Classical Music

I stumbled across a clip from Henze's opera Pollicino yesterday. The scene I watched was the one where Hänsel (from Hänsel und Gretel) conceives of his plan to find a way out of the woods. (In case you're curious: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AvaxvHU1Uo.)

Listening to the music, I thought again about how some composers (e.g. Henze) are accepted as part of the classical music tradition while others (e.g. John Williams) are not. It is a tricky thing, outlining rules for what should be considered classical music and what shouldn't be. Such a judgment is rightfully left to subjective analysis. I will say, however, that I think in most cases the community gets it right.

Some prefer the term "art music" to "classical music," but I think that the former term is broader and does not narrowly define what is commonly referred to as "classical music." For "classical music" is not just an elitist term; it represents a specific concept that many people value and would like to preserve. Classical music compositions are conceived of and are written down in Platonic form. They exist so that artists may take up the challenge time and time again of realizing the forms. It is not a particular performance and all of its details that are of primary interest to the classical music aficionado--it is the composition and the way in which that composition is enlightened by the performance.