How volatile is our epoch?

[Netlist]

We had Bach and Brahms, Beethoven and Mozart, to name a few.
All big composers of their time and still very much alive today.

This would be the thread to guess which of our present musicians, songwriters, composers and/or producers will survive the test of time.
To make things easy lets stick to those that live(d) in the era when first recordings (say Edison 1877) were made till today.
As a starter, I would nominate Frank Zappa, Brian Eno and John Cage.
Mainly for their influence and unlimited creativity.
It would be nice to hear from other cultures what they come up with, as music can be seen as one of the most universal languages. I think this forum is the perfect place to ask.

/Hugo

[widman]

I think that artists like Zappa will not endure because their music is very specialized and the performance of the artist is more important than the music. (Not that I don't like Zappa). You don't see a lot of younger musicians covering Zappa.

Enduring musicians are ones whose music continues to be played by successive generations. I think that a lot of the Jazz greats like Armstrong, Ellington, Coltrane... are likely candidates for enduring into the 2100's.

Folk music is another genre that encourages younger generations to continue playing the old standards. Think about Pete Seeger or Woody Guthrie. Among modern musicians, I'd also include Bob Dylan.

pete

[SY]

Ellington for sure. Monk. Stravinsky. Schoenberg. Webern. Satie. Gershwin. Gilbert & Sullivan. Dvorak. Prokofiev. Tschaikovski. I can keep going if you like...

[audio-kraut]

Stravinsky. Schoenberg. Webern. Satie. Gershwin. Gilbert & Sullivan. Dvorak. Prokofiev. Tschaikovski. I can keep going if you like

considering education and interest in music solely as background noise
i am sure that only a small group of an interested "elite" will listen to that music fifty years hence.
Everything points that way - not that I am happy about that. How many schools in the US or Canada still have a music appreciation program in their curriculum?
Just watch the struggles of classical orchestras to get their wares sold.

[Netlist]

audio-kraut,
You guessed the real purpose of this thread.

Let me add Miles Davis while I'm at it.

/Hugo

[barn]

as much as I hate to say it this era will be remembered for the main stream - beatles, abba, rolling stones etc. that unfortunatly is history.

[widman]

I think the driving force for specific music to continue beyond the next generation depends on "Performance". If there aren't independent bands or orchestras playing the music, it won't last. Of course this brings up the possibility that Broadway Musicals will be the classical music of 2150.

pete

[SY]

You don't see a lot of younger musicians covering Zappa.

That's because of the degree of difficulty; this is very complex and difficult stuff to play, and has little commercial (pop) acceptance. You're more likely to see an orchestra doing Dog Breath In The Year Of The Plague than some teenage band.

[poobah]

Let's not rule out Bernstein... couple of pieces from West Side Story are timeless masterpieces.

Brubek has a tune that just won't go away.

Pink Floyd has some stuff that will hang on.

ELP has maybe song or two

The Who, Yes, Tull, Led Zep... they have some classics

Hmmm... Allman Bro's (Jessica) Derik & Dominoes (Layla) The Doors...

Hard pressed to think of anything from 80s and 90s though... any ideas?

The funny thing is that for those that "make the cut", all their music will go forward. Beethoven has a couple of symphonies that should be torn up and forgotten.

[rdf]

What? No Andrew Lloyd Weber? I'll go now...