I'm sure the greater majority of us would recognize a Classical piece if we heard it. But the question stands, what makes a piece Classical? What is it that all Classical pieces have in common?
It was once suggested by Leonard Bernstein that what gives all classical music a common ground is the notational percision. He continued to say that unlike popular music which lacks this percision and is notated loosely, Classical musioc should by played essentially the same way each time. But what about graphically notated Classical music? Notation is not the only thing all Classical songs have in common.
So maybe it's the instrumentation. Modern music or just "popular" music for that matter lacks the instrumentation of Classical music. As a matter of fact it is quite uncommon to find the instruments used in Classical music in any other genres (not to say similar things may have been done). Instruments such as the Cello, Double Bass, Harp, Flute and Piccolo are more often found in a Classical piece. However you have Steve Reich's "Electric Counterpoint" which uses electric guitars and it is a Classical piece.And there's is also electronic Classical music. It's not the instrumentation either.
What does Classical music mean to me? Well I personally think that classical music holds a certain elegance. The individuals who write the music hold a certain value. Music is essentially an image of the person who creates it. Music is made by us for us, right? No I don't have a definitive answer for this question and I probably won't come across one anytime in the near future. I would however be interested to hear your thoughts on the subject.
!!!KEEP ON STEEMIN'!!!