Soundtrack music

Today I have been thinking about classical music and how many people say they could never listen to it. What many people do not realize, however, is how much classical music they already listen to, and even (gasp!) enjoy. Case in point: Soundtrack music.
Now, I must clarify. First of all, what is soundtrack music? There are many types of soundtrack music, but what I am going to focus on for the purpose of this argument is music that was composed for a feature film that is not a musical. In other words, this is not a Broadway adaptation and the characters do not suddenly burst into song. Second, I must explain that here I am chiefly speaking of music written for orchestra. Not all soundtracks are like this. The soundtrack for Transformers is mostly rock music. Tron has mostly electronic music. I am not speaking of these here.
The fact is that much, if not most, soundtrack music is composed for traditional orchestra and occasionally choir. For example, we have all heard "Imperial March" and "Duel of the Fates" from the Star Wars movies. I don't know of anyone who would say he dislikes these pieces, yet they are both composed for traditional orchestra ("Duel" also has a choir). As a matter of fact, I once was in an orchestra that played "Imperial March" in a classical concert! This is not the only example of classical-style music in a movie. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Braveheart, Gladiator, The Village, Sherlock Holmes, Inception, The Dark Night, Pirates of the Caribbean: all of these have traditional orchestras playing music that is very close to classical music! And the list could go on and on.
So why do people who enjoy this type of music persist in saying they can't stand classical music? I think a large part of the problem lies in perception. Classical music is perceived as the music of past generations. When we think of it, we think of people in powdered wigs and 1700s ballroom attire. On the other hand, when we think of the soundtrack of, say, The Lord of the Rings, we perceive the soundtrack together with the movie, which we probably have already seen and probably already like. Because we like the movie, we are far more likely to enjoy the soundtrack. Besides, the movie is "cool," so that makes the soundtrack "cool" too, right? I think we should get over our perception of classical music as old fashioned. Yes, lots of it was written a long time ago, but that does not diminish its value. Most treasured works of literature were written centuries or even millenia ago. Hamlet, The Count of Monte Cristo, Pride and Prejudice, Iliad, and (believe it or not) the Bible. If we can still read and enjoy these, why can't we enjoy classical music?
Homework assignment: try listening to the piece "Samwise the Brave" from the soundtrack to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by Howard Shore. Then, listen to "Largo" from Symphony No. 9 (from the New World) by Antonin Dvorak. Compare them and then, if you want, comment to tell me what you think. They are, quite obviously, two different pieces of music, but I think you will find lots of stylistic similarities.
One more thing before I go: I do realize that many purists would argue that soundtrack music is an entirely different entity from classical music. They would say that the comparison is invalid because they are two entirely different things. However, I would say that whether or not soundtrack music can truly be said to be classical music is beside the point. The point is that they share a lot in common. It is true that, if Beethoven were to be exposed to, say, John Williams, he might very well scoff. But John Williams still has a lot more in common with Beethoven than, say, the Beatles.
Anyway, I would encourage you to give those songs a listen. I hope you enjoy!

Soli Deo Gloria