Classical Music as Popular Music

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine which “popular” classical repertoire is familiar and predictable to adolescents. Specifically, the study sought to examine (1) if students had heard the music before, (2) where they had heard the music before, and (3) if they could “name that tune.” Participants (N = 668) for this study were middle school (n = 220) and high school (n = 448) students who listened to 30 classical music excerpts and answered the research questions for each piece. The majority of students (87%) reported previously hearing the music. Students also indicated the various contexts in which they had heard the repertoire, including a number of contemporary media, school music classrooms, and/or live performance situations. Even so, only 50% of the students were able to correctly identify just three of the 30 musical excerpts: Flight of the Bumblebee, Hallelujah Chorus, and Pomp and Circumstance. Further results are discussed in the article.

Keywords

classical music popular popular classical music recognition Western art music

Orchestra programs in the late 19th century formed a “classical repertory” that consisted of “certain old works that should be kept ever-popular, ever-present, [and] ever-new” (Parakilas, 1984, p. 3), in order to create a canon of music to be performed for their audiences. This canon included Western art music of any previous music period (Weber, 2006); however, as new music was composed music historians felt obligated to place this music in relationship to the past. As Finson (2006) explains, “In this way musicologists not only added to the body of orchestral repertoire but also influenced the music retained in the standard corpus” (p. 441). This standard repertoire became so popular with listeners that it was continually played and is still heard in concert halls today (Parakilas, 1984, Weber, 2006).

Currently, people hear this repertoire not only in concert halls but also in movies, television, radio, video games, the Internet and as cellular phone ringtones. However, using classical music within contemporary media oftentimes regulates it to the role of “background.” As Parakilas (1984) states, “Classical music is no longer itself when it is used as background music. It becomes like ‘easy-listening’ popular music, valued more for its geniality than for its genius” (p. 15).

The use of classical repertoire as background music to represent moods, events, or products often creates paired associations and is well established within the areas of consumer and marketing research. These musical associations are used so regularly that standard classical repertoire will be heard numerous times within various media over a lifetime (Firth, 2002), are engrained in our minds, become familiar parts of our society, and are often predictable in specific instances (Johnson, 2002). An example of this is the opening few measures of J. S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565, which is often associated with Halloween. Thus, individual classical pieces become so “popular” that they barely retain their classical identity (Parakilas, 1984).

The idea that some classical music could be considered popular music as well, at least in cultural terms, is evident in everyday life (Davis & Blair, 2011). However, this expands previous definitions in which it has been suggested that popular music is not folk or art music but music that depends on mass production and distribution for its very essence and survival (Bowman, 2004; Tagg, 2000; Toynbee, 2000). Researchers further state that “popular music is music created by, and especially for, the enjoyment and enrichment of everyday people in their everyday lives” (Bowman, 2004, p. 36), whereas art music has “the distinction of its listeners’ taste over and against the mass cultural predilections of the popular classes” (Toynbee, 2000, p. xix). These definitions fail to acknowledge the impact contemporary media has on society when hearing classical music, especially on persons who are hearing the music for the first time. Most American music educators have experienced this impact personally when their students hear certain pieces of classical music, such as Camile Saint-Saëns’s Aquarium from The Carnival of the Animals, which students identify as part of the Beauty and the Beast movie soundtrack. In this context, one could argue that classical music is also popular music because it is identified with popular culture and the students do not have any other point of reference to tell them the music is anything but a piece composed for the movie.

Students prefer popular style music or “outside music” because it meets their musical, social, and media needs (Boal-Palheiros & Hargreaves, 2001; Brittin, 1991; Greer, Dorrow, & Randall, 1974; Hargreaves & North, 1999; LeBlanc, 1981; North, Hargreaves, & O’Neill, 2000; Tarrant, North, & Hargreaves, 2001). Research has also found fifth-grade students exhibit little interest in studying classical music (Geringer & Guerra, 2002) and adolescents can have negative attitudes about this music because classical music is equated to “school music” (North et al., 2000). This may be because of the classical repertoire selected for study.

Recent research has found that adolescent students do prefer familiar classical music to music that is unfamiliar, especially when paired with video media (Hamlen & Shuell, 2006). Since “popular” classical music should be music that is familiar and predictable to students, (i.e., they have heard it somewhere before and have had repeated exposure to same or similar music; Price, 1986), it raises the questions of whether choosing these pieces for music classroom activities and study would change their perceptions, attitudes, and preferences. Before these questions can be addressed, research examining what pieces constitute today’s “popular” classical music by adolescents must be investigated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine which classical repertoire is familiar and predictable to adolescent students. Specifically, the study sought to examine (1) if students had heard the music before, (2) where they had heard the music, and (3) if they could “name that tune.”

