Who Will Stand the Test of Time?

Lloydelee21, Thomas Ades is a young Brithish composer writing some of the most interesting and adventurous orchestral music today; IMO, one of the leading living composers along side the already mentioned John Adams, Part and others already mentioned by Brownsfan. Try "Asyla" with Simon Rattle conducting the City of Birmingham Symphony on EMI; very imaginative music.

Johnny Mandel was (passed very recently) an American jazz composer/arranger with a very distinctive style. He wrote many songs represented as part of the Great American Songbook. Try Shirley Horne's "Here's To Life", songs/ arrangements by Johnny Mandel. One of my very favorite vocal recordings; an absolutely gorgeous recording.

I think great music never dies,just changes in the form of new arrangements.

I am optimistic about the future of classical music, and music in general. There will always be a segment of the population that seeks out quality music, and will support it enough to sustain it, and that of future composers. For a fascinating read on this subject and related subjects, and to put this in a historical perspective, read this great article:

http://www.city-journal.org/2010/20_3_urb-classical-music.html

Now, as far as "popular" music is concerned. Look at it this way: just how much lower in quality can it get? We now have a very popular form of "music" that is devoid of one of the previously essential ingredients of music: melody. We can argue about what exactly constitutes a good melody, but I think we can at least agree that it doesn't have to be traditional melody. BTW, if you like string quartets, and on the subjects of 20th century music that will stand the test of time and non-traditional melody, try the Bartok string quartets. Challenging music for sure, but brilliant and sure to stand the test of time.

I believe (hope?) that the time will come when the masses will be so starved for the kind of stimulation that only quality art can provide that many will return to the appreciation of quality music. I think that some of the points raised in the linked article point to this very real possibility. I also think that we should be careful about indulging in too much negativity and fatalism around this subject. If we truly care about the future of quality music, should we not take an even more active role in it's promotion and survival? At least by staying as open minded as possible when it comes to supporting music that may be challenging, and less safe and familiar, to our musical palettes. By not doing so we run the risk of letting our "preferences" become a kind of elitism that will do nothing to promote the creation of new quality music.

BTW, the Emerson Quartet's recording (DG) of the Bartok quartets is wonderful.

Frogman,
2 things.
1. Good read
2. How is it possible that none of us put Benjamin Britten on the list? I am rather ashamed of myself for such an egregious oversight.

Well perhaps serious music will survive in Asia, but when an ensemble as world-class as the St. Paul Chamber Orch., located in perhaps the most sophisticated area between the coasts in the USA fails for lack of an audience, I am not inclined to think it will here.
Not to mention the Minnesota Orch., which is in top form under its present leader, has been on strike for 5 months
trying to maintain a 85-90 k avg. salary, which is not big money where a middle-class home is 350-450 K .

When the live music is gone,recorded music will go too.