As a composer, performer, and educator, I am constantly concerned with
the future of art music. A recent newspaper article about the
Pittsburgh Symphony budget deficit is the impetus for this posting. The
article mentioned a deficit of $500,000 or more for the 2004-05 season
and attributed the deficit to lower than expected ticket sales for the
classical subscription series. Ticket sales for the classical
subscription series have grown only 2% over the past 22 years while
ticket sales for the pops concerts have grown 8%. In my opinion, this
is reflective of three national trends that I feel need to be
addressed.

Because of outside influences, music education in our schools has been
watered down. In an effort to be more inclusive, classroom music, music
ensembles, and college music courses for the general student have
indirectly equated vernacular music and art music. There is nothing
wrong with being inclusive, but I feel it is the music teacher's
responsibility to point out the similarities and differences between
vernacular music and art music. Each offers its own rewards, but art
music involves more understanding of musical elements and their
relationships, and therefore functions on a higher intellectual plane.
I feel it is the educator's responsibility to help the student grow
in the intellectual understanding of music and not succumb to pressure
from administration, parents and students by allowing vernacular music
to be equated with art music.

Most performers display a lack of interest in music being written by
living composers. Unfortunately, the trends of composition in the
middle and late 20th century contributed greatly to this problem.
However, performers should realize that there are many composers
writing art music that is accessible to both performers and listeners
as it is based on the traditions established prior to the mid- 20th
century. John Winsor, in his book "Breaking the Sound Barrier: An
Argument for Mainstream Literary Music", makes a wonderful case
explaining why music went astray in the mid-20th century. I feel his
book is a "must read" for any educator, performer or composer. A way
for performers to show their audiences that music composition is an art
that is still alive and vital is to include a recent composition
composed in a "mainstream literary music" style on every program.

Many of today's composers emphasize intellectualism and innovation
over perceivable craft. There is nothing wrong with innovation except
that it has become an end within itself. Intellectualism and innovation
are rewarded through composition contest prizes and grants that are
judged by other composers, therefore perpetuating a style of music that
is no longer accessible to both performers and audiences. I would like
to quote from the final chapter of my book "A Composer's Guide to
Understanding Music with Activities for Listeners, Interpreters, and
Composers" regarding composing trends. "Throughout musical history, the
balance between the classic (of the mind) and romantic (of the heart)
modes of thinking has alternated. The center of the pendulum can be
thought of as equal treatment intellectualism and emotionalism. The
pendulum swings that occurred prior to the twentieth century have not
eliminated the other mode of thought. They have just changed the
emphasis. During the early to mid-twentieth century, the swing towards
classicism went to extremes by over emphasizing the intellectualism and
rejected anything associated with emotionalism. The composer, Igor
Stravinsky, stated that "music is powerless to express anything at
all". He later retracted that statement, but it clearly illustrates the
rejection of emotionalism in music. The intellectualism that dominated
much of twentieth century music, and still exists today, has been a
contributing factor to alienating audiences and performers from new
music. The majority of the relationships between unity and variety are
mostly perceivable through in-depth score study, rather than by active
or passive listening."

Educators, performers and composers must work together to ensure the
future of art music. I welcome your feedback regarding my comments and
invite you to visit my web site at http://cooppress.hostrack.net to
learn about the programs that Co-op Press has established to encourage
partnerships between composer, performer and audience.

Dr. Sy Brandon
Professor Emeritus 
Millersville University of Pennsylvania