| Classical composers did not compose classical music. | | | | as that sort of musical style that rests heavily on the |
| At the time of their composing, they were standing | | | | response of the heart to the objective beauties of |
| on the bow of the ship of music as it headed for the | | | | form, of order, of measure, number, proportion, and |
| deep, dark, mysterious waters of the unknown | | | | balance, the rational qualities to which humans |
| possibilities of human experience. For them, their | | | | respond with recognition and delight. These aesthetic |
| creative act was an experiment in both expression | | | | qualities first appeared among the "classical" Greeks, |
| and technique. | | | | by which we mean, the Greeks of the Golden Age |
| Their creative acts were a tempest of exaggerations | | | | of Athens, starting around 470 BC. Being lovers of |
| and struggles as they attempted to forge a new | | | | thought, their idea of beauty was the rational. In this |
| path to aesthetic experience. Little understood in | | | | case, "classical" refers to a style of music. |
| their own time, the resolution of the tensions | | | | They would not be correct, however, in excluding as |
| between the old and new creations not yet | | | | classics those who, departing from the rationalism of |
| acknowledged, or accepted, it would take time for | | | | an earlier period, charted a new course called |
| the listening public to understand and appreciate the | | | | romanticism. The advances of these later composers |
| new world these classical music composers | | | | too, in due time, were finally assimilated and |
| discovered on behalf of man. It would be only later | | | | established as "classic". Like the classic composers, |
| that their works, their discovers and claims, would | | | | these composers forged new experiences that |
| gain full recognition, be appreciated, and finally, after | | | | would withstand the test of time. |
| a time, set as a launching point from which new | | | | Today we call music of the 1950s, classics. The |
| adventures into music experience would be launched. | | | | composers of that music would not have thought of |
| Among students of the history of music, the phrase, | | | | themselves as classical music composers. Elves |
| "classical music composers", brings to mind such | | | | Presley, for instance, would have broken a hip had |
| giants as Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and they would | | | | someone called him one of the classical music |
| be sure to make a distinction between such music as | | | | composers, but this is just what we mean when we |
| these composers created and the music of Schubert, | | | | say composers do not write classics, but, rather, the |
| Wagner or Schumann, even though these latter are | | | | music they write becomes, after a time, after its |
| regularly presented on "classical" music radio, or | | | | techniques and intent have been assimilated by the |
| performed by "classical" music symphonies. This | | | | music appreciating public, after withstanding the test |
| distinction is correct to the extent we define "classic" | | | | of time, "classic". |