Ji Eun Lee
202212287
Academic English 1
Popularization of classical music, a tendency that should be stopped
We mainly refer to 'old western music' as 'classical music'. Classical music refers to
music from the Middle Ages to Renaissance music, Baroque music, Classical music, and
Romantic music until the first half of the 20th century. Perhaps because of this, most people in
the 21st century have a prejudice that 'classical music is boring'. In order to reverse this
prejudice, many classical musicians are working to make classical music more intimate with
the public by adapting it to the public's taste, and that is, 'popularizing the classic'. It is the
general tendency of the classical music industry now. However, I do not think this tendency is
right. There are three reasons.
The first reason is that the essence of classical music is undermined. Unlike popular
music, the purpose of classical music is not simply to please the ears. Classical music is music
that needs to be studied and listened to. It is only by appreciating classical music while studying
the composer's intentions, historical background, and interpretations of various performers, that
new meanings can be discovered. Therefore, it is nothing but fading the value of fine art to
adapt and play classical music to suit the taste of the public.
The second reason is that the popularization of classical music lead to results that are
not fit for its purpose. Originally, the purpose of popularization of classical music was to make
the public more familiar with classical music. But can the purpose of the classic be achieved by
adapting it in that direction? It’s not like that. Rather, the public will only remember the adapted
'part of the classic' and will not proceed further from that position. Here’s an example.
‘Beethoven Virus’, which has been mixed in various media and gained lots of popularity, is a
reorganization and arrangement of the 3rd movement of Beethoven Piano Sonata No.8.
However, most people only remember the electronic music called 'Beethoven Virus', but not
the third movement of the chorus.
The last reason is that musicians who are leading the popularization of classical music
are focusing only on 'popularity'. It is very difficult to gain public interest and popularity while
playing only pure classical music. Therefore, many musicians collaborate with famous pop
music artists to present a mixed form of classical and popular music, so-called 'crossover'. This
includes collaborations between famous pianists and trot singers, and inserting advertisements
for classical songs. These attempts may temporarily please the ear, but they are sandwiched
between classical and popular music and have no musical meaning. That is, short-lived music.
If the musicians continue to try crossovers with a focus on popularity like now, only vague,
short-lived music will continue to be mass-produced, and the authenticity will be lost as well.
As a result, I am against the popularization of classical music. It undermines the essence
of classical music, and lead to results that are not fit for its purpos, and it is also not proper to
focus only on popularity. In response to this, pianist Seong-Jin Cho said that 'classicization of
public' should be done rather than 'popularization of classical music'. I sympathize with this,
and I look forward to the day when the public can appreciate the essence of an authentic classic.