Expanding Genres

Really if you get technical there are only three categories of music; popular, which includes 100s of sub genres including blues and folk...and even country; jazz which has sub genres in that, and classical. Classical is pure as there are no different types of classical. It is like a primary color.

As a music major (who instead decided to go into broadcasting 45 years ago) I can assure you there are hundreds of different types of classical music.  Start here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_musical_genres_by_era

And maybe here:

https://www.musicgenreslist.com/music-classical/

It's similar to a non-rock and roll person saying there are no different types of rock and roll. Any true fan of classic music can tell the different types within seconds of hearing a selection begin playing. Just like you can with any other genre'

TIB

The Classical Period

I like Tim in Bovey's insta-course on classical music categories, and feel like adding a few remarks from my own experience.

As you'll see in Tim's references the "classical era" is very much marked by periods-of-time.

Medieval music, and any pre-baroque music, is sometimes called "ancient music".

Very current compositions, listed as "21st Century Music", are also called "contemporary music".

These types of deep explanations are the reason classical radio gets boring, and I was very boring for many years in "fine-arts" radio, which was my "school".

We got to know trivia which still gets repeated, such as "Brahms wrote four symphonies and Beethoven wrote nine".

1940s film soundtracks emulated music of the "Romantic Period" because Rachmaninoff was popular on 12" 78 RPM discs and almost every Hollywood composer used him as a template.

To people who know this kind of music there is some "bad" classical music, but to outsiders it all sounds the same.

Classical music announcers often sound a little bit gay but don't let it fool you... they are totally asexual.

I stand corrected with the classical, I thought classical was classical and it was created by the composers we all know or have heard of the most.

The tendency of humans to slice, dice and classify virtually everything never ceases to amaze me.

I view music as an unending continuum of artistic endeavor, with no boundaries (which is what genres are really all about).

The only thing you can really do with music is to timestamp it, which tells you something (very generally) of its composition.  But even then, during any time period, there are musicians that are ahead of their time, and those that dwell in the past.  It doesn't matter whether you're talking about so-called classical music, or pop.

So I guess I agree more with Mark than anyone else.  I prefer not to put music into containers, and accept or reject it based on those containers.  Instead, I listen to it all, and continue to listen to that which reaches to me, both emotionally and intellectually.  I could care less what its so-called artificial 'genre' is.

Musical Preferences

I met a top administrator of a university a few years ago, who said, regarding the idea of his school having a radio station... "I hate music".

I wanted to ask him why he hated music, but shortly after he said that he died.

The lesson might be this: "If you don't like music you die".

I view music as an unending continuum of artistic endeavor, with no boundaries (which is what genres are really all about).

But yet  you program your radio station by genre'? Or does Beethoven go with Black Sabbath? Frankie Yankovic goes with Miles Davis?

TIB

I don't.

I play what I like.

When I play public domain stuff for general broadcast, it can be anything from Bach to Fats Waller.

When I broadcast to myself alone, it can be anything.

Life is too short to worry overmuch about what artificial 'genre' any particular piece of music is placed into.  If I like it, I play it.

Carl, a friend I used to work with said to me, and I quote, "Rap is listened to by people who don't like music"
I wonder what their expected lifespan is?

By the way Tim would be interested to know that I don't have a rigid format where one genera rules. You can hear Frank Sinatra back to back with the Dave Clark 5, Loretta Lynn back to back with the Crystals, Gordon Lightfoot and then the Dell Vikings...etc etc etc...Bachman Turner Overdrive and then Anita Carter.

Yes my main theme is rock and roll oldies 50s 60s 70s but not restricted to that road only.

Another way we can differ from the tunnel vision of the commercial stations.

Race Rap

Quotes like "Rap is listened to by people who don’t like music” is usually white code for black disapproval. Truth is, "rap music" is genuine music, some of it is better, some of it is very clever. Ironically, those who bash rap love rock, which has black roots.

Another "race" genre is Klezmer, also called Yiddish Music, used for Jewish celebrations the way polkas are German-European happy music. Haven't ever noticed Klezmer on any station format.

Music is just a human language for self expression. We like it or not like it, and sometimes we disapprove of the people who make the music, so we trash their music.