Máté Bella: Classical music is closer to catharsis, popular music is closer to ecstasy

Shortly after winning the Song of the Year category of The Song of 2020 Petőfi Music Awards, "Mostantól" (From Now On) by Gergő Rácz and Reni Orsovai it also received the title of “Hungarian Modern Pop-Rock Album or Recording of the Year” at this year’s Fonogram Awards. Its co-author is Junior Prima Prize, Bartók-Pásztory Prize and Erkel Prize winner Bella Máté, assistant professor at the Liszt Academy of Music. To our question of whether he thinks there is a boundary between classical and pop music, or whether there are two separate realms at all, his answer was that we think in categories in many areas of life, which is human nature. “We can say that classical music is closer to catharsis and popular music is closer to ecstasy,” he points out. In his opinion, such a distinction is necessary, although it is undoubtedly a pity that the creators of classical and popular music have a hard time understanding each other’s art. “For the representatives of classical music, pop music is just a product of the entertainment industry, and the latter consider classical compositions to be elitist and to belong in concert halls only,” he adds, stressing that the two groups, with a few exceptions, do not know each other well. That is also his personal experience among his friends, and this leads to a lot of misunderstanding and misconceptions.

Photo: Vivien Farkas

Máté Bella believes that it is important to build bridges between the different realms of music, because it is necessary to introduce classical music to the predominantly young audience of pop music. “I became interested professionally in pop music because I can draw on my personal experience when incorporating it into my classical compositions, as I feel it is necessary to know the musical thinking of the younger generations,” he says. And what's in it for a composer? According to Máté Bella, for example, the fact that chords are less important today than the search for new tones seems to be true not only in pop music, but also in contemporary classical music. In addition, pop music creates focus and supports the dramaturgy of the works: it is able to grab the attention of the audience in a short period of time as it is becoming harder and harder to do so.

He believes that it would also bring audiences closer to each other if the creators, performers, concert and festival organizers of the “two realms” organized thematic events featuring both classical and pop music, shedding light on possible points of connection.

Zoltán Zsiray-Rummer