In Stiff Defense of Classical Music

Very often I hear people speak of classical music (that big umbrella of a term used to describe music between about the 17th-20th centuries) as being merely just "old" music that doesn't lend itself to much creativity nor innovation in today's world of art. Though people may appreciate this music as a historic art form, some are quick to assume it to be just that...historic...as if nothing could be done to it and that it should be framed and displayed on a museum wall. I've heard people say such things as, "classical music is old news...get with the times..."...as if there is nothing to be gained from enjoying it further, hundred of years after it has been written.

In my opinion, to say/think those things is to assume that every human being that has ever existed is exactly the same. Which is, of course, complete non-sense.

Before I write any further, I must point out that I am not opposed to new music and artists who strive to take their pursuits to something they personally find to be more "original" (I use quotations because originality (like just about anything else) is relative to each and every individual). That is their pursuit, and I have mine. When people try to make the case that classical music is no longer, "living and breathing", is when I find much to differ about.

It is true, in just about any classical concert series, it is the music of someone else that you are performing...not your own. Oh wow, how dare you be so boring and unoriginal...you must have no soul. Of course, more sarcasm here. The fact that you are performing a work written by someone else doesn't automatically mean that you are robbed of your human experience of originlaity...which is a conclusion I can't help but make when classical music is so often accused of being "un-original" or "un-progressive"...things of that nature. If that were ever true, how could it be explained that when two people play the same piece, the performances will always inevitably be different. Again, how could you assume that every human has shared the same experience in life and is likely to approach their craft/instrument/voice exactly the same...it is impossible...scientifically so...undoubtedly. Even if two artists were to be educated in the same place, it would be impossible for both of them to come out with an identical retrospect of their training.

Do you know WHY different artists are recruited each year to play the same pieces over and over again? Because, with each stroke of each artist's brush, you can find a very personal and profound beauty unique to that artist. And when that artist has spent years training and listening to his voice and passion, there is no denying that true art is being lived and breathed in the present day. I believe the art in classical music lies in the craft of bringing the story of your life to the the story of the composer and making your best effort to do justice to the music...a personal and honest approach required, bien sur. On top of that, you have waves upon waves of musicians who are trained from a very young age for generations to come who will all have their own unique ways of sharing their musical experience through classical music....likely, ways and ideas that the world has never known. Encouraging this majesty of nature is something that is paramount and many of guilty of losing a hold of this fact time to time, most definitely me!

Even though it will be impossible to find a universal taste on what/who is pursuing a "more noble" art, it is probably best to just see it all as equally important. To see someone who is trying to master a Beethoven concerto in their own way and criticize their pursuit as something played out and unoriginal is one of the most absurd things I can think of. To accuse them of a played out pursuit is to totally rule out the fact that they are about to embark on a truly personal journey towards discovering Beethoven that no one else in the world can match entirely. People forget that. In fact, to think that the only way to go after truly unique music is to go after new "ground breaking" stuff is to give up on the very human ability to make his/her experience their own despite what the subject is.And the art of music is about portraying that unique experience. The art in classical music involves a personal relationship with the composer. This is also very evident in the world of theatre. When one is pursuing their best portrayal of "Hamlet", their intent should be to add their own spin onto a template that Shakespeare put forth. A true and beautiful collaboration if you ask me.

Yes, the world of classical music has seen better days in terms of finances and the stability of some of the world's prestigious institutions but this is not a measure on whether or not this is a living art. Merely, just a sad portrayal of a few factors and how they affect the classical music world (weak economies, modern tastes...etc). But classical music is still alive and well as an art form...don't believe me? Ask the eleven year old girl I heard discovering Mozart for the first time down the hall.

Lee Chul Hyuk

On this Father's day my dad reminds me of what my Korean name means.
I was born with the name James and that is what is on my birth certificate.
However, for the first time in my 26 years of life, I finally get the low down on what my Korean name actually means!. Yeah, that long...language barriers can kid of slow things down!
As we drive home from our Father's day dinner my dad exclaims from the back, "Lee Chul Hyuk!" (Korean names are preceded with the family name). Well yeah dad, that's my Korean name. "Chul is steel. And hyuk means shining. Shining steel. Strong and bold". "Woe", I say. "Well, now I know".

"Yes, James. That is what I named you".

After spending a few moments feeling a bit too cool about the name, I start to appreciate our Korean heritage a lot more. I start to remember what strong context the culture follows and that names mean something other than just sounding right. A culture that follows a strong set of values and though I may not agree with all of them, I do find them beautiful as they make their ways through hundreds and hundreds of years of history (thousands of years if you consider that we and our values descend from the Chinese and Mongolians).

Although my life has been and will continue to be enormously American, I am glad to be pulled back into realizing where my family comes from and I begin to appreciate more my Dad's effort to remind me of where our heritage lies. With my name comes a whole story of a family's journey, mainly two people who came to America from Korea to raise a family.