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Every now and again I hear somebody say that classical music is dead. But is it really? As a young teen I grew up hearing the Beatles' song "Roll Over Beethoven". The implication I assumed was that both he and his form of music were dead and gone. The other line I still keep hearing at times is: What's Beethoven doing these day? The response after several seconds delay is always: decomposing. Again, the subtle implication is that that Beethoven and classical music by extension are no longer with us.

This conclusion I've discovered over the year is dead wrong. Although I am a songwriter and write music in the popular vein, I enjoy classical music and have for as far back as I can remember. I have friends who listen to heavy metal music and yet will every now and then surprise me by listening to a symphony orchestra or opera. These are my contemporaries who grew up listening almost exclusively to the various forms of pop music that have come (and at times gone) within our lifetime. And yet, there are those classical gems that just seem to hang in there forever. Even if symphonic and operatic music are not taught in "music appreciation" classes, they somehow end up being appreciated by most people I know. Who in the civilized world hasn't heard Beethoven's Fifth, or Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake in one context or another? Often-time we don't know who the classical composer is, but we recognize their beloved work and are enriched by it.

This brings us to the question of whether the next generation will continue to enjoy classical music. If our new crop of teens is any indication, I guess the answer would have to be yes. Check out some of the most popular albums on the charts and you will discover among them groups such as El Divo, who perform music that is strictly classical. Then there are groups such as Evanescence who merge classical elements with heavy metal and manage to rise to the top of the pop charts. Classical music purists might baulk at this, but it is a sign that classical music is about more than just the time period in which it was written. It involves classic elements of music and musical quality that continue to be passed down through the generations.

As long as people continue to appreciate beauty and quality, classical music will be around. I'm both an optimist and believer that a love for good music is a part of our human nature, so I think generations of people will still be enjoying classical music long after we are gone, in spite of what anyone may say.

Learn more about this author, Bohdan Rewko (Bo of T.O.).
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