As Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony surges into the Fourth movement, cellos and basses draw us toward the breathless melding of orchestra and voice. A chorus of vocalists lifts us to a crest of optimism. Horns and piccolos warble the penetrating notes of a Turkish scherzo. With a whisper, the movement enters a contemplative bridge. Then, in a stirring finale, the symphony roars to a resolution as trumpets, clarinets, bass drums, cymbals, violins and vocalists swirl around each other in an elaborate last dance.
In what ways is a blog like classical music?
- Great blogs feature sonatas. They expose new ideas, elaborate on them, contradict them, and resolve their complexities through harmony.
- Great blogs are concertos. A solo instrument (the blogger) is accompanied by an orchestra (his/her readers).
- Great blogs inspire fugues. Each new voice echoes the refrain of the original theme in a dance of imitation, variation and counterpoint.
- Great blogs are ballads, sentimental narratives that create intimacy between the performer (blogger) and the audience.
We call the works of Mozart, Chopin and Vivaldi “classical.” But what about the soaring epics of John Williams? Like classical music, it’s tough to narrow down blogging’s place in the world. Is it marketing? Is it public relations? A customer service tool? Is it personal expression? Journalism? Opinion?
One thing is certain: The canon of classical music has survived for centuries. In an era where this morning’s blog post is old news by noon, the standards of classical music deserve a tip o’ the cap.
How is your blog creating music that will pass the test of time?
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