Who Will Stand the Test of Time?

I'm with Brownsfan, Frogman, and Al. Great art will always stand the test of time, whether or not the majority of the population is even aware of it or not. Those who are aware will keep it alive. And as Al says, this will go for the best jazz and rock, too. After all, some of the oldest jazz recordings that we have are getting closer and closer to 100 years ago now....

Schubert and all,
Not sure what is going on but I have posted several times and the posts are not appearing.
A couple of points here. First of all Schubert, hearing recorded classical music makes one want to hear more of it. Not necessarily live. In my own case, I listened to classical music for decades before I started attending live concerts on a regular basis. Even now, I am faced with a choice. Sit in my living room and listen to world class performances on a really good rig-- last night was Szell and the Clevelanders in the old Masonic auditorium-- 1957 on SACD-- oh my! Or I can get dressed, drive for 30-40 minutes, park, buy my ticket, and take my chances in an auditorium with poor accoustics. I think Frogmans point is quite apt. Now, if I lived in Cleveland, Vienna, or Dresden, where one is served up world class on a regular basis, the weight swings heavy and hard towards attending and supporting with donations. Otherwise, well, it is a somewhat different calculation.

- Mahler (just makes the 20th century cut)
- Stravinsky
- Rachmaninoff
- Al Jolson
- Duke Ellington
- Louis Armstrong
- Count Basie
- John Coltrane
- Dizzy Gillespie
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Billie Holliday
- Dinah Washington
- Elvis Presley
- Muddy Waters
- Ray Charles
- Chuck Berry
- Roy Orbison
- Jim Reeves
- Johnny Cash
- Buck Owens
- The Beatles
- Led Zeppelin
- Pink Floyd
- The Moody Blues
- Yes
- Genesis
- AC/DC
- The Kinks

The main problem with predicting the future is that it is assumed to be a continuation of the present. The 300 year time period being discussed is long enough to make that assumption false. The European hegemony will probably not exist. Political systems with individual freedom of choice may not exist. Cybernetic implants will alter what is considered human. Computer programming coupled with genetic advances may allow the creation of a vast number of new compositions by Mozart, Ellington or Bieber. Three hundred years ago the world's population was 600 million, there were no democratic governments, slavery/serfdom was the norm and the symphony orchestra had yet to evolve. It's a long time and many things can radically change.

The idea of good music is a manifestation of specific cultural norms. Today we can appreciate Beethoven because we can understand the world view that produced his music. In comparison think of how many participants in this forum cannot understand the culture that produces rap/hip-hop or other popular music forms. To them it's noise. Three hundred years from now without an understanding of how and why it was produced may render Beethoven as nothing more than noise. It's anybody's guess.

" In comparison think of how many participants in this forum cannot understand the culture that produces rap/hip-hop or other popular music forms. To them it's noise"

I understand the Culture that produced rap/hip-hop, and it's still noise. But noise is not limited to rap/hip-hop. I think ROCK owns noise creation!

Cheers