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Classical music is definitely not dead. While it may have little or no appeal to some people, the fact is that classical music is all around us. Unfortunately, though, many don't realize how much it is part of our culture.

The Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn and the Bridal March by Richard Wagner are often played at weddings. They are very popular and will probably always remain so. Johann Pachelbel's Canon and Gigue is also very popular and is often played at weddings and special occasions such as graduation ceremonies.

Classical music is also common in movies. The Star Wars movies have music by Wagner and music by other composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is often played in movies. At Christmas time, it's very popular to play Handel's Hallelujah and at Easter time Bach's beautiful St. John Passion is often played. Classical music is often used in television commericals and programs as well.

The church hymn God created earth and heaven is from Beethoven's ninth symphony. Many national anthems were written by famous composers. For example, the national anthem of the European Union, Ode to Joy, is set to the music of Ludwig van Beethoven's ninth symphony and the German National Anthem is set to the music of Franz Joseph Haydn.

Another fact that many people may not be aware of is that classical music has influenced many modern forms of music. It is undeniable that we are influenced by what we are exposed to and many of our greatest modern composers are heavily influenced by their classical music preferences.

If children are exposed to classical music at an early age, it can help them to develop a love of classical music. The famous Walt Disney move Fantasia is a wonderful introduction to this form of music.

Classical music is sometimes very closely tied to literature. For example, the Norwegian playright Henrik Ibsen asked his friend Edvard Grieg to write music for his play Peer Gynt. The irony, however, is that the Peer Gynt Suite is probably more famous than the play itself. The March of the Trolls is one of the most memorable pieces from the Peer Gynt Suite.
The Kalevala, a Finnish epic, was the inspiration for many of Jean Sibelius's pieces such as Kullervo.

Classical music is sometimes tied to others forms of music. For example, the Hungarian composer Bela Bartok collected many samples of Hungarian folk music which heavily influenced him. In fact, he often included arrangements of Hungarian folk music in his compositions.

At times it may seem that few people go to classical concerts and that it is of little interest to young people. However, many of today's best classical pianists, violinists and soloists are young. Also, classical music survives in many forms which many people may not be aware of. It survives in movies and television commercials, church hymns and national anthems. It often influences modern music and will always remain a large part of our cultures. For these reasons, classical music is still very much alive.

Learn more about this author, Les Zsoldos.
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