songs were the songs that anybody could play. In today’s push-button, instant-gratification culture, anybody can get the music pumping just by slipping a tiny plastic disc into a player and hitting a button. But while folk songs and hymns were the most commonly heard music, opera and classical were not necessarily the realm of the cultural elite. They were instead the entertainment of those with enough money to get into the clubs. Take away the burgeoning home entertainment market that makes it simple for ecstasy burnouts to have their favorite beats at their fingertips, and classical music is the original Crystal Method.
So, what caused this transition from popular music to music that nobody ever listens to? It’s certainly not the quality of the music. And it’s certainly not that people find this music “boring.” Many people can easily find at least one piece of classical music they respond to – even if they only know it as “that song in the background of the ‘a diamond is forever’ commercials.”
If you ask me, it’s the elitism. At some point before the development of home recordings, classical music went from entertainment to “High Art,” and it became essential to wear a nice suit, eat expensive food, and sit very still in a crowded theatre for a long time while people in horned helmets sing loudly in German for five hours merely to observe that their gold has been stolen.
Believe it or not, Wagner is best sampled in small doses. Very small doses. Only a few of Wagner’s original audiences ever saw a complete performance of Das Rheingold – most either popped in for a little bit of the middle of the opera or caught the end of it with their homies.
It was when it became “High Art” that the common people completely lost interest in classical music. It was when the blue-haired lady in the row in front of them grew snippy over their choice of ties that the common man decided classical music was not for them.
Yes, ‘twas elitism that killed the beast. Now – all of you Final Fantasy and Radiohead fans might want to check out this article. John V. Bennett has a really high opinion of you.
Oh. One more thing.
Maybe the classical music establishment has something to learn from a violent video game like “Final Fantasy”
Final Fantasy is violent? The game where you step forward an inch, swing your sword, and magically cause damage without ever making contact?
Well, crap. No wonder people get their knickers in a twist over Grand Theft Auto.