Who Will Stand the Test of Time?

- 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

Rok2id, take a course in basic logic. Pay attention to the parts about necessary and sufficient conditions.

Two factors I used mainly to determine my list:

1) talents that have withstood the test of time to a good extent so far, although admittedly that is still a limited time frame.

2) core musical themes or attributes most likely to affect people than others and to still withstand the test of time and still remain embedded in society and how people are wired to some extent 300 years from now.

So its an extrapolation based current state and history, but what else can one go on when predicting the future?