Why is classical advertised as relaxing?

chopinisawesome · 12-27-2015, 02:49 PM

Not many people I know listen to classical at all, and most who do only listen to it when they're studying or trying to fall asleep. The pieces they know are generally limited to Moonlight Sonata or Clair de Lune. They're both great pieces, and I try not to act like a snob, but when someone says, "Yeah, I really like classical. Especially Moonlight Sonata. It's great sleep/studying music," I get really frustrated because I know that means they don't really care about it/think it's boring/haven't explored it much.

The worst part is when I ask, "Which movement is your favorite?" and they give me a funny look.

"Movement? What do you mean?" they say.

I mean, I don't know that much about classical, but I at least know THAT. Of course, I don't want to act like a snob, so I do my best to patiently explain to them what a movement is and why it's there.

But the main point of this slightly rambling paragraph is WHY THE HECK IS IT ADVERTISED AS RELAXING? If we want people to explore it more and really appreciate it for the art form it is, why call it sleep music? That's basically saying, "It's boring. You can fall asleep to it really easily."

Just... why? I'm wondering if this bugs anyone else.

12-27-2015, 02:49 PM	#1 (permalink)
chopinisawesome Groupie Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 33	Why is classical advertised as relaxing? Not many people I know listen to classical at all, and most who do only listen to it when they're studying or trying to fall asleep. The pieces they know are generally limited to Moonlight Sonata or Clair de Lune. They're both great pieces, and I try not to act like a snob, but when someone says, "Yeah, I really like classical. Especially Moonlight Sonata. It's great sleep/studying music," I get really frustrated because I know that means they don't really care about it/think it's boring/haven't explored it much. The worst part is when I ask, "Which movement is your favorite?" and they give me a funny look. "Movement? What do you mean?" they say. I mean, I don't know that much about classical, but I at least know THAT. Of course, I don't want to act like a snob, so I do my best to patiently explain to them what a movement is and why it's there. But the main point of this slightly rambling paragraph is WHY THE HECK IS IT ADVERTISED AS RELAXING? If we want people to explore it more and really appreciate it for the art form it is, why call it sleep music? That's basically saying, "It's boring. You can fall asleep to it really easily." Just... why? I'm wondering if this bugs anyone else.