If this don’t have a direct answer hopefully it will at least spark some conversation.
The works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, et. al. were the contemporary music of their time.
Now, classical music they are looked upon as a musical genre of its own; apart from what we currently consider “popular music.” Composers like Shostokovich and Stravinsky wrote when other forms of popular music were…well…popular.
My question is, when did “classical” and “popular” music part ways? Did “popular” music come from the same classical traditions or was it the infusion of other sounds (African?) that current popular music rose from?
There’s an oft repeated joke in many sci-fi stories where the society of the future refers to our rap as their classical music. I wonder though, will it really happen? When music reaches a certain age threshold, does it instantly become “classic”? Was there such a thing as trashy music in Mozart’s day? Will MC Hammer one day be refered to as a classical genius?
No, for the simple reason that, at present, Classical is a defined musical genre. When you say “Classical Music,” it brings to mind that specific variety of music, rather than simply music that is old (not saying there isn’t any overlap, but the groups are not entirely the same.)
The key term here being ‘at present’. The question is about the far future, so it’s not too much of a stretch to suppose that the definitions could drift or change.
Of course, there’s also no particular reason to suppose that they’ll drift in that particular way. Maybe in the future, today’s ‘classical music’ composers will get a new label, and classical will refer to Mediterranean-area folk music originating from 600AD-1100, or something else.
Most notably in an episode of Futurama where Leela chastises Fry for sitting alone in the dark listening to Classical Music, in the form of Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot.
Ditto what JohnT said. “Classical” music and “popular” music have been separate entities for a long time. Joe schmoe of the 1700s didn’t turn on VPR or pop in a record of the local symphony doing a collection of Bach’s work. The music that was accessible to the average person was “folk” music, which is really the progenitor of modern popular music (with, of course, plenty of cross-over influence).
It would be most helpful to people who don’t intend to take courses in music history to have some common terms that signify:
Classical – a period within the history of music
Classical – the type of music composed for performance by orchestras, chamber groups and soloists, including Opera, Chorales, Symphonies, Concertos, etc.
Classical – anything “old”
Classical – anything worth remembering
Classical – shit I don’t like
