Speaking of music appreciation or preference, there are still many topics or debates about pop and classical. We can first analyze the characteristics of these two types of music, and then we can have an understanding of their differences.
First, let’s talk about pop music.
Popular music can also be called popular music or popular music, which is roughly how it is called internationally. In English, it can be called Popular Music. It includes two categories: music and songs, the so-called light music and pop songs. Light music is a relatively professional category. There are many famous bands abroad, such as Mandovani, James 6?1 Last, etc.; there are also some famous individual musicians, such as Ya Ni, Clayderman like this. Pop singers come from more genres and have a brighter cast. The word "star" seems to be only applied to the category of pop singers, and it is also a proper noun.
Popular music practitioners come from two aspects, self-taught and professional training, which are the so-called non-academism and academicism. In ancient China, there was also a saying that one was born in a major. At present, there are also formal music colleges and universities in China that teach popular song singing methods. But there are many more singers who came from private schools and are usually mentored by famous people. Pop music is usually performed in relatively large venues, using electronic equipment to create special effects and sometimes hide the singer's flaws.
Part of the creation of popular music comes from professional writers (Composers), and a large part is written and performed by singers. Pop music requires a very large amount of works, and the timeliness requirements are also very high. This is very difficult for light music. Therefore, light music is mostly based on popular fragments of classical music, and the best of a small number of specially created pieces will also become the repertoire. This is not the case with pop songs. One of the characteristics of pop songs is that they have a short update cycle. If you always sing old songs from three years ago, you will be cast aside and appear outdated. That is to say, pop songs are a symbol of fashion, emphasizing what songs are popular this year. Even those big-name singers need to constantly update their repertoire in order to last forever. Another characteristic of popular songs is that they focus on dedicated songs. Singing someone else's song is called a cover (Copy Performance). Fans generally think that it is not as good as the original singer because they will make fierce comparisons between you and the original singer.
Because of these characteristics, the characteristics of pop music are determined: short length, compact structure, and easy to understand.
Due to these characteristics, his audience is wider.
Appreciating pop music will bring you relaxation. If it is at a concert (Show), of course it is a different story. It's a bit like watching football. Watching the TV broadcast at home and watching the game live are two different emotions. Pop music lovers love beautiful melodies and wonderful lyrics, and many fans also like the latest works of famous singers; star fans know the birth dates, food, drink, and daily whereabouts of the singers. That is to say, some pop music lovers love the music itself; while the other part extends to the things outside of the music.
Let’s take a look at classical music.
Classical music, literally understood as ancient classical music. In fact, in English Classical Music, it only has the meaning of classics, without the restrictions of ancient times. In order for it to cover the contemporary extension of this musical system, some people also call it serious music.
Like popular music, classical music also includes two major fields: instrumental music (Instrumental Music) and vocal music (Vocal Music). Vocal music refers to opera (Opera) and art songs (Lieder), and in concerts (Concert) sings more classic arias from operas. In classical music, instrumental music plays a larger role, which is completely different from the situation in pop music. Most of the famous performers and singers of classical music are called. There is no such thing as a conductor or a master (artist), such as a conductor, a pianist, a violinist, or a singer. This is another difference from pop music. Most of the contemporary classical music practitioners come from professional schools, that is, they are rarely self-taught and become famous in one fell swoop. Of course, most of them have received private education before entering the academy, usually performing in specialized performance venues. In concert halls, theaters and opera houses, electronic equipment is generally not allowed during classical music performances, but the original sound is required.
Most classical music works come from ancient compositions. The vast majority of contemporary works are from professional writers.
The biggest difference between classical music and pop music is that everyone performs the same works, but they are not called covers or remakes from more than a hundred years ago. The work has been performed by no less than a hundred orchestras, so classical music is not fashionable at all.
Another big difference between classical music and popular music is that the academics and non-academics of pop music exist among the practitioners; while the academics and non-academics of classical music are to a large extent It exists among enthusiasts. Classical music is generally relatively large in length (small pieces are called sketches), has a complex and rigorous structure, and is rich in various specialized techniques. Non-academic fans generally enjoy the beauty of the melodies, but there are also audiophiles who know the anecdotes and daily/weekly/monthly/yearly dynamics of the musicians (exactly the same as groupies). Academic enthusiasts go a little deeper, not only appreciating works with beautiful melodies, but also those with less beautiful melodies. They develop a deeper appreciation for the structure of the work, its compositional approach, and its performance/performance approach. Another difference from pop music lovers is that there is a technical group among classical music lovers. They appreciate pure sound, especially the appreciation of reproduced music. They pursue high-quality music reproduction, and even pursue the sound reproduction of the band conductor using his eyes.
So, just like pop music, some of the classical music lovers love the music itself (the depth varies); while the other part extends to the things outside of the music.
Having said that, we have never seen any essential difference between classical music and pop music. They are both forms of expression of music. At most one is simpler and the other is more complex. So why do many people think that classical music is more elegant, while people who love classical music are gentlemen and ladies, or are they self-righteous and arty?
Let’s go back a little further. Classical music comes from ancient court music. Many works in the classical and romantic periods were also composed for princes and nobles at that time. At that time, working people could hear mostly music performed by folk artists or dance hall music played by the Johann Strauss Band. Of course, the princes and nobles would not wear work clothes when listening to music, but would wear formal clothes and follow salon etiquette. A concert in those days was a formal social occasion. This custom has been continued and formed a system. Therefore, it is now advocated that people should dress neatly when attending concerts, and social views have always regarded people who attend such concerts as upper class society. Is that so? I'm not sure.
However, I am sure that it is not a sin to love classical music or to work in this profession. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many parents spending money to send their precious sons and daughters to piano lessons.
As mentioned before, classical music has a complex structure. That is to say, in addition to the beauty of image, it also has the beauty of form. From an enthusiast's point of view, it is certainly not an overnight effort to understand all the mysteries. Its musical forms, modes, tonality, harmony, polyphony, etc. are also quite complex. However, if you dig deeper with the help of its beautiful melody, you will find that there is another world inside. An in-depth appreciation of classical music will definitely help improve one's ability to analyze and solve problems, and it will also help your work or research in other fields. I think this is probably the reason why music appreciation ability is regarded as an aspect of a person's comprehensive parameters, right? Of course, this is not the only parameter.
Appreciating popular music can satisfy a person's basic needs in music: listening to some good music. Appreciating classical music can satisfy a person's more musical needs: listening to some complex music. I understand it's that simple!
Therefore, people who appreciate classical music do not need to look down upon people who do not appreciate classical music; people who do not appreciate classical music do not need to look down upon those who appreciate classical music.