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On every new year's day, a crowd will gather at the to hear the Vienna Philharmonic perform at the Wiener Musikverein. This concert is heard not only in Vienna but is broadcast to about 50 countries around the world and watched by an estimate of one billion people. The musicians at the concert normally plays music by the Strauss family. The pieces were composed during the nineteen century and obviously they were classical music. With so many people watching the event, and as far as I know, there is no plan to scrap off future concerts, can we say that classical music is dead?

Another evidence that classical music is not dead is that classical pieces are used in some television commercials even up to today. I believe a classical piece is used firstly because it is in the public domain which means the producer does not have to ask permission from anyone or pay a royalty fee to anyone to use it. Secondly, the piece is popular and the viewer of the commercial may remember the product or service whenever the piece is played again. I remember hearing the famous "Beautiful Danube" by Johann Strauss, Jr. being used in a TV commercial at one time. Recently, Handel's famous "Hallelujah Chorus" which is regarded as classical by classical music enthusiast and sacred by some Christians was recently used in an Australian TV commercial this year. If Classical music is dead, would the advertisers use such music in the first place?

If you type the word classical music as a search phrase on YouTube, you will get about 416,000 listed. Tell me this is not a big number. One clip entitled "Great Classical Music Composers Pt. 1" has 1,119,535 views on 7 November, 2009. Again tell me this is not a big number. The clip consisted of compositions by Vivaldi, . Another clip "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 21 - Andante" received a hit of 4,278,361. With some many viewers, can we say that classical music is dead?

My siblings and I learned how to play the piano when we were young and we had to play classical pieces during our lessons. I was the only one who didn't complete the course. That was during the last century. Today, your home may be a great place to prove that classical music is not dead. If you have children learning how to play a piano or any traditional western musical instrument, most likely the pieces they are learning to play are composed by classical music composers. The music they have to play to pass their music examination is also classical. How do I know?

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