¶ … Popular Music Be Classical

In most North American cities, at least one radio station will be formatted to play a genre of music called "classic rock," a hodge-podge of blues-rock, psychedelic, and folk music mainly from the United States and Britain. A wide range of music recorded after the mid-1960s can be considered to be "classic" rock, but the term has come to represent a specific genre of music. Similarly, "classical" music refers to a disparate variety of musical styles, from Baroque to modern; classical music comes from an even wider variety of eras and regions than classic rock does. However, "classical music" is a genre. The terms "classic" and "classical" have been largely divested of their dictionary definitions, and the term "classical" is broad enough that it can conceivably be applied to pop music. However, to preserve the integrity of common classification systems, the term "classical" should continue to refer specifically to a specific style of music.

If the term "classical" were applied to any pop music then we would have to devise different terms for all the music that we currently lump under that rubric. Even if a pop song stands the test of time for as long for longer than a classical piece, that song should not be called "classical" for reasons of classification and convenience. Undoubtedly many Beatles songs will be around far longer than many pieces labeled as "classical," but we would still never call "Yesterday" a work of classical music. Similarly, songs like "Yesterday" can be considered as musical masterpieces just as Beethoven's 9th, but the term "classical" can still only be applied to Beethoven, not the Beatles.

Therefore, pop music can be "classic" but not "classical." Classical music is a category; the term does not mean that the music was composed in the eighteenth century; nor does it mean that the music will endure in time as a masterpiece. Music called "classical" can be composed in the 21st century; much of it will not stand the test of time. Nevertheless, it can be labeled as classical if it can be classified into that genre, for instance by the type of instruments being played and the overall impact of the composition.

Works Cited

Classical." Entry in Dictionary.com. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=classical.