I would like to address the final comment about the status of 20th & 21st Century music. I just checked the February and March schedules at the New York Philharmonic, where I have a subscription. I don't believe there was a single concert during those two months (and they weren't cherry-picked) with out at least one modern work. Yes, Beethoven and Haydn are very well represented, but there was a two week period when every concert included at least one work of Bartók and Ligeti along with Haydn. The most "conservative" concert was a song recital by Pavorotti ranging from Wagner to Lahár and Falla. Also represented were Nielsen, Korzenoiski, Qin Ding, Shostakovich, Schulhoff (with "Hot-Sonete for Alto Saxaphon and Orchestra" with Branfor Marsalis), Erkki-Sven Tüür (with a NY Premiere), David Grossman, Prokovkiev & Gubaidulina. Of the concerts which I attended all were warmly greeted, particularly the Gubaidulina violin concerto, written for and played by Anne=Sofie Mutter.
In my years attending the NY Phil, I have heard dozens of world premiers, and much other current work. So, I don't believe that modern music is shunted off to the side, It is alive an applauded at Avery Fisher Hall.
Edited by foobaz
The dates as to when classical music began are arguable. However, I don't think it could be said that existed before the common practice era, which began around 1600 with people like Claudio Monteverdi. To be inclusive, I shoved it back to 1500, reverting a previous edit placing the beginning at 900, which is a little ridiculous. Traditional norms about tonality and rhythm didn't truly develop until around 1600, nor did purely secular music.
Also, folk music and popular music traditions coincided with classical music for most of its existence, which calls a good part of the first few sentences into question.
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