On the Classic

Today our music culture is dominated by many different genres,including pop, rock, hip-hop, techno, and the infamous rap, to name a few. Now one genre we do not see these days on the top 100’s chart is classical, and I know what you’re are thinking: “Uggghh, classical music."

But at one time classical music was the norm, and to play anything else would be considered heresy. Not only that, but you could find yourself in the Tower of London pretty fast if you were known to consider any other music besides classical to be worth playing and/or composing.

Now what I ask is, why does our culture hate classical music? Furthermore, why do we not love the same tonalities that those who came before us so loved?

Now, I endeavored to find out what is, or is not appealing about classical music. First of all, I went onto my Pandora Internet radio and created a new station called “Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,” who, if you do not know, is one of the most famous classical composers in the history of classical music. At first I was just as skeptical as anyone who is not inclined to classical music, but after about ten minutes of listening to it, I realized that I had relaxed and I had shut out all other distractions. Not only that, but I did not even notice that I was listening to music, and (I was doing homework at the time) my full focus was upon my homework.

Therefore, I would argue that classical music is a good way to relax if stressed, and is also a good break from other forms of music. So to conclude our little jaunt through classical music, I would challenge anyone to listen to classical music for at least an hour. Then if you still do not like it, fine, but I guarantee that some of you will be pleasantly surprised.

(By the way, I was listening to classical music throughout writing this story, in case if you were wondering)

By Gregory T. Benson