Method

Participants (N = 668) for this study were middle school (n = 220) and high school (n = 448) students attending a summer music camp program at a large college of music in southeastern United States. Students represented all band, orchestral, and choral instruments/voicings as well as piano and guitar. There were no stipulations to participate, but students were allowed to take part in the study only one time during their camp experience.

The dependent measure was a survey created by the researcher. Prior to the study, two pilot tests were administered to middle and high school students (Pilot Test 1, N = 40; Pilot Test 2, N = 40) to determine the clearest survey configuration, amount of time needed to respond to the questions, and best music selection to use as an example. These data were not used in this study. The final survey had a small demographic section at the top of the first page asking the students to indicate their recently completed year in school, primary instrument, and specific camp currently attending. Following this section were 16 music excerpt boxes that contained three separate questions and response space. The questions in each box were the following: (1) Have you heard this piece before? (2) If yes, where did you hear it? (3) If you know it, please list the piece name below. For Question 1, the survey provided yes/no check boxes and students were prompted to “check one.” Question 2 listed nine areas: YouTube, video games, the radio, TV, a movie, MP3 player/recording, school music class, live performance, and other. Again, check boxes were provided for each and students were requested to “check all” that applied. Additionally, if students checked “other,” they were prompted to list additional media or events in space provided. The third question also provided space for student responses.

The repertoire chosen for this study was selected from Classical Music’s Top 100 Greatest Hits, which bases the inclusion of music on its list by the exposure each piece has in today’s popular culture (http://www.kickassclassical.com/classical-music-popular-famous-best-top-100-list.html). This website, however, does not base its list on empirical findings; therefore, each piece was further investigated to determine the types of contemporary media in which it was found as well as the number of times and how recently each piece occurred. Repertoire was considered for the study if it had been used 50 or more times in popular culture (i.e., movies, television, radio, the Internet, cellular phone ringtones, and public events). These uses also had to occur within the past 10 years and in three different media. A list of music meeting these criteria was compiled (n = 69) and 30 classical music selections were randomly chosen for the study.

Because of the amount of repertoire and number of participants in the study, the music was randomly divided into two groups of 15 pieces. This enabled 300+ students to listen to a single playlist, which would provide more data on what repertoire was familiar and predictable to adolescents. Each piece was edited to a 30- to 45-second excerpt. These excerpts represented the most popular sections of the pieces. For example, the beginning 42 seconds of J. S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565, was used, whereas the beginning 2 minutes and 35 seconds had to be cut off from Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture—Finale, Op. 49, in order for the most recognized portion of the piece to be included. These excerpts mirrored the sections heard in popular culture. The excerpts were placed in random order on two master stimulus playlists on an iPod™ with a 5-second gap between each excerpt. Directly before the excerpts were played, an example excerpt, YMCA performed by the Village People, was added. Since the purpose of the example was to demonstrate the procedure, it was important to choose a piece of music that most students had heard in popular culture. Therefore, YMCA was chosen based on the pilot test data in which all 80 adolescents had heard the piece and could name the selection. All music was amplified using a Bose SoundDock® attachable speaker system. See the appendix for a list of the music used in the study.

Procedure

The researcher obtained informed parental and student consent from all participants at the beginning of the camp. The study was then administered to small groups of students over the course of 6 weeks. Each group of students listened to one of the master playlists. Since students were not allowed to participate in the study more than once, no student listened to all 30 excerpts.

To begin, the study students were asked to complete the demographic section of the survey at the researcher’s verbal prompt. Procedures for the study were then explained using the example box as reference. Students were told they were going to hear 15 music excerpts, each between 30 and 45 seconds in length, and they should mark whether they had heard the piece, where they had heard the piece, and the name of the piece if they knew it while listening to the music. Reiteration of the survey’s written prompts were given, such as “check one” or “check all,” as well as visual cues on a survey held in front of the students. Participants were allowed to ask response clarification questions at this time. Following the verbal instructions, students were asked to listen to the example excerpt and complete the corresponding answer box to become acquainted with the study’s format. Directly after the example, the researcher again reiterated the written prompts and asked if there were questions. The students were asked not to talk during the remainder of the study. The playlist was then played in its entirety with no additional stops. During the 5-second gap between pieces, the researcher announced the next excerpt number, which corresponded to their survey question boxes, as well as prompted the students to turn to the correct page on the survey. No additional verbal comments were made. The entire study procedure took 15 minutes.

