Music is not only an entertainment, but a language. Today music is composed to give a short and quick lesson of life, or sell something. For example much of pop music is written about, not giving up on love. But much of music today has been composed of personal life struggles as well. Music of the 1800’s was composed to tell a story. For example, the “1812 Overture” by Peter Tchaikovsky, tells the epic story of the defeat of the French army by the Tsar army of Russia. Each composition was written to move the people, and because very few recordings were made many people enjoyed live performances which made the story telling even more magical.

Though going t a concert today Is awesome and very fun, it is nothing compared to concerts of the 1800’s. The concerts then were a magical and very moving experience. When composers such as Tchaikovsky, and Dvorik gave performances, they used the full orchestra to take people on a ride through a new world. The use of the violins and brass could often be used to mimic families fueding, as shown in Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet. Not only could you hear the battle of swords, but you could still hear the other instruments, though they are considered background fill-ins, Tchaikovsky still gave them a part that you could hear, and give a face.

Music has also changed in length. Today’s music is about three minutes long and has little change in texture. The music is composed to grab our attention, but when played it is obviously written to a child’s mind. The music is made up of flashy sounds, and very little improvisation. Music in the 1800’s was quite often 10 minutes long, and told a long story. Though there were no words, a listener could often follow a fictional character with his mind, as it was played by a certain instrument. “I remember when we would sit down, and only listen to music, our minds made up for the visual aid.” (Polly Koster) The music often had many low, quiet bridges in the song that led up to several minor climaxes. Composers often used several lead instruments to use improvisation to tell a certain feeling of a character.
The mood of music is different as well. Today’s music is often written in one mood. Different genera are used, but when you listen to a song, it sets us in one mood. We often look for a song that best fits our mood, or the mood that we would like to be. Music in the 200 years ago was composed to have several different moods in it. The beginning often was a slow build up with a minor climax, the middle had nice mellow bridge, and the end often had a breath-taking climax conclusion.

Whether we prefer music from the 1800’s or the great music of the “Red Hot Chili Peppers,” we can appreciate the fact that music is a language that is changing with every new band that starts out in a garage, and who knows what music will be like In 50 years from now. And though our generations music is new, in fifty years we will be the old folks sitting on our porches, shaking our fists at the young people.

(For this Essay, I interviewed my grandmother: Polly Koster.)