his Week in Classical Music: January 11, 2021.Some history.The somewhat unexpected fact that one fifth of the 21st century has already passed moved us to contemplate the place of classical music in our own time, and to compare it to where it was in centuries past.What was the first fifth of the 19th century like?We know that several exceptional composers were born during that short period: Hector Berlioz in 1803, Felix Mendelssohn in 1809, Robert Schumann and Frédéric Chopin in 1810, Franz Liszt one year later, Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi in 1813, Charles Gounod – in 1818.And who was composing during that time?Well, Beethoven, of course, and Haydn in the first decade by then getting older and better, also Schubert, Weber, and the Italians, Boccherini, Cherubini and Rossini.
And what was happening during a similar period of the 20th century?The composers that were born during that time are still too close to us, even 100 years later, and their assessments may still change, but here are some names: Aaron Copland, in 1900, William Walton, a Brit, in 1902, Dmitri Shostakovich in 1906, Olivier Messiaen in 1908, Samuel Barber in 1910, John Cage in 1912, Benjamin Britten and Witold Lutosławski in 1913.Then, two bona fide modernists, Milton Babbit and Bruno Maderno (in 1916 and 1920, respectively) and Leonard Bernstein in 1918.But the list of composers who were active is even more impressive and rivals that of the 19th century.Gustav Mahler, Claude Debussy, Richard Strauss, Arnold Schoenberg, Igor Stravinsky, Béla Bartók, Maurice Ravel, Sergei Rachmaninov – these are just a few of them.Some of their music was accepted right away, some – much later, and some caused near riots.But even the rejected music was considered serious and was rejected in all seriousness.Music critics and lay music lovers were listening; it was understood that new developments in music are an important part of contemporary culture.
Things don’t look so promising today.Who are the contemporary composers whose music is celebrated?One trend that’s been recognized by the general public is minimalism; composers who work in the minimalist idiom are if not necessarily celebrated, then clearly accepted.Steve Reich, Philip Glass, John Adams, Henryk Górecki, Arvo Pärt: their pieces are being performed often.What about the music beyond this trend?Charles Wuorinen died less than a year ago, Pierre Boulez exactly five, but their brand of twelve-tone music is as good as dead.Krzysztof Penderecki also died in March of last year.His journey was from Webern and Boulez to melody.He is considered the greatest Polish composer of the last 50 years, but where outside of Poland is his music being played?And who even talks about it any longer?Thirty years ago, the New York Times had several classical music critics publishing articles almost daily. Today you’d be hard pressed to find one among the articles on pop.
Even before the pandemic, classical music was suffering from neglect and from lack of money, when CDs disappeared almost overnight and much of it became free on the Web.Is classical music going the way of kabuki theater?
Some history, 2021
his Week in Classical Music: January 11, 2021. Some history. The somewhat unexpected fact that one fifth of the 21st century has already passed moved us to contemplate the place of classical
music in our own time, and to compare it to where it was in centuries past. What was the first fifth of the 19th century like? We know that several exceptional composers were born during that short period: Hector Berlioz in 1803, Felix Mendelssohn in 1809, Robert Schumann and Frédéric Chopin in 1810, Franz Liszt one year later, Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi in 1813, Charles Gounod – in 1818. And who was composing during that time? Well, Beethoven, of course, and Haydn in the first decade by then getting older and better, also Schubert, Weber, and the Italians, Boccherini, Cherubini and Rossini.
And what was happening during a similar period of the 20th century? The composers that were born during that time are still too close to us, even 100 years later, and their assessments may still change, but here are some names: Aaron Copland, in 1900, William Walton, a Brit, in 1902, Dmitri Shostakovich in 1906, Olivier Messiaen in 1908, Samuel Barber in 1910, John Cage in 1912, Benjamin Britten and Witold Lutosławski in 1913. Then, two bona fide modernists, Milton Babbit and Bruno Maderno (in 1916 and 1920, respectively) and Leonard Bernstein in 1918. But the list of composers who were active is even more impressive and rivals that of the 19th century. Gustav Mahler, Claude Debussy, Richard Strauss, Arnold Schoenberg, Igor Stravinsky, Béla Bartók, Maurice Ravel, Sergei Rachmaninov – these are just a few of them. Some of their music was accepted right away, some – much later, and some caused near riots. But even the rejected music was considered serious and was rejected in all seriousness. Music critics and lay music lovers were listening; it was understood that new developments in music are an important part of contemporary culture.
Things don’t look so promising today. Who are the contemporary composers whose music is celebrated? One trend that’s been recognized by the general public is minimalism; composers who work in the minimalist idiom are if not necessarily celebrated, then clearly accepted. Steve Reich, Philip Glass, John Adams, Henryk Górecki, Arvo Pärt: their pieces are being performed often. What about the music beyond this trend? Charles Wuorinen died less than a year ago, Pierre Boulez exactly five, but their brand of twelve-tone music is as good as dead. Krzysztof Penderecki also died in March of last year. His journey was from Webern and Boulez to melody. He is considered the greatest Polish composer of the last 50 years, but where outside of Poland is his music being played? And who even talks about it any longer? Thirty years ago, the New York Times had several classical music critics publishing articles almost daily. Today you’d be hard pressed to find one among the articles on pop.
Even before the pandemic, classical music was suffering from neglect and from lack of money, when CDs disappeared almost overnight and much of it became free on the Web. Is classical music going the way of kabuki theater?