Results

Evaluation of Survey Responses

Responses from all participants were calculated to obtain percentages for previously heard music, where music was previously heard, and correctly named music titles. The criteria for judging acceptable music title responses were determined a priori and divided into two categories: incorrect titles and partially/fully correct titles. For the incorrect title category, spaces left blank, wrong titles, and responses such as Hello Mother, Hello Father for Dance of the Hours were not given credit. In the second category, examples such as Mountain King and Bumblebee were counted as partially correct titles for In the Hall of the Mountain King and Flight of the Bumblebee. These responses were given credit along with those that listed the complete title. Additionally, participants were also given full credit if they listed the major work from which the excerpt was taken, such as Carnival of the Animals for Aquarium. Finally, there was no penalty for incorrect spelling, provided the response could be clearly recognized. The researcher and an independent observer graded all title responses. Interrater reliability was 99%.

Repertoire Previously Heard

Overall, the majority of students (87%) reported they had heard the music examples before the study (middle school, 83%; high school, 92%). When analyzed by individual playlist, 83% of the students reported they had previously heard the music on Playlist 1 (middle school, 77%; high school, 87%) and 93% of the students had previously heard the music on Playlist 2 (middle school, 88%; high school, 97%). In general, most students (90% or more) reported they had heard many of the individual pieces before the study (middle school, 16 pieces; high school, 21 pieces). Specifically, 90% of the middle school students had previously heard 7 pieces on Playlist 1 and 9 pieces on Playlist 2, whereas high school students had previously heard 8 pieces on playlist 1 and 13 pieces on Playlist 2. The pieces that were heard before the study with the highest percentage (100%) were Symphony No. 5, William Tell Overture, The Blue Danube, Can-Can, and Also Sprach Zarathustra. Results are listed in Table 1.

Table 1.

Repertoire Heard by Total Student Responses and Percentages for All Pieces

	All (N = 302)		MS (n = 95)		HS (n = 207)
Playlist 1	N	%	N	%	N	%
Symphony No. 5	302	100^a	95	100^a	207	100^a
Minuet—Boccherini	223	74	58	61*	165	80
Pizzacato	192	64	53	56*	139	67
Piano Concerto	138	46	35	37*	103	50
Entry of the Gladiators	298^a	99	91	96^a	207	100^a
Minuet—Mozart	293	97^a	92	97^a	201	97^a
Rondo alla Turca	241	80	57	60*	186	90^a
William Tell Overture	301	100^a	95	100^a	206	100^a
Aquarium	226	75	60	63*	166	80
Blue Danube	301	100^a	95	100^a	206	100^a
1812 Overture—Finale	277	92^a	86	90^a	192	93^a
Flight of the Bumblebee	291	96^a	89	94^a	202	98^a
Funeral March	220	73	56	59*	164	79
Dance of the Chinese	238	79	67	71*	171	83
Trumpet Voluntary	239	79	66	69*	173	84
Total	3780	83	1094	77	2686	87
	All (N = 366)		MS (n = 125)		HS (n = 241)
Playlist 2	N	%	N	%	N	%
Hallelujah Chorus	364	99^a	123	98^a	241	100^a
Hungarian Rhapsody	299	82	85	68*	214	89
Can-Can	366	100^a	125	100^a	241	100^a
Eine Kleine Nacht Musik	362	99^a	122	98^a	240	100^a
Dance of the Hours	338	92^a	99	79*	238	99^a
O Fortuna	325	89	98	78*	226	94^a
Canon in D	243	94^a	106	85*	237	98^a
Also Sprach Zarathustra	366	100^a	125	100^a	241	100^a
Les Toréadors	336	92^a	105	84*	230	95^a
Moonlight Sonata	283	77	78	62*	203	84
Ode to Joy	364	99^a	123	98^a	241	100^a
Pomp and Circumstance	353	96^a	113	90^a *	239	99^a
Sabre Dance	353	96^a	116	93^a	236	98^a
In the Hall of the Mountain King	357	98^a	118	94^a	238	99^a
Toccata and Fugue	358	98^a	122	98^a	236	98^a
Total	4967	93	1658	88	3501	97

Note: MS = middle school; HS = high school.

Indicates repertoire heard by 90% or more students.

p < .01.

