The Timelessness of Music
While there is a lot of different types of music, one thing is for certain.
The best music is classic.
NO INTRODUCTION NEEDED
Classic music doesn’t need a big introduction to be great.
It doesn’t need a great understanding of musical theory to get it.
Classic music just automatically sounds good and pleasing to the ears.
When it comes to music, I think a lot of people over complicate it. This isn’t necessary. In fact, a great musical songwriter, composer, and/or arranger can make a very complicated musical arrangement sound easy, simple and pleasing to the ears. Bach, Mozart, and Brian Wilson, the leader of the Beach Boys, could do all of that with style and ease.
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Songwriters and musicians such as Mozart and Brian Wilson could write a song melody that literally caught the attention of your ear. You literally wouldn’t want to stop listening to their songs until the song was over, then you’d instantly want to repeat the song. Case in point, the songs “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “Ala Turqa.”
MUSIC AT ITS BEST
“Music at its best hardly needs to be new; the older it is, the more familiar to us, the more effective it can be.” - Goethe (“Maxims and Reflection,” aphorism 485)
This is an excellent description of what great, timeless music is. It doesn’t have to be new, different, or ground-breaking. If it sounds great, music or a melody will always sound enjoyable and pleasurable. It doesn’t matter what generation it’s from.
We also share a similar joy and preference as humans when it comes to our senses, art, and music. I don’t have to live in the 1500s in Venice Italy to enjoy their beautiful Renaissance art, opera and architecture. I also don’t have to live in Vienna, Austria in the 1700s to enjoy Mozart’s music. All of those things are enjoyable to me now in the 21st century.
Also, consider that rock music and modern pop music heavily rely on the Pentatonic major and minor scales which were first developed by the Ancient Greeks thousands of years age.
What I’ve Done
I’ve decided to listen to mostly classical music, music dating from around the 1600s to around 1900. It’s obviously timeless and classic. So many wonderful melodies that we all know, and whistle tunes to derive from classical music. The music can be simple or complicated, i.e. Mozart’s “Sonata” or Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto.”
Predominantly listening to great classical music is relaxing, enjoyable, and help to simplify my musical tastes. I don’t have to go hunting around, looking for new genres of music to whet my whistle. Although, I still listen to the Beach Boys, Beatles, and Fleetwood Mac sometimes. Those bands also fused aspects of classical music into their music. I suppose that’s why their music is also timeless and classic no matter which generation you’re from.
References:
Goethe, Johann (1999). Maxims and Reflections. Penguin Classics.