The Future of Orchestras?

[Violoncello]

Hi everyone,

I am a new member to this forum and have a question.

To me, the pinnacle of music ensembles is the symphony orchestra. Nothing can compare to the sounds 100 very skilled performers can do. I was discussing this with a friend who believes the symphony orchestra is a tradition that is a dying bread and that electronics are the future. His point is that for the first time in history, wholly new sounds can be created where the modern symphony orchestra is the evolution of primitive instruments fundamentally based upon striking (percussion), blowing (winds/brass), bowed (strings).

I would like to hear some opinions about this - do you think the symphony is going away or is at least not as emphasized in the world of breakthrough revolutionary art?

[Ron Ofir]

I think that the future of music is combining new & old, not getting rid of all old things. I think orchestras should still be used, but not only to play classical music, instead they should play Jazz, Rock, Oriental music. I'd love to have a try at writing such a thing, but my knowledge of Harmony is too lacking...

[Boneman]

When electronic music first arrived on the music scene quite a few people thought that the end of the orchestra was arriving. But, thankfully, nothing compares with all those musicians playing with passion! Nothing electronic can do that!

[reith]

I think electronics has/will change things (it's how most people get their music dished up these days) but art music is still a part of our culture so orchestras will be around for a bit. The repertoire will probably get narrower. One still needs orchestras to make recordings of "classical" repertoire and I expect only a fraction of it responding to sequencers and sampling. Most movie and game music could probably start and end in the electronic realm.

I personally dislike the sterility of digital electronic tone production - but that's just me - the youngest generation is growing up without knowing what a musical instrument looks like other than an i-pod so they won't know any different - they're sold an entire scene that screams "that's music; that's fashion - if you ain' in it, you're out." Where does music come from? The internet, you fool, didn't you know that? ! However, a few will break out of the matrix...

[Ballaw de Quincewold]

I have no idea what the future of the orchestra will be like. I do know that they would greatly improve the present day situation of art music if they would limit their playing of "classics" and played more recent music. Orchestra perfermances have grown stale because of the overplayed standard rep. Seriously, even early and middle 20th centrury music hardly ever gets performed. The general musical mindset of people could be greatly expanded if only orchestras (and all ensembles for that matter) would play music that is not so traditionally centered.

[MaestroX]

If your question is about human musicians being replaced by electronically produced-music, I would say that that will never happen. People enjoy making music. Just look at all the amateur groups around. Every community is full of them.

As for the future of the symphonic orchestra, the orchestra is always evolving. We may see different instruments being added to the "standard" orchestra, or multiple instruments being replaced by electronically altered ones: for example, an electric violin sounding like an entire section. We might even see the collapse of the huge organizations required to support today's symphonic orchestras. Who knows? The future is always surprising us.

However, symphonic music is only a small part of the music being created. Chamber and choral works greatly outnumber works requiring a full philharmonic sound. They are much easier to get performed, for one thing.

[Shiva]

Writing music for orchestra is a labor of love. Is it financially viable?- no, it takes hundreds of hours to write a symphony and you’ll be lucky to get it played even once, and for free. You’ll never be compensated for your time.

You could write easy pieces for solo piano if you want to sell a lot of scores. So why bother? Because the symphony is the very highest form of our art, as far as I’m concerned. The greatest composers in history wrote symphonies. Their greatest accomplishments were symphonies- or opera or other orchestral genres, key word being orchestral. There is nothing like being in a great hall, listening to a great orchestra. You can feel the music in the air unlike any cd recording. The only bigger rush is to play in that orchestra. As impractical as it may be to fund orchestras these days, there are orchestras in every major city. Postmodernist composers have been preaching (wishing) for years that the symphony is dead, but it just keeps coming back, and now many of them are writing symphonies. The orchestra is the most amazing instrument ever.

[Acciacatura]

I can't imagine the symphony orchestra becoming obsolete, for all of the reasons stated already. The popularity of going to concerts may wax and wane depending upon the skills of the orchestra, choices of performing material and amount and talent of advertizing. Like many others, I have dreams of my symphonies being performed someday. (Well, I have to finish them first!)

[Boneman]

You ought to share some of your work on these pages?

[stevel]

To me, the pinnacle of music ensembles is the symphony orchestra.

I'm sorry you think that way, it's a very biased view. Is that what you REALLY think, or do you think that way because many other people have decided that for you.

What about choral ensembles. Some people think there is nothing more natural than the human voice, so it is the "perfect" ensemble.

Ever heard a consort of viols? What about Recorders? What about a Sax Quartet or a Big band.

I think there are people in all of those field who would disagree with you. And you know what, you're all wrong unless you note that the Symphony Orchestra is just one of many types of music ensembles.

Nothing can compare to the sounds 100 very skilled performers can do.

That's true. Listen to what happens at a meeting of T.U.B.A, or again, a large choral concert.

I was discussing this with a friend who believes the symphony orchestra is a tradition that is a dying bread and that electronics are the future.

I won't disagree. Orchestras are a thing of the past. People still write for them because they too share this prejudicial view that the orchestra is somehow "the best". You know, you're not sitting here arguing that Madrigalists singing Monteverdi (which many consider the "pinnacle" of Madrigal writing) are the perfect ensemble. Why do people do this with Orchestras? There is PLENTY of good music NOT written for orchestra. All of Mozart's chamber music easily wipes out the quality of his Symphonies. It's just one of many things.

Now, I'm not going to agree that electronics are the future. They came around a long time ago and still haven't caught on totally. So did the Saxophone - yes, both saxes and electronic have become prominent in their own styles, but they are just instruments.

His point is that for the first time in history, wholly new sounds can be created where the modern symphony orchestra is the evolution of primitive instruments fundamentally based upon striking (percussion), blowing (winds/brass), bowed (strings).

When a whole bunch of people got together for the first time as an "orchestra", they produced whooly new sounds that have never been heard before, so your friend is a narrow-minded idiot. You can create sounds on a Recorder that have never been heard before. People though orchestras could not produce any more new sounds until people like Ligeti and Penderecki came along and created wholly new sounds with tone clusters. People are still to this day makins new sounds never before heard on all kinds of instruments - acoustic and electronic.

So you both have a little learning to do.

Educationally,
Steve