Contemporary Or Classical Musical Instruments?
Playing a musical instrument is a gift to all those who hear it. Does it really matter if you play a classical musical instrument or a contemporary musical instrument? It can. First and foremost, playing a musical instrument should be fun and rewarding. If it’s not, you are not likely to practice it at all and eventually you will lose interest.
Playing classical music with a classical instrument can be remarkably challenging and rewarding. As a general standard, classical music is more intricate that contemporary music, although there are naturally exceptions to every rule.
Playing contemporary music with contemporary instruments can also be tremendously satisfying and rewarding. While not everyone may agree that contemporary music is a gift when they hear it, those who appreciate it will appreciate it deeply.
One of my favorite trends as of late is to either play contemporary music with a classical instrument or classical music with a contemporary instrument. Both sounds are considerably remarkable and both aspects take quite a bit of talent and practice. Creating this interesting twist can ultimately please more crowds, as classical music played with a contemporary instrument can reach the younger generations and actually turn them on to classical styles. The same can be said about contemporary music that is played with classical instruments.
When choosing between classical or contemporary instruments, the best method of decision making is simple preference. When choosing for a child, or helping a child make the decision, preference of course still matters, but opening the doors to new music and different experiences can really benefit the child tremendously. The basic goal for choosing an instrument, either classical or contemporary, is finding an expression that works well with the personality. Children who learn at least a little of both classical and contemporary expression are more equipped to make the decision for themselves later on.
Classical music and instrumentation can teach strong basic skills, while venturing into contemporary music and instrumentation can be both inspiring and fun for kids, especially older children.
Being well versed in classical music can actually provide a better platform for kids or adults who want to play a more contemporary instrument. Contemporary music is often written with the use of only a few chords and a basic beat while classical music demands a higher level of instrumentation. If we never teach kids the classical instruments or the classical music, the classical arts are destined to die.
Lanny Hintz
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/contemporary-or-classical-musical-instruments-106679.html
Comments
Why are a lot of people biased against electronic classical music?
One of the biggest advances of the 20th century in music was the influence of electronics.
Electronic classical music sounds new and interesting to my ears. I like the traditional stuff too – but music should keep advancing, no? Contemporary classical music doesn’t necessarily have to be joined at the hip to acoustic musical instruments from 200 to 300 years ago.
The reasoning here is the same as differentiation between pipe and electric organs in that the pipe has enriching harmonic overtones while electronic production of sound has none. Listen and compare Poulenc organ concerto as performed by Biggs to anyone attempting it on electronic organ.( even Radio City)
Secondly there is the consideration of the performing musician who would be phased out of existence.
Eclectic music performed electronically is very acceptable
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Are you talking about George Crumb’s "Vox Balanae (Voice of the Whale)" for electrified flute, violin, and keyboard? A combination of acoustic and synthesized music like James Galway’s "The Enchanted Forest, Melodies of Japan" CD? Or do you mean something like that ridiculous symphony for cell phones thing?
The degree of acceptance most likely depends on the presentation, content, and performers much as it does for new works for traditional ensembles.
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Well, yes and no. Classical music composed for classical instruments should be played on those instruments. I know there will be the whole baroque v. modern instruments debate, but the point is that the character of the music doesn’t change. Pity that so much harpsichord and clavichord work is played on piano. And despite the success of W. Carlos’ Switched-On albums, it really is a dead end. There is only so much you can do with synthesis. If you had the full-time use of a true studio like Columbia’s and a completely modular synthesizer like the Moog System 55 http://isaotomita.net/images/technology/moog_55.jpg Nobody is going to get those results from a Casiotone or any other sample player (that is marketed as a synthesizer).
… so, Interesting, yes … gimmicky, yes … over-used, yes! Especially in the early-mid 70s.
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There is something simply wrong about playing classical music on electronic instruments. Classical music is usually played on traditional instruments… there are even people in the classical music arena who insist on music being played with instruments that are contemporary with the compositions; e.g. people who insist on playing Bach on a harpsichord. If a piece of music is composed on say a synthesizer then that is the instrument that it should be played on if the performance is intended to be a composer authentic performance.
Generally speak there is very little electronic classical music. Electronics remove the "soul" and humanity of the music which is why so little classical music is even amplified – let alone electronic.
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I see nothing in your question that suggests you think music composed for acoustic instruments should be played by electronic instruments. I don’t where people are getting this from. Synthesizers are not so novel that people will be impressed by Switched On Bach type records anymore.
I agree that contemporary composers shouldn’t shy away from using electronic instruments, with or without traditional instruments. Messiaen did it with the Ondes Martenot in the Turangalila Symphony, and Varese did it in Deserts (tape interpolations). I suspect that any synthesizer these days can produce so many different sounds, that composers can’t figure out how to specify a specific one that will sound the same from performance to performance. It may also be that popular music has co-opted synthesized sound so much, that classical composers feel their work won’t be taken seriously if they use it.
I don’t know what the problem is, but I wish I could go to the symphony to hear some new music with some new orchestration that includes electronic sounds, too.
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I would recommend Ingram Marshall’s Fog Tropes (original version with prepared tape and brass) to just about anyone, regardless of their classical preferences or taste.
I think there is very little of it, and often not as strong as music being written for acoustic means.
It is a matter of numbers: the event of a well-grounded earnest composer to have that discipline and to also have the understanding and means of tape and later electronica is a much less frequent occurence.
The ‘early’ days involved the most painstaking work and assembly: it was all on tape, including hand-splicing, coordinating multiple tracks, which were assembled singly and then and balanced and coordinated inch by inch. The composers were working with very tempermental Moogs or similar assembled gear which could vary the determined oscillations greatly from day to day, dependent on room temperature, humidity, and the idiosynchracies of the equipment itself.
These earlier pieces went straight to the non-performing medium of recordings. The music had no chance of first being part of a program with a general audience, keeping the music remote from classical consumers. Any recorded-only new work in the Classical realm (I believe) has a lesser chance than a piece which has been several times performed in front of people. (there is nothing to watch, for example, when listening to a pre-recorded midi piano ‘perform.’)
Some beautiful and interesting later pieces have resulted, Berio’s series of sequenzas pair a solo acoustic instrument and prepared tape. His ‘Visage’ for prepared tape and soprano is stunning. You have good suggestions for other repertoire in one of your related questions.
John Adams uses a touch of Synthesizer here and there mixed in the orchestra, but, too, he studied electronic music and did devote some isolated time to the discipline.
JoshuaCharles mentioned a more recently composed very fine piece for small ensemble and electronics by one of the latter generation of Tcherepnins (Ivan, or Serge).
Boulez’ Pli selon Pli is such an adventure with orchestra and interactive electronics, which record and / or interact with the played music from a computer-driven program which spins off variants or ‘reactions.’
Some of the available commercially designed sounds in synthesizers are very organically ‘musical.’ They mix and solo well melded in with acoustic instruments, in any balance of number of players. No matter how ‘far away’ they are from traditional timbres, they can be handled as just another instrument, having their characteristic qualities as do acoustic instruments. (The harmonic vocabulary and form can be anything.)
If more composers combined and integrated the newer devices (prepared elements and / or active electronically generated interaction) with acoustic instruments, playing, expections of some very good things and and audience for it would increase.
best regards.
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