When someone uses the phrase, ‘Classical Music,’ they are usually referring to a specific style of music, differentiated from Jazz, Rock, or EDM. However, most people do not realize the importance of Classical music in the fabric of all other musical languages we know in Western culture. In our music school Odessa Texas we accentuate Classical Music, as it is the foundation to all other Western artforms.
In order to appreciate the role Classical music has played throughout history, it is important to first understand the unique history of the West.
The West is a group of nations that have similar values. Although each Western nation is unique, it is also similar to other Western nations, guided by a similar history and ethos. This group of beliefs can be traced to a set of core values rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
From a biblical perspective, when asking the question, “What is a nation?”, it was understood to be the progeny of an individual. In the Bible, the Ammonites were the descendants of Ammon. The Israelites were the descendants of Israel.
The Western tradition can be traced from Jerusalem to Athens, to Rome, to the Netherlands, to England, to America.
When Christianity spread from Jerusalem, it was initially embraced by the Jews, then quickly spread to other nations and ethnic groups. Jesus’ own words to His disciples encouraged this, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” (Matt. 28:19)
After Jesus’ words to His disciples, what emerged was not a group of people united on the basis of ethnicity but rather, ideology. The term ‘Western Tradition,’ in essence, has become a myriad of ethnicities who embrace the Judeo-Christian belief system. These Western nations have established, at a foundational level, the rule of law and system of governance based upon these values. We teach these values in our music school Odessa Texas.
One of the most important values of the West is the sacredness of the individual. Instead of one ruler or dictator being viewed as a demi-god, each person in the West is deemed to have been made in the image of God. The populace is no longer to be subservient to the ruler, but rather to have a role in the consent of who will govern. Consent is foundational to any healthy relationship. ‘Consent of the Governed’ means that the people are served by those they elect, and not the other way around.
Classical music came into being in the fabric of this culture, and is uniquely set in history to portray many dynamics of the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Catholicism had been ubiquitous throughout Europe for centuries; however, it was around the time of the Reformation, that Classical Music’s greatness began to emerge.
Bach, as well as his immediate successors, created music in and around Germany, just after Martin Luther’s influential teachings, which were subsequently widely dispersed through the miracle of the printing press. It was in this environment that Western Art Music was birthed and fostered. Every town in these regions had at its center a towering church steeple. The principles taught by the Catholic Church, through imagery and liturgy, along with the theological fundamentalism brought about by Luther and the Gutenberg Bible caused the music of this era to literally be swimming in Christianity. Bach, the music minister, Handel the widely popular creator of the Messiah, Haydn with his display of “Creation”, the list goes on…Mozart, Beethoven. How many classical composers have written masses and requiems?
Classical music is Christian at its core, or at least highly Christian-influenced. Arguably, some of the greatest works of music, not only in Western culture, but in the history of mankind, were given to us in the very fabric of burgeoning Christianity.
And, although Classical Music has its own ‘sound,’ unique to its construction, it nonetheless has found its way into practically every style of music we hear in our current culture. When gaining an understanding of Jazz harmonies, one need only listen to Debussy to hear the similarities. The Blues emanated from New Orleans, in the late 1800’s, where there was an internationally famous Opera House. Well-trained Classical musicians were being hired by clubs to improvise and arrange this burgeoning new music, dramatically influencing the early underpinnings of the Jazz style.
Jazz later merged in the American culture with Country music, resulting in the new style of Rock in the 1950s. The history goes on, but at the foundation of all of it is Classical Music. This is why we spend a good deal of time and emphasis on training students in our music school Odessa Texas in Classical disciplines.
Following is a list of elements I believe Classical Music brings into all other musical styles we have come to know, and what we highlight in our music school Odessa Texas:
1) An awareness of the ‘big picture’ or over-arching story, whether it be the composition of a two minute song, or a two hour symphony.
2) Detail. Detail of compositional structure, performance instructions, and other technical aspects. Care given to the most seemingly insignificant nuances.
3) Patience. In order to create the detailed work, artists were willing to take as long as necessary to create their works. Some compositions were known to have taken several years before they were brought out to be performed. One of the most important things we teach students in our music school Odessa Texas to be patient with the process.
4) A highly organic process of integrated creativity, through ‘motivic development’. This could also be explained as the process of meditation: taking a seed-thought and expanding it through a number of processes, which becomes a much larger work by simply compiling a number of the ideas that are a reflection, in some form, of the original one.
5) Structural integrity and balance utilizing the Pi/Phi ratio, or ‘Golden Section’. This is a point of climax in the context of the linear timeline of the composition, in which the greatest amount of intensity is felt, somewhere between two-thirds and three-fourths of the way through the piece. There is also a structural integrity of emotional development, which is discussed later.
6) Economy of means. Only using that which is necessary to convey the thought, not being wasteful in the use of anything on which the work is built. This could also be stated as ‘good stewardship’. The concept could be analogized to a lean athlete, without fat, no frivolous necessities or meaningless wanderings. Everything is meant to be there, nothing is without purpose.
7) Inspiration. The flow of the creative process, the spark of a new idea, the telling of an ‘unheard’ story, a ‘behind the scenes’ sub-plot, emotional undertones that are felt, not necessarily heard.
