Forget the tendentious claim that the Beatles belong in the Western music canon alongside Beethoven and Brahms, Paul Krugman seems blissfully unaware that classical music is being made right now.
In fact, just a cursory glance at the music on my iPhone—and I’m hardly an authority in this area—reveals at least a couple dozen living, working composers: Arvo Pärt, Benjamin Pesetsky, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Elliot Carter*, both John Adams and John Luther Adams, Karel Husa, Krzysztof Penderecki, Magnus Lindberg, Osvaldo Golijov, Meredith Monk, Gerald Levinson, Elizabeth Maconchy, Tarik O’Regan, Per Nørgård, Valentin Silvestrov, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Tigran Mansurian, Gavin Bryars, Frederic Rzewski, et al.
And it’s not just freakishly dissonant stuff, either. Case in point: Meredith Monk’s “maybe 1,” a charming little bagatelle for eight pianos from her 2007 album impermanence.
[audio:https://helveticka.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/02-maybe-1.mp3|titles=02 maybe 1]Mr. Krugman will probably argue that it’s no “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” but still.
*Alive as of the time of this writing. He’s 103, though, so…
