Why classical music is better than melancholy music every time
Many fans of classical music believe that access to the music of classical composers, such as Beethoven, Mozart and Bach, should be a fundamental human right.
It makes sense then that they would turn to classical music when they’re experiencing emotional upheaval, as Ian Warden found out.
Warden was most distressed that Robert Mueller found nothing impeachable about Donald Trump’s election campaign and turned to Beethoven to calm him down.
He told The Daily Telegraph:
“Classical-music-besotted I routinely listen to fine music and after listening to Beethoven's 7th Symphony (unless you are clinically dead, it is music that makes you break into a dance) my spirits were restored.”
In the online Canadian magazine called The Walrus, there is a heartfelt and passionate piece written by orchestral conductor Kent Nagano. The piece is called In Times of Crisis, We Need Classical Music.
The essay outlines that those who live in western industrial societies are living in dreadful times of increasing materialism, consumerism, angst and alienation.
However, through the darkness, there is a light.
"I want to show that, because of its powerful impact, classical music can play a significant role right now," Nagano explains.
"Composers address topics that are relevant to everyone. Their music highlights our worries and fears, our pain and joy. It can help us think more clearly, feel more profoundly, and live fuller lives than we could without it.
“It can alter the way we treat our fellow humans and even our perceptions of ourselves. I want the music my orchestra performs to become a permanent, indispensable dimension of an audience's life.
"[There] are timeless compositions that address all the uncertainties and insecurities of this epochal period, and they can support us in our search for meaning. Beethoven, for example, was convinced that man had the capacity to change for the better and to grow throughout life.
“This is why there is so much hope in his music. His symphonies were meant to drive people forward. Can we hear this even today? I certainly think so."
Do you think classical music can inspire hope? Let us know in the comments.