Two of the top searches that drove internet surfers to the Salon97 site in the past couple weeks included the following: “classical music” and “what is so great about it.” I was pretty surprised to see this, but I also saw this as a great opportunity to make a top 10 list of things that are great about classical music. We all love lists, right? Please feel free to comment with your own reasons why classical music is so fabulous.
And without further ado, my top 10 list of why classical music is totally awesome:
1. So many pieces, so little time! Since the genre has been around for hundreds of years the possibilities are nearly endless.
2. Undemanding. All you have to do is close your eyes and listen. There’s no opportunity for anyone to laugh at your bad dance moves.
3. Being able to say you know something about classical music is sexy. Saying you know something about The Beatles is like saying, “I know something about breathing oxygen!”
4. No words to memorize, most of the time.
5. Always makes for a romantic date night.
6. Classical music is used to commemorate major historical events, such as wars, the falling of empires, and the Olympic Games. Nothing quite says, “Big! Important! Earth-shattering!” like classical music does.
7. If it’s good enough for Bugs Bunny, it’s good enough for you.
8. Versatility. You can sing to it (opera), dance to it (ballet), and make a movie with it!
9. A heavy metal concert or indie rock show is generally not a good excuse to bust out your new tie or cute dress.
10. Viola jokes.
#3. Awesome. 🙂
I’m fond of #6 and giggling trying to picture say, the fall of the Berlin Wall commemorated with Polka Music.
How about: timeless. Most of the pieces continue to be reinterpreted and have value for people of a variety of backgrounds, worldviews, eras, etc.? Hence “classic”- al.