Classical music becomes a less and less important genre with each generation of music lovers. Once the gold standard of music professionalism, its steady fall from grace has rendered it mostly unconsidered. I don’t think it’s hard to recognize the elitism of the classical music community, especially because it is dominated by white, cisgender, heterosexual people. This notion isn’t completely unfounded, as it is considered one of the highest standards for achieving musical education, and the programs associated with classical music are very demanding. They expect a high level of knowledge about music history, alongside ample technical skill. It’s easy to conjure up an image of a charity gala: a sea of old, rich faces in furs and ties, fundraising for some nebulous cause and featuring an orchestra as the main event of the evening. This scene is nearly impossible to reconcile with the understanding and appreciation of music found in youth culture. Experimentalism, variety of sound, and self expression are all things that don't align with the values of classical music, or at least, that is the message disseminated by the culture surrounding it.

“Who cares?” I hear you saying, “let them have it, I have no interest in classical music.” I get it, but the truth is that we have no reason to dismiss it as a genre. We’ve all heard that you can draw a direct line between Beethoven and Justin Bieber though that’s not what I’m championing, nor do I believe it to be a good argument. I believe the reason we don’t give classical music the time of day has to do with the elitist, snobbish culture that surrounds it, not the fact that it is not relevant or interesting in our understanding of music. The culture around it tells us that this music isn’t for us, and shouldn’t be for us. If we remove the idea that one must understand the importance of historic classical composers and how they’ve shaped everyday thought about music, if we remove the concept of wealth involved, and if we remove the sea of white faces, we are left with just another genre. In fact, we are left with one full of modern and historical musicians, creating experimental, self-expressive pieces, and contributing to the zeitgeist of music past and present. 

As youth, I think we often assume we are not capable of engaging with a genre such as classical music. It seems hard to know what’s good or not without a large amount of foundational knowledge, which can make enjoying classical music feel like an impossible task at first glance. Listening to two different renditions of a piece by Bach and determining the better one is not something many people in our generation feel they can do. In reality, you can. 

This is a more instinctual task than one tends to think. The way the piece sounds to you is more than half the battle. You will find that simply by listening, you often take on the opinion of many trusted musical experts. If this task feels daunting, I implore you to listen to the albums I have included. These are a mix of some of my favourites, but also an album known to be notoriously good: Glenn Gould’s Goldberg Variations are thought to be some of the best renditions of Bach. Listen to them, and then listen to someone else do Bach, and you will immediately hear the difference. Classical music can also be fun. Eric Satie’s “Gymnopedies” are a light and interesting approach to classical composing. It’s important that genres of music are not co-opted away from young people, who are often at the forefront of music creation. All sides of music have to be considered for comprehensive progression in sound, technique, production, and all other facets of the craft. It is essential that we do not let an entire genre of music belong to an elite group of individuals. 

Album links:

Bach: The Goldberg Variations BMV 988, Glenn Gould

https://youtu.be/Ah392lnFHxM?si=DD2Vnr1ljtMMGsyc

https://open.spotify.com/album/0ogm04LcccovebvmP9Mo6W?si=PBqPBc7TSLOK6n2-CWHzfg 

Erik Satie and Friends, Erik Satie

https://open.spotify.com/album/32kkHw8GnItrzLQ1qwupbJ?si=pb5QNrRDQASyqJbpHAHmXQ 

Trois Gymnopedies, Erik Satie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8q9bPXa4vA&list=OLAK5uy_loCntKKKlvQvJtSFcD7Co0bsWwIKoU_vs 

Bach: Unaccompanied Cello Suites, Yo-Yo Ma

https://open.spotify.com/album/2OpnKgmVYPEN2GldgBponI?si=c8bxuqOvS8y-IKUhvuEXVQ 

“Cello Suite no. 1 in G Major,” Bach: Unaccompanied Cello Suites, Yo-Yo Ma

https://youtu.be/1prweT95Mo0?si=7A74HDzNihlpRWqqm