My Views On Contemporary Classical Music

If I had been asked to write these notes four months ago, my response would have been very different to what it is now. Prior to starting this course I had had very little exposure to contemporary classical music, except for film scores. These I had always enjoyed, but contemporary classical music written for its own sake had negative connotations for me. A combination of the minuscule amount of material I had heard, the bias's of other people I know and a lack of understanding all contributed to me dismissing contemporary classical music out of hand, and sticking firmly with the 'old masters'.

Contemporary classical music seemed to me to be lacking form and any discernible melody or rhythm. This resulted in works which were a cacophony of random noises rather than a 'musical' output. Why would I spend time dragging myself through this when I could instead play a beautiful Chopin nocturne, Bach prelude and fugue or Beethoven symphony?

This course so far has been instrumental in encouraging exploration of the contemporary repertoire, and I have made great efforts to embrace this philosophy. Using Spotify I have been able to try a whole range of works by many different contemporary composers, which utilize many different styles and instrument setups.

Something I realised quite early on in my journey through this genre is that the listener needs to adopt a very different listening approach compared to 'traditional' classical music. My perceptions so far indicate that contemporary works present an 'experience' in which you are expected to immerse yourself. The mistake is to try to listen for the 'tune' that you can hum along to, as it frequently doesn't exist. I have described in previous projects the feeling of a 'dream sequence' when listening to contemporary classical. Often bizarre, I am however starting to find it very absorbing, able to draw you in and tell you a story.

I find intriguing the contemporary composers' ability to push the boundaries of the performers and the instruments they play. Using the instruments in unique and previously unintended ways to create new sound is often par for the course, such as playing a clarinet with the barrel or upper joint missing, playing percussive sounds with the keys on a flute, or modifying the instrument, such as placing objects on the strings, hammers and dampers of a piano to alter the sound as in John Cage's works for 'prepared piano'. I have also seen non-musical objects used in an orchestral setting, such as a wind-up siren and baked-bean tins. Electronica also plays a part, with some electronic sound effects used, and taped voices used as an accompaniment, such as in Steve Reich's 'Trains'. On that note, Reich's use of recorded human speech as melody struck me as exceptionally inventive and inspiring.

In the few months I have been studying this course, my eyes have certainly been opened wider to what is out there, and the techniques and ideas that I didn't even know existed. I am looking forward to continuing with this project on contemporary classical music, to learn more about what's possible with this genre.