Essay Sample: Classical vs. Folk Music. The Plastic People

Classical vs. Folk Music

Several styles of music are popular all across the world, and the transformation in the music industry based on the artistic nature of the music has brought about the increase in the number of available musical pieces. These types of music are so ubiquitous in that they tend to give the varying tastes and preferences of the individuals across the globe. The difference between the folk and the classical music lies in the way and the source of their origin. The folk music is a conventional type of music while the classical music tends to be more modern and current (Miller & Shahriari, 2013). The classical music has its route traced in the conventional western type of music with composers such as Mozart and Haydn linked to this kind of music composition. The classical music is often well organized and may bear some instances such as the written notations that are often characterized by the piece of music. A good example, in this case, is the symphony orchestra. On the contrary, Folk music is usually played by the ordinary people and not considered professional. Most people in the folk music tend to learn by listening to the music and are then brought down from generation to generation in a bid to try and maintain the spirit and value of the cultures therein (Miller & Shahriari, 2013). A good example, in this case, is the Ballad.

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The Plastic People

The terms plastic people refer to the type of music that was formed in Czechoslovakia in the year 1968 just immediately after the invasion of the Soviet Union. It was mainly played during the Prague Spring after the clearance of all the artists and prisons in the region. The type of music, in this case, brought out a resemblance of the San Francisco in the 1960s. The plastic music was played to help tickle the communists based on the fact that the other musicians had to undergo a process of re-qualifications to help them keep at pace with the initiated normalization process in the country (Pareles, 2007). The manner in which such members were persecuted in the country led to the eventual fall of the spirit of communism in the country. This kind of music attracted a combination of both old and young listeners who were adorned in blue jeans. The crowd was inquisitive and was made of intellectuals from the music industry. The director of the orchestra was mainly of the Agon origin and played a significant role in giving the tempo to the piece of music (Pareles, 2007). This kind of music was too poetic with some form of repetitions and phrases that were conducted in a simple and organized manner to help bring out the harmony and melody in the performance of the same type of music.

References

Miller, T. E., & Shahriari, A. (2013). Europe: Greece, Spain, Russia, Scotland, Ireland, Hungary, Bulgaria. In World Music(pp. 306-351). Routledge.Pareles, J. (2007). Rock'n'Revolution. New York Times, 11.