9. What distinguishes classical music from popular music?
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This article is from the Classical music FAQ, by Gabe M. Wiener gabe@panix.com with numerous contributions by others.
9. What distinguishes classical music from popular music?
Scholars go round and round on this one. Some say that classical
music has more structure and "form" than popular music, but everyone
knows that there is plenty of form in popular music. Others say that
"classical music is an art, and popular music is entertainment."
While that may in part be true, to make that assertion is perhaps to
scoff at some of the artistry that exists in the popular venues.
Today, classical music has an elite patronage, whereas popular music
has more universal appeal. Also, classical music is generally
considered to have a more unified and rigorous body of theory. Of
course, these concepts did not exist at the time that most of the
"classical" music was written.
"Classical" music is repertoire music; when two artists play a piece,
the results will be similar, the differences subtle. Compare
different jazz versions or different pop versions of a song. One is
likely to find much more difference there.
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