The Power of Classical

[JohnPaulus V Arcangel]

Remember how on the first day of school, the teacher usually makes us get acquainted with one another? Well, I hate those days. I always find that I have nothing in common with any of my classmates. One question that really sets me apart from everyone else is "What kind of music do you listen to?". People would respond "metal", "techno”, "rock”, “pop", "hip-hop" and all that stuff. "Well, here I go," is what I'd tell myself when it’s finally my turn to tell everyone what my favorite genre of music is. In a polite and trying to be friendly manner I would say "Classical". Then all the kids would give me this odd stare.
Classical music has passed the test of time. They are known to have been around since the mid 1700's, and different variations of classical are still being composed to this very day. Even to this day there are many people out there in this world who appreciate, and still listen to classical music, just not a lot in my generation. My generation has very little appreciation to classical music. I find myself standing alone when I say that I am a classical lover.
The things I hear from people of my generation, about classical music makes me angry. “It’s boring.” “It puts me to sleep.” “It’s for old people. “. In my opinion kids have little appreciation or care for classical music these days, because they know only a small portion of it.
The time and effort put into performing one piece alone is more than 10 music videos combined. The composer spends countless days trying to perfectly harmonize every musical instrument he intends on using. The musician would spend countless time and practice trying to perfect his role in the piece, not to forget the time and practice he already put into perfecting his instrument. It’s been joked around a lot how the composer must hate the musician. The score of this classical piece is a perfect example of how composers treat performers like dirt. No human being could ever perform this piece perfectly as written, and the last android who attempted it exploded in a puff of greasy black smoke. Let's not forget the conductor who studies the piece to near perfection, and is in charge of leading, in a professional orchestra, around 70-100 musicians. When done correctly...the results are terrifying.

Look at the conductor go.
How does this relate to American Studies? Well, because nowadays, it’s everywhere in the entertainment industry. Especially in western entertainment, classical music is being used to help convey emotions. Listen closely to the music in movies, and video games and you will see that most of them have classical elements. Take away the music to any movie or game that you've probably seen and or played and it will feel incomplete. Classical music deserves more attention and appreciation than what it currently is receiving.
Classical elements are used, if not in some cases, abused in video games. Next time you find the controller in your hands, take note on how classical elements dramatically affect the gaming experience. Classical elements fused with other genres create a different type of genre that stands so boldly. Take for an example, classical+metal=neo classical metal. The villain’s theme is often flooded with classical elements in video games. As a result they seem so terrifying, epic, evil, and all other things villains are expected to be. For the video right under this sentence take note on how the music compliments the dialogue, the setting, the characters, and the fight scene in general.
The next video is a perfect example of how classical music enhances the mood dramatically. Sure you might be able to say that the metal background music played at 1:48 made the scene more like a fight, but later on the classical background music at 3:02 took it to the next level. It becomes clear that the man in the red coat had no idea who he was messing around with.

Take away the background music in both of those fight scenes, and the whole thing will be incomplete. Replace it with any other genre, and it will never be the same.
Any movie producer, especially now a days, always puts in some classical elements into their background music. Why? Because they know how effective, emotional, and powerful classical music can get. When I first heard "Adagio for Strings", by Samuel Barber in the movie Platoon, as a kid, I nearly wanted to cry.

Listen to it for yourself and tell me you feel upbeat and happy.
Ever listen closely to the music in any action movies? Even modern day composers know, to make something epic, you best add classical elements into your composition.


That was the background music to the final fight between Neo and Mr. Smith in the movie Matrix Revolutions. Have you listened closely to a trailer to an action movie recently? I forgot which trailer I heard that from, but there are actually companies that specialize in making music for movies and games, especially action movies. Even in this modern day, can you guess what all these companies have in common when making their music? They all use classical elements.
When you want to portray an emotion, whether it be sad, happy, warm, lonely, angry, epic, or any other emotion out there, nothing does a better job than classical.
Go ahead; watch some movies, and play some games before responding if you need to. Has this changed your opinion about classical music, or at least help you realize the involvement of classical elements in entertainment? If so how, what do you think of it now? If not, well, then I’m sorry.

[Lauren Olson]

I would classify myself as a pop/rock music fan, but when I need to concentrate on hw or write a paper late at night and can't stand the silence I turn on classical music. There is only one station on the radio that plays classical, so it takes a while to find. I feel like today's society doesn't value the time and effort it takes to create such beautiful music, but classical will stand the test of time.