8) The power of the line. In a Bach chorale, each melodic line of the soprano, alto, tenor and bass were uniquely different. If they were played by themselves, each one separately, they would be able to stand alone, appreciated for their own intrinsic value. Each one of these melodies represented to Bach a person, or group of people who would be singing. Each line, against the other lines, would create a ‘conversation’ or relationship. As one melodic line would clash against another, then resolve, there would be yet another dissonance created, followed by a resolution. All of this undulating activity, weaving in and out of conflict and resolution is like the drama of a play, with its actors inter-relating with one another, finally coming to agreement. When analyzing Bach, one should think more in terms of linear, horizontal structure than in terms of harmonic, vertical structure. The lines create the harmony, but are not beholden to the harmony. Lines, in the example above, can be melodic. They, however, can also be applied to structure, rhythm, patterns of harmony, and even emotional movement. A line can be defined as the direction of horizontal movement in time.
9) A sense of community. As mentioned above, in a Bach Chorale, each part (or melodic line) has its place and relationship to the others. In a symphony orchestra, each person or section has their unique part to play, fitting into the whole. When singing or playing in a group, there are moments when the harmonies fit together so perfectly that they resonate to create yet another tone called the ‘resultant tone’. It reminds me of the Scripture that says, “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst.” (Matt. 18:20) When this happens, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that something wonderful has occurred. Audience interaction is another aspect of this subject.
10) Conflict/Resolution. Again, using the example above, in which melodic lines bump into one another in conflict, and then resolve, it should be understood that not everything in music has to be pretty. Life is a series of conflict/resolution sequences. In music, without conflict, or disharmony, there would be no contrast when the resolution came. A good story has to have a good antagonist. The stronger the antagonist, the more powerful the resolution, when the hero overcomes him. This can happen with melodic counterpoint, but it can also happen with emotional structure, where a piece could start darkly, but end triumphantly.
11) Pushing acceptable boundaries, but not breaking them. It is good to push against what is expected, but if one goes too far, the connection with the audience is broken.
12) Tonality, not necessarily only harmonic, but in a soulish sense as well. A sense of ‘belonging’, a sense of where ‘home’ is, ‘inevitability’, ‘destiny’ or a ‘centered feeling’, a ‘foundation’ upon which you are building, a sense of ‘tonic’. Even when being far away from this point, by contrast, that place can still be felt.
13) Expectation of personal and corporate sacrifice. Many great compositions would expand the boundaries to a point that it required of the players (and listeners) a certain amount of dedication, through personal practice, group practice, and listener attentiveness. In Mahler’s Symphony #8, lasting for two hours, or a Wagner opera cycle, lasting for several hours through a sequence of days, the audience was expected to give their time and patience in the unveiling of the story line.
14) Leadership. The new areas of development took great leadership and organization to bring the people along, not only to accept the new concepts and ideas, but to participate in them, and sacrifice towards their unveiling to a new audience. This took a great deal of patience and willingness to live through a period of ostricization and misunderstanding, in many cases. The willingness on the creator’s part to do this is what separates great artists from the mediocre.
15) Expectation of the created work being given at a certain time, in a certain space: live performance. The anticipation, both in the performer’s preparation for that moment, as well as the audience’s anticipation of receiving the gift at that moment, created a built-in power of expectation. Live performance in emphasized in our music school Odessa Texas.
16) Contrast. People perceive, based on contrast. What is loud, in one situation, is soft, by comparison, in another situation. What is ‘dissonant’ in one situation, can seem ‘consonant’ in another context. Placing ideas in the right context is such a powerful principle, that it alone can cause the success or failure of those ideas. Contrast, in a composition, can be with fast tempos or slow, loud or soft, high or low pitches, and consecutive, or even simultaneous uses of all of these and other things like them. The simultaneous uses can be very powerful and emotionally moving.
17) An illusion of motion. Dance is built on a musical foundation. It is a visual expression of what already exists in the music itself.
18) Built to last, not only for its own purpose, but for the purpose of teaching current and upcoming generations, through example. We have historically seen modern composers take past models, reinventing them. Such examples include Neo-Classicism and Neo-Romanticism. They are built upon a historical foundation, but utilize new creativity. Much of Bach’s work was designed to teach his upcoming students and working musicians, giving them step by step tutorials to follow in his path.
19) Emotional balance. Three emotional pillars found in music are 1) Struggle, 2) Assurance, and 3) Joy. In composition, the proper balance and relationship of these three emotions: Struggle, Assurance, Joy are crucial to the success of the piece of music. If there is too much struggle, without the other two elements, it becomes too dark. If there is too much assurance without the other two, there is no context for the appreciation of peace, and the work becomes ‘sappy’ and overly sweet. If there is joy only, then again there is no context for that celebration, and it becomes empty and meaningless.
In my opinion, the best definition of ‘Classical Music’ is music of any genre or style that is birthed from a pure and sincere motivation, empowered by inspiration which exists beyond time, history or culture.
Students in our music school Odessa Texas will learn how to implement all of these attributes of Classical music in their performances.