If one was to stand in the middle of the street and ask passers-by what irritated most about other generations, the answer would most probably be based on the music they listen to. An adult would complain about the deafening beat of adolescents’ artless melodies, the fact that the words lack all meaning and that they would never call that kind of good-for-nothing racket art. A teenager, on the other hand, would argue that the music that they listen to is, in fact, worth hearing, and that it doesn’t have poetic lyrics should hardly be an obstacle to enjoying it.
Yet, if one was to judge the controversial topic of whether different types of music are worth listening to solely as a manifestation of the constant disagreement between adolescents and adults, one would be misunderstanding the very essence of both art and society, as well as the interaction that exists between the two.
In fact, if the behaviour of each generation were labelled by the music they listen to, we would have completely drastic changes from music styles of one decade to the next, a sort of stratification of melodies totally different from one another. Yet, that is not what we find; through the ages there are listeners of all ages who share similar tastes in music. Truth to tell, our musical preferences do not at all depend on our age, or when we were born. Each person holds different tastes because the music that one likes is usually determined by one’s personality and experiences.
Of course, it holds true that there are unmistakable patterns in the music of each generation, and that there must be a uniform criterion that makes a certain type of music succeed at a certain time. Nowadays, for example, most young people prefer dance, house, or electronic music to opera, folk or metal. And then comes classical music at the end of the list—usually portrayed as a lingering anachronism in today’s high-tech society.
Even so, the assumption that Mozart, Verdi, or Bach were composers whose music is not apt for the present is in fact a false supposition. There are many people who enjoy listening to either classical music or opera to relax, or to enjoy the splendour of an orchestra. After a moment of thought, this seems apparent, because if people didn’t appreciate the beauty of these classical harmonies, why would anyone play in an orchestra? And who would go to chamber music concerts?
Likewise, the same assumption is made from music not only from previous centuries (such as Beethoven or Haydn), but also from previous decades. This is where our judgement in music fails again—first by thinking that each generation listens to their own music, and secondly by thinking that we should ignore music from previous or following generations. There are young people that enjoy the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Jimmy Hendrix or ABBA. There are middle-aged listeners eager to hear the latest songs by David Guetta or Rihanna.
Ultimately, music is not a question of age—be it of the song, artist or listener. Music is about the message, the melody and the meaning. And overall, what it makes us, the listeners, think about, and feel. And this is where the controversy lies, in whether a certain type of music is art or not, if it has a message or not, not whether it should be praised or discarded because of its copyright date. To truly solve this debate, however, one must realize that art is a subjective matter, and that music is also of this same fickle nature, thus comprehending that no one is fit to judge and attack music, only to enjoy it.
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