Where Previously Heard

Responses were divided by category (YouTube, video games, radio, television, movies, MP3/recordings, school music class, and live performance). An additional category titled “other” was also available for students to select as a place they had heard the repertoire. If students selected “other,” they were prompted to write additional media or events in the space provided. These written responses were divided into three categories: adjectives, events, and media already listed on the survey. Students who listed adjectives used words that reflected a possible mood evoked by the piece, such as “scary” or “exciting,” which were not used as data in the current study. Events listed were places the students had heard the music, such as “funeral” or “circus.” This category was also not quantifiable since it was unclear whether students had heard the music played by live musicians or as a recording. Data were used from the final category since students’ responses were specific, for example, “K-9 Advantix commercial” or “Harry Potter movie.” These responses were added to the totals of the corresponding media.

Students indicated they had previously heard the repertoire in every contemporary media listed on the survey (YouTube, video games, radio, television, movies, and MP3/recordings) as well as in school music class or live performance. In general, however, the majority of students (50%) had previously heard the music on television or in movies (see Table 2). Specifically, 50% of the middle school students indicated they had heard the pieces on television (Playlist 1, 7 pieces; Playlist 2, 12 pieces) and in movies (Playlist 1, 14 pieces; Playlist 2, 15 pieces), whereas the same percentage of high school students had heard 9 of the pieces on Playlist 1 and 14 pieces on Playlist 2 on television and 13 pieces on Playlist 1 and 15 pieces on Playlist 2 in movies. The majority of high school students (50%) had also heard this music on personal MP3 players or other recording media (Playlist 1, 9 pieces; Playlist 2, 6 pieces). Results are listed in Table 3.

Table 2.

Descriptive Statistics for Where Music Was Heard by Playlist and School Level

	Playlist 1				Playlist 2
	Σ	%	M	SD	Σ	%	M	SD
Contemporary media
Movies
Middle school	803	73	53.53	19.86	1252	76	83.47	21.28
High school	1984	74	132.27	42.83	2758	79	183.87	32.85
MP3 player/recording
Middle school	370	31	24.67*	12.40	518	31	34.53*	11.20
High school	1426	49	95.07	32.40	1728	49	115.20	20.88
Radio
Middle school	302	28	20.13*	10.64	407	25	27.13	9.93
High school	754	28	50.27	21.41	803	23	53.53	12.47
Television
Middle school	612	56	40.80	23.13	1077	65	71.80	22.41
High school	1610	60	107.33	44.59	2441	67	163.73	30.23
Video games
Middle school	122	11	8.13*	7.47	157	9	10.47	8.83
High school	325	12	21.67	20.77	403	12	26.87	20.39
YouTube
Middle school	385	35	25.67*	14.70	487	29	32.47	10.25
High school	910	34	60.67	30.99	1175	34	78.33	20.49
School and live performance
School music class
Middle school	346	32	23.07*	11.86	487	29	32.47*	11.36
High school	966	36	64.40	28.44	1284	37	85.60	27.22
Live performance
Middle school	367	34	24.47*	12.03	492	30	32.80*	12.13
High school	1070	40	71.33	30.16	1333	38	88.87	41.29

p < .01.

Table 3.

