Why there are no more classic composers?

Question

And won't be? like Beethoven, Mozart or Tchaikovsky.

Answer 1

As Barenaked Ladies sang it: "It's all been done before."

One of the things that makes us value Handel, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Stravinsky, et al is that they were first; they discovered something new and widely valued in music; they were, at one time, unique.

Any good composition student nowadays can mimic the great composers. (One composition prof at my college had handouts: "How to compose like Debussy" etc.--one Friday we had an entire recital of his students' pseudo-Debussy pieces. And John Cage did a piano piece in the style of Erik Satie and titled it "Cheap Imitiation".)

But in general people don't want a carbon copy of a creative artist, and having dozens of Beethovens is not the same as having just the one. You might as well ask why there are no country artists like Hank Williams Sr. anymore, or any jazz groups like Dave Brubeck's Quartet, or any playwrights who write like Shakespeare; they were pioneers of their time, but their time is gone.

I'd suggest that there are composers alive today who you would value, personally, just as much as Beethoven. You just have to listen until you find them.

Answer 2

What you mean to ask is why don’t I hear any new classical music.

People have been writing classical music for a long time, it didn’t stop with Mozart and his crowd, but it’s popularity stopped years later. Now days the world of classical music composer is much smaller. Most modern classical composers have their music showcases in professional orchestra programs. Many conductors write their own music, and some of it is in the classical style. They don’t publish a lot of it and they rarely have a full concert devoted to their music. They like broader audiences (more ticket sales) so they play a mix of music with only a few pieces of their own music in it.

As for there never being a Beethoven, Mozart or Tchaikovsky you are wrong there as well. 60 Minutes has done two profiles on a modern day Beethoven. He constantly hears music in his head, and most of it is classical. He plays the piano and is studying to become a composer. Already he has had some of his work performed by a nationally recognized orchestra. He has been composing music since almost the day he was born, but he needs a college degree to become his own conductor and a master of his own orchestra. So he is on that course and doing well enough that he is famous in the classical world. He is truly the likes of Mozart since the music is just busting to get out of his head, and conductors consider some of his compositions to be worthy of including in their performances.

Answer 3

There are lots of classical composers. Check out the music of Tan Dun, Hannibal Lokumbe, John Williams, John Adams, Aaron Jay Kernis, and a host of other composers already mentioned.

Answer 4

People become classic composers over great periods of time.

Perhaps 100 years from now, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, and Bernard Herrman will be considered some of the great classic composers of the 20th Century.

Answer 5

I think it's because it's all been done before, and nobody wants to mess with it. If you think about it, very few music genres have evolved...and that's probably a good thing. Think about the way that rock has evolved -- we had a few good bands come out within the past 20 years or so, but anything within the last...five? None of THEM have been very good. It's probably better just to keep the old stuff alive for our children to pass on to their children.

Answer 6

Almost anyone who wrote music for the cinema or stage are music composers and some of their music will pass the test of time and become classic.

Answer 7

A lot of people have turned away from that.

Answer 8

There are! Visit sibeliusmusic.com