Last ‘Danse Macabre’ for Classical?

During the Jurassic Period, when Sony Walkman-wearing dinosaurs roamed the wilds of Los Angeles, I played second flute in my high school orchestra. It sparked a lifelong love affair with classical music. Sadly, there has been much talk that the genre is dying.

We instantly recognize Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.” But few know Puccini’s Dorma Fantasia for Violin ("Turandot"), let alone listen to it voluntarily. I like Lady Gaga, too. I love jazz, R&B and rock. Occasionally I get my hip-hop on; and even listen to country & western when ah need ta cry in mah beer. But I couldn’t imagine a world not graced with the music of Debussy, Mozart, Dvořák, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven. I certainly couldn’t imagine it without Johann Sebastian Bach. His every sonata, cantata, fugue and chorale is a perfect pearl. If God exists, one of his expressions is Bach. (A sample: Goldberg Variations: Aria. Glenn Gould.)

Concerned citizens, musicians and patrons of the arts are working to preserve the classical genre. But it’s an uphill struggle. Yet, some of the problems are self-inflicted. Radio station playlists, to take one example, need a rethink. Here in Phoenix, KBAQ (89.5 FM) is our sole classical music station. (Oh stop laughing. It’s not quite true that there’s more culture in a yogurt cup than in this town.)  KBAQ does itself no favors when its choice of classical works makes it hard for listeners to connect with the music.

Often, the station will air works like Swedish composer Gustav Pettersson's Symphony No. 7. It’s a wonderful piece for a slice of connoisseurs. But its tonal complexities make it tough listening for the untrained ear. Indeed, a minute or two spent with “Symphony No. 7” will send most folks running back down the radio dial to Lady Gaga. It’s bad for business since most of KBAQ’s audience (and potential members) are casual listeners.

No, I am not arguing for a gratuitous increase in surgery, beginner works like "The Blue Danube" by Strauss. But radio announcers – the self appointed gatekeepers of the genre – need to drop the snobby notion of airing difficult classical work to widen the palate. They should stick to sophisticated masterworks with accessible harmonics. Do that 98% of the time, especially in prime time, listeners will come and return often. Great but accessible classical music is the equivalent of the real estate adage: “location, location, location.” Fortunately, classical music is a vast ocean filled with such offerings. One could live off Bach and Beethoven alone for months.

The word is spreading, however, about classical music's tenuity. Dale Henderson, a young professional cellist, has begun playing Bach Solo Cello Suites in the subways of New York. He plays alone and accepts no tips. It’s his way of exposing passersby to the music. "I caught some fear from some other musicians that classical music is dying and in 100 years there will be no more classical music,” he told CNN. “I can't believe that's true. I mean, it scares me to my soul if it were true."

It scares me to my soul, too. As it should you.

----------------------
For the curious: The music reference in the headline is Danse Macabre, Op.  40, by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, first performed in 1872. It happens to be good Halloween music.