Response and Percentages of Repertoire Heard by Category for All Pieces

	YouTube				Video Games				Radio				TV
	MS		HS		MS		HS		MS		HS		MS		HS
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Playlist 1
Symphony No. 5	40	42	107	52^a *	14	15	28	14	31	33	79	74^a *	64	67^a	143	69^a
Minuet—Boccherini	14	24	37	22	3	5	7	4	16	28	34	21*	30	52^a	90	55^a
Pizzacato	9	17	21	15	1	2	3	2	6	11	22	16	21	40	66	47*
Piano Concerto	9	26	18	17*	0	0	0	0	5	14	22	21*	6	17	22	21
Entry of the Gladiators	43	47	68	33*	25	27	32	15*	30	33	44	21*	68	74^a	155	75^a
Minuet—Mozart	29	32	73	36	7	8	15	7	28	30	69	34	44	48	109	54^a *
Rondo alla Turca	9	16	44	24*	2	4	7	4	14	25	40	22	14	25	73	40*
William Tell Overture	47	49	91	44	21	22	33	16*	35	37	73	35	75	79^a	170	83^a
Aquarium	11	18	26	16	3	5	15	9	9	15	17	10	20	33	62	37
Blue Danube	43	45	93	45	13	14	24	12	37	39	75	36	76	80*	172	83^a
1812 Overture—Finale	33	37	82	43*	9	11	82	43*	24	28	62	32	54	64^a	133	69^a
Flight of the Bumblebee	43	48	111	55^a *	10	11	32	16	25	28	78	39	56	63*	145	72^a *
Funeral March	14	25	46	23	8	14	35	21*	10	18	41	25*	27	48	111	68^a *
Dance of the Chinese	24	36	53	31	5	7	8	5	19	28	49	29	32	48	76	44
Trumpet Voluntary	17	26	40	23	1	2	4	2	13	20	49	28*	25	38	83	48*
Playlist 2
Hallelujah Chorus	35	28	80	33*	5	4	12	5	32	26	49	20*	60	49	186	77^a *
Hungarian Rhapsody	18	21	36	17	4	5	3	1	10	12	34	16	37	44	114	53^a *
Can-Can	39	31	68	28	8	6	14	6	39	31	43	18*	99	79^a	186	77^a
Eine Kleine Nacht Musik	28	23	68	28	3	2	16	7	31	25	62	26	76	62^a	158	65^a
Dance of the Hours	19	19	49	20	2	2	3	1	30	30	42	18*	69	70^a	193	80^a *
O Fortuna	24	24	90	39*	20	20	63	28*	12	12	52	29*	56	57^a	156	68^a *
Canon in D	29	27	99	41*	3	3	23	10*	33	31	76	32	59	56^a	143	60^a
Also Sprach Zarathustra	49	39	119	49*	31	25	65	27	26	21	57	23	99	79^a	192	79^a
Les Toréadors	26	25	68	29	6	6	17	7	17	16	46	20	65	62^a	148	64^a
Moonlight Sonata	21	27	68	33*	1	1	16	8*	16	21	37	18	25	32	88	43*
Ode to Joy	49	40	97	40	15	12	25	10	38	31	70	29	93	76^a	192	79^a
Pomp and Circumstance	33	29	85	35*	7	6	20	8	27	24	60	25	77	68^a	172	71^a
Sabre Dance	34	29	79	33	14	12	31	13	20	17	46	19	79	68^a	168	71^a
In the Hall of the Mountain King	37	31	77	32	16	14	36	15	37	31	64	27	81	69^a	164	68^a
Toccata and Fugue	46	38	92	39	22	18	59	25*	39	32	65	27	102	84^a	181	76^a *
	Movie				MP3/Recording				School Music Class				Live Performance
	MS		HS		MS		HS		MS		HS		MS		HS
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Playlist 1
Symphony No. 5	67	71^a	162	78^a *	43	48	135	65^a *	45	47	118	57^a *	24	25	68	33*
Minuet—Boccherini	36	62^a	111	67^a	19	33	73	44*	18	31	58	35	11	19	56	40*
Pizzacato	30	57^a	80	58^a	11	21	47	34*	8	15	29	21*	13	25	31	22
Piano Concerto	17	49	31	30*	8	23	38	37*	10	29	24	23*	9	26	24	23
Entry of the Gladiators	71	78^a	170	82^a	30	33	86	42*	29	32	60	29	48	53^a	89	43*
Minuet—Mozart	54	59^a	139	69^a *	35	38	135	67^a *	32	35	84	42*	33	36	110	55^a *
Rondo alla Turca	31	54^a	90	49	18	32	108	59^a *	17	30	65	35	19	33	88	48*
William Tell Overture	82	86^a	192	93^a *	44	46	125	60^a *	42	44	93	45	43	45	108	52^a *
Aquarium	47	78^a	148	89^a *	8	13	61	37*	11	18	26	16	17	28	31	19*
Blue Danube	86	91^a	187	91^a	36	38	114	55^a *	32	34	82	40*	31	33	83	40*
1812 Overture—Finale	68	80^a	152	79^a	22	26	111	58^a *	26	31	84	43*	25	29	80	42*
Flight of the Bumblebee	65	73^a	155	77^a	36	40	141	70^a *	31	35	97	48*	35	39	113	56^a *
Funeral March	44	79^a	130	79^a	13	23	82	50^a *	9	16	34	21	13	23	40	24
(continued)
Dance of the Chinese	54	81^a	119	70^a *	30	54^a	90	53^a	20	30	58	34	31	46	92	54a*
Trumpet Voluntary	51	77^a	118	68^a *	17	26	80	46*	16	24	54	31*	15	23	57	33*
Playlist 2
Hallelujah Chorus	85	69^a	198	81^a *	24	20	95	39*	31	25	79	33*	48	39	114	47*
Hungarian Rhapsody	55	65^a	113	52^a *	18	21	76	35*	19	22	54	25	20	24	39	18*
Can-Can	91	73^a	188	77^a	31	25	98	40*	40	32	93	38*	37	30	78	32
Eine Kleine Nacht Musik	74	61^a	189	78^a *	49	40	135	56^a *	49	40	111	46*	34	28	94	39*
Dance of the Hours	55	56^a	142	59^a	25	25	91	38*	18	18	50	21	20	20	38	16
O Fortuna	83	85^a	207	91^a	16	16	107	47*	16	16	52	23*	13	13	39	17
Canon in D	73	69^a	185	77^a *	40	38	156	65^a *	39	38	107	45*	44	42	131	55^a *
Also Sprach Zarathustra	119	95^a	231	95^a	35	28	126	52^a *	30	24	94	37*	30	24	68	28
Les Toréadors	75	71^a	167	72^a	38	36	110	47*	27	26	68	29	20	19	78	34*
Moonlight Sonata	45	58^a	130	63^a	35	45	123	6*	18	23	72	35*	23	29	92	45*
Ode to Joy	107	87^a	202	83^a	50	41	133	55^a *	50	41	100	41	40	33	102	42
Pomp and Circumstance	92	81^a	197	82^a	37	33	112	46*	39	35	156	65^a	56	50^a	199	83^a *
Sabre Dance	88	76^a	187	79^a	27	23	107	45*	29	25	79	33	31	27	72	30
In the Hall of the Mountain King	99	84^a	202	84^a	40	34	121	50^a *	44	37	85	35	43	36	111	46*
Toccata and Fugue	111	91^a	220	92^a	53	43	138	58^a *	38	31	84	35	33	27	78	33*

