{"id":106555,"date":"2024-08-01T12:38:28","date_gmt":"2024-08-01T16:38:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=106555"},"modified":"2024-08-01T14:00:01","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T18:00:01","slug":"feature-introducing-symphonina-orchestral-form-digital-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2024\/08\/01\/feature-introducing-symphonina-orchestral-form-digital-age\/","title":{"rendered":"FEATURE | Introducing The Symphonina, An Orchestral Form For The Digital Age"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"L:
L: Image of an orchestra performing by\u00a0HeungSoon\u00a0from\u00a0Pixabay; R: Image of a woman listening to music by\u00a0Karolina Grabowska\u00a0from\u00a0Pixabay (Both CCOC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When even pop songs have shortened from about four minutes to three<\/a> since the 1990s, how are orchestral forms of classical music to compete in the crowded music market?<\/p>\n

Enter the symphonina, a musical form designed for the digital era.<\/p>\n

The internet has changed much, not only about the music business, but in terms of how we consume any arts and entertainment. It\u2019s no secret that our collective attention span has shortened considerably<\/a> over the last two decades or so overall.<\/p>\n

There seems to be an uptick in interest in classical music among younger listeners, that coveted 18 to 34 age group. But, it\u2019s largely fuelled by social media, where even artists like Anna Lapwood<\/a>, the British organist who\u2019s become a TikTok superstar, is getting ahead based on short format videos, and not full- length pieces.<\/p>\n

Listeners love releases like the Bridgerton: Season 3 Soundtrack<\/a>, where pop songs get an orchestral arrangement, but when it comes to traditional repertoire, and its 30 minutes-plus symphonies and other works, not so much.<\/p>\n

What Is A Symphonina?<\/h3>\n

While he grew up listening to Western art music, by his mid-fifties, musician\/composer Dr. David Fogel began to notice that he was often the youngest person at any classical music concert. Like so many other people, he also began to wonder about the future of the art form, and what audiences would be showing up in the decades to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great that any symphony orchestra gets [financial] support, but the question is about who is listening,\u201d he told the San Diego Union Tribune<\/a>. \u201cAnd what are they going to be playing?\u201d<\/p>\n

What does designing a musical form for the future mean? In a word, shorter is better.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re used to songs being three or four minutes long,\u201d he notes. \u201cIf you aren\u2019t into classical music, you aren\u2019t going to commit to a 14-minute song. Rather than fight that, I thought we could make music that is in the pattern. So the full symphonies are about 10 minutes long, with three or so movements. We can provide it in a format listeners are accustomed to.\u201d<\/p>\n

A symphonina is an orchestral form consisting of three or four movements, each three to four minutes long. The entire work, in other words, will last 10 to 12 minutes.<\/p>\n

On the Foundation website, he explains, \u201cThat way, everyone can appreciate symphonic music within the time it takes to listen to a few pop tunes \u2014 and my hope is not only will people enjoy this new format but it will get them more eager to explore the classics, and even create new symphonic music for the world to enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s designed to capture modern sensibilities, the symphonina a form that is also rooted in the past. As the website points out, the early Italian sinfonia typically consisted of three movements. Before about 1760, symphonies were perhaps 10 to 20 minutes in length. Their size and length expanded with the Romantic era, from Beethoven\u2019s 30 to 40 minutes, to Mahler and Bruckner, and an hour\u2019s length or even more.<\/p>\n

A symphonina by Steven Locks:<\/p>\n