Introduction
In his “Classical Music: a Norm of “Common” Culture Embedded in Cultural Consumption and Cultural Diversity,” Wang discusses the concept of classical music in relation to “common” culture. The author states that the value of classical music is great, and it is recognized widely. However, the word “common” is interpreted ambiguously. On the one hand, it means something shared with others; on the other hand, this may refer to the culture of a certain social group. In this paper, I plan to thoroughly explore Wang’s arguments and present them logically as well as analyze the way the author organizes his ideas to convince the readers.
Body
Culture in Common: Diversity Promotion
The first successful point made by Wang refers to the assumption that classical music is peculiar in every culture, thus promoting diversity in terms of cultural preservation. The author addresses the existing scholarly literature to support his idea with evidence. For example, he mentions Williams (1989), Couldry (2000), Kenny and Stevenson (1998), and others, who reflect on the role of classical music in culture. It seems important to emphasize that the author of the given article aligns classical music with equality and dignity. Not only elite born with certain abilities, but also usual people who have to work hard to achieve their personal and professional goals should be treated with respect. Consistent with the above statement, Kossanova et al. focus on the world nomadic culture and argue that its music reflects the culture in its complexity and symbolism (5173). At this point, the question is how to use music to ensure equality and establish good relationships between different cultures. Following the deductive method of reasoning, Wang claims that classical music should be considered as the opportunity to offer aesthetic experience to wider populations, be it talented artists or craftsmen. The author’s ethos sounds rather convincing and rational.
Classical Music and Class Segregation
The second point presented by Wang seems to be significant as well. In particular, the scholar considers the issue from the different angle and assumes that culture is a capital, and social groups have different capacities to acquire it. The author uses such words as “cultural choice,” “consumption,” “educational levels,” and “taste” to outline his views (Wang 200). According to this argument, classical music is one of the causes of class distinction, since it is hardly accessible to an average person due to such requirements as special education, a sense of music, talent, and social origin, which was critical earlier yet now it cannot be regarded as an obligatory aspect. However, as noted by the author, classical music is more sophisticated than the relation between class distinction and cultural belonging or choice. Indeed, classical music is a powerful source of inspiration and achievement that cannot be merely simplified to class segregation. Thus, the mentioned argument is quite persuasive and appropriate.
Conclusion
To conclude, it should be stressed that the thesis stated by Wang is logically supported with the evidence and arguments as well as relevant background information. The author analyzes and interprets both points and comes up with his own vision of the situation. The author clearly addresses opposition based on critical literature review and proper citation of all the sources that were used throughout the article, including both direct quotes and paraphrasing. It seems that Wang made no omissions or pitfalls in presenting his thoughts aligned with outside sources.
Works Cited
Kossanova, Aigul, et al. “Music as the Representative of the World Picture, the Phenomenon of Culture.” International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, vol. 11, no. 12, 2016, pp. 5171-5181.
Wang, Juan. “Classical Music: a Norm of “Common” Culture Embedded in Cultural Consumption and Cultural Diversity.” International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music, vol. 47, no. 2, 2016, pp. 195-205.