Note: MS = middle school; HS = high school.

Indicates pieces that were heard by 50% or more of the students.

p < .01.

The least selected category by all students was video games. No more than 12% of the students reported previously hearing the music within this type of media. Students also reported infrequently hearing this music in school music class (see Table 2). Only two pieces were previously heard by 50% of the high school students in a school music class, Symphony No. 5 (Playlist 1) and Pomp and Circumstance (Playlist 2). No piece on either playlist was previously heard by this percentage of middle school students for this category. Overall, 31% of the middle school students had previously heard the pieces in school music class (Playlist 1, 32%; Playlist 2, 29%), whereas 37% of the high school students had previously heard the music in the same setting (Playlist 1, 36%; Playlist 2, 37%). Results are listed in Tables 2 and 3.

Music Title

Overall, only three pieces were correctly titled by 50% of the students. No piece on Playlist 1 was correctly titled by this percentage of students in middle school; however, high school students were able to correctly title one piece, Flight of the Bumblebee. On Playlist 2, 50% of the middle school students were able to name the Hallelujah Chorus. The same percentage of high school students also correctly titled the Hallelujah Chorus as well as Pomp and Circumstance. Finally, no more than 10 middle or high school students knew a partially/fully correct title for several of the pieces on Playlist 1 (middle school, 11 of the 15 pieces; high school, 5 of the 15 pieces) or on Playlist 2 (middle school, 8 of the 15 pieces; high school, 2 of the 15 pieces). Results are listed in Table 4.

Table 4.

Correctly Titled Repertoire by Responses and Percentages for All Pieces

	Middle School			High School
	Heard	Correct Title		Heard	Correct Title
	N	N	%	N	N	%
Playlist 1
Symphony No. 5	95	23	24*	207	72	35
Minuet—Boccherini	58	1	2	165	4	2
Pizzacato	53	0	0	139	2	1
Piano Concerto	35	1	3	103	2	2
Entry of the Gladiators	91	1	1	207	8	4
Minuet—Mozart	92	3	3*	201	31	15
Rondo alla Turca	57	0	0*	184	13	7
William Tell Overture	95	18	19*	206	58	28
Aquarium	60	1	2	166	10	6
Blue Danube	95	4	4	206	18	9
1812 Overture—Finale	85	6	7*	192	51	27
Flight of the Bumblebee	89	41	46*	202	158	78^a
Funeral March	56	5	9*	164	42	26
Dance of the Chinese	67	22	33	171	58	34
Trumpet Voluntary	66	1	2*	173	22	13
Playlist 2
Hallelujah Chorus	123	75	61^a	241	168	69^a
Hungarian Rