In high-end audio, classical music has a pervasive presence. It’s considered a staple in most hi-fi demo playlists. Yet it’s fairly fringe in today’s culture. It’s best known as background music in the elevator. This, however, is true for most people, and not all.
As those who enjoy classical music absolutely love it.
To enjoy classical music is to tap into the deepest form of enjoyment of any music. To tether your emotions directly to the sound, to let it guide your heart and mind, and to to bear witness as that happens.
Let’s talk about that.
But first I must admit: this piece doesn’t hope to persuade you to listen to classical music. It aims to deepen your appreciation, your fascination, your connection to all music. As all music is the product of both human emotion (feelings, stories, themes) and process (instrument combinations, structures, patterns).
And what’s more, this article refers to “classical music” somewhat loosely. It doesn’t refer specifically to the classical era of music, nor music of any age, nor music which follows classical rules like catalog systems or pre-defined patterns.
That context deserves a thorough post of its own. So if you are already a lover of classical in a more traditional and true sense, understand this article isn't meant as an underappreciation of the genre.
As used in this article, classical music includes original film scores and instrumentals featuring acoustic instruments. In a sense it also refers to music which doesn’t follow a rigid structure, such as verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus.
Onward.
Classical music takes a direct path to our emotions.
If you make dedicated time to really listen to music — not to listen to it while doing something else, but to focus on it exclusively and let it guide your feelings and thoughts — then the immense value of classical music comes to light.
In general, most classical music has no lyrics to impose meaning. This leaves you to discover your own meaning. One that speaks to you. This means the same song can invoke two completely different experiences, depending on what’s going on in your life.
Classical music also does less of the work for you. It encourages your imagination to participate. It invites you to envision a story, or remember a loved one, or process an unresolved conflict. It guides you to discover what’s really bothering you. It even grants you access to gratitude, joy, or love, if life ever gets in the way and denies you a chance to feel them.
Classical music is not predictable or repetitive. It resembles a journey, a series of unique events, even more so than other forms of music like folk or rock which use repetitive elements. A journey for the heart and mind.
Further, classical music is very human and very emotional even with regard to timing.
Time is kept by human spirit.
Photo by Arindam Mahanta on Unsplash
How do you coordinate an entire orchestra? How do you keep each individual instrument player in time with the collective? In rock you have fewer instruments, so it’s easier for the band to stay in sync. In an orchestra you can have 80 or more. Things can easily devolve into chaos.
So leads the conductor. According to A Dictionary of Music and Musicians, conducting is “the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture.”
All players keep their eyes on a single human spirit, who keeps them in time with the collective, and shares the feeling invoked by the music.
Further, classical scores are so often written with narratives as well. Conductors will study these stories, in addition to the history of a piece — like the style of the period, the composer’s biography — to inform how it should be played.
Photo by Marius Masalar on Unsplash
It’s a rich process, rife with an appreciation for the human condition. This makes for quite an emotional production.
Classical as a “biohacking” tool.
The genre even has a ton of good press because classical has been used in the study of how music affects our mental health and performance.
It is said that listening to classical music…
- Allows us to express emotions, recover from emotional distress, and improve our understanding of others
- Improves pattern recognition, attention to detail, and working memory over time
- Facilitates concentration and creativity when played in the background of certain tasks
There’s debate on all this. In part because music in general can be shown to provide all those benefits. And of course, this is affected by an individual’s personal relationship to different styles of music.
So looking for the “extra” benefits of classical music is really just something someone could try, if they were curious.
However, given all that’s been said here, classical is definitely great for creating an emotional experience in the now.
Want to explore that yourself?
Of course, you can search for a “top 10” list of must-hear classical songs. However I’ll share some album recs with you now:
Playing the Piano 12122020 by Ryuichi Sakamoto:
Gayageum, Be the Legend by SooEun Kwak:
Exiles by Max Richter:
These are albums I’ve listened to myself, and in fact the second one I’ve been listening to lately, on repeat. (Worth saying that one would also fall under “world music.”)
If none of these selections make an impact on you (yet) I would suggest starting with classical score soundtracks from films you love. Pay attention to how the instrumentals make you feel. And pay attention to how what they make you think about. What is happening in the music that carries your heart and mind in a particular direction?
That should help you tap in to what it means to listen to classical music. Once you arrive there, you’ll have much to explore.
