Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner 'Classical music revamps image to attract younger audience'

A friend posted the following to my FB page. Well worth reading and it touches on many of the wonderful points already made on this thread;

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/114221/orchestras-crisis-outreach-ruining-them

[...]And if I wanted to soundhound an encore I don't know, I would use my smartphone as well during the performance.

If you read more closely, you'll see that I didn't say that lighted screens are noisy. I said that they are just as distracting as noise can be.

And our next book other than the Bartok is Agay's Classics to Modern which I'll prob. get to next yr. isn't much better.

Because I believe it's worth a try. If it doesn't work, then I'll admit it was a bad idea.

Because the customer is always right. The audience is paying money for the tickets.

Not more than against coughers.

Which is why I'd support the existence of concerts that come with a notice "Quiet during performances please. No loud talking, texting or coughing please."

Lighted screens are noisy? What smartphone do you have?
And if I wanted to soundhound an encore I don't know, I would use my smartphone as well during the performance.

"Look at some video recordings of performances of rock groups and then of piano concertos. The cameras recording these events sometime pan onto the members of the audience. But it happens far more often at the rock concert - almost as if the crowd were part of the performance. Not much video of the concerto audience because the folks shooting it realize that nobody watches slent movies anymore - let alone “still”, silent movies, and that’s what people would see if they showed much of the concerto’s audience - a crowd of “statues”.

The behavior of the audiences at these two events is vastly different because that at the rock concert is “supposed to be” completely and unabashedly uninhibited (just like the performers), and the one at “The Symphony” is “supposed to be” precisely the opposite. Even though members of the symphony audience may be going through an emotional, AND PHYSICAL, experience every bit as intense as the rock crowd’s, similar uninhibited displays of rhythm at the concerto are not allowed - EXCEPT, ironically, by the performers themselves (!) and the audience - but only AT THE END of the performance, AFTER the music has stopped. It’s all about INHIBITING the rhythmic behavior that the music inspires.

Not surprisingly, the behavior of non-player folks sitting around at home listening to classical music is much the same.

When a young person enters public school he/she soon gets the message that quiet, studious behavior is the right way to be - “don’t act out” - and, unless one becomes a professional athlete, that really IS the road to success in both “blue collar” and “white collar” professions. Unfortunately, it does not represent the same in learning to play the piano, or, more accurately stated, the whole body technique to be executed PRIOR to “playing the piano” (making impact with the keys of the piano).

But it is not that rhythm has been lost in those people - it has been “internalized” - much as speaking can can be internalized to “thinking”. They’re both identical to their “external” counterparts, but neither is “visible”. I believe this must be the case, otherwise these people could not enjoy music, let alone desire to play it. (Children of professional musicians learn very early on not only how to speak, but also, by observing their parents’ behavior during performance, to “externalize” their rhythmic behavior.)"

There's a connection between physical motion and music, and classical music will only move forward once we accept this. As a performer, the first thing you must learn, is that the non-playing audience, will NEVER experience music the same way you do. There's a certain unity in mind, ear, and body that trained musicians experience, and it is our job to share that with the audience the best we can.

Does that mean we allow rude behavior or just let people do what they want? Of course not.

Perhaps all that needs to be done is music appreciation on the most basic of levels. Your average's person experience of classical music can be improved be telling them just to listen for the pulse first and allow their torso and allow their body to just naturally respond.

Eh...I think you both are focusing too much on the exact details of what should and should not be appropriate behavior at concerts and skirting the real issue why the masses are more in tuned to enjoy rock concerts versus classical.

I think PatH got quite close by mentioning the sitting still versus not.

I read an interesting post long ago that helped me really understand Whiteside's books, that is quite relevant to the issue:



http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=1808.msg24157#msg24157

There's a connection between physical motion and music, and classical music will only move forward once we accept this. As a performer, the first thing you must learn, is that the non-playing audience, will NEVER experience music the same way you do. There's a certain unity in mind, ear, and body that trained musicians experience, and it is our job to share that with the audience the best we can.

Does that mean we allow rude behavior or just let people do what they want? Of course not.

Perhaps all that needs to be done is music appreciation on the most basic of levels. Your average's person experience of classical music can be improved be telling them just to listen for the pulse first and allow their torso and allow their body to just naturally respond.

What came to my mind while reading this was the Ravel's Bolero, and how identifiable its pulse is. Maybe its popularity with non-classical listeners has to do with this?
Just a thought, great post.

There's a connection between physical motion and music, and classical music will only move forward once we accept this. As a performer, the first thing you must learn, is that the non-playing audience, will NEVER experience music the same way you do. There's a certain unity in mind, ear, and body that trained musicians experience, and it is our job to share that with the audience the best we can.

Does that mean we allow rude behavior or just let people do what they want? Of course not.

Perhaps all that needs to be done is music appreciation on the most basic of levels. Your average's person experience of classical music can be improved be telling them just to listen for the pulse first and allow their torso and allow their body to just naturally respond.

I wonder if one day Beethoven will be just like Palestrina: a historic musician with large influence in his time, largely unheard today, aside from a few freaks.

There is purpose in the preservation of art: it remains while it's in the interest of the people in charge, it has nothing to do with quality. Classical music is a part of western art tradition that first began with Homer. The West is largely dying, being replaced by muslims, indians, chinese and gay people without kids. Luckily, the chinese really enjoy classical music. If no new revolution comes in and destroys all things past (including Confucius writings), then there's a great future for Mozart and company. At least while it can provide good showing for piano fu Lang Lang-style...

I wonder if one day Beethoven will be just like Palestrina: a historic musician with large influence in his time, largely unheard today, aside from a few freaks..

my point is: some day, common practice era music may just be so regarded as early-music too. With just as few(er) fans...

regarding Palestrina, he's very much alive today thanks to catholic church, their personal Bach of sorts... I really despise such ideologic idiocy, but so it is... no merit taken from his early music, though

BTW, samba is not big in the UK

I wonder if one day Beethoven will be just like Palestrina: a historic musician with large influence in his time, largely unheard today, aside from a few freaks.

There is purpose in the preservation of art: it remains while it's in the interest of the people in charge, it has nothing to do with quality. Classical music is a part of western art tradition that first began with Homer. The West is largely dying, being replaced by muslims, indians, chinese and gay people without kids. Luckily, the chinese really enjoy classical music. If no new revolution comes in and destroys all things past (including Confucius writings), then there's a great future for Mozart and company. At least while it can provide good showing for piano fu Lang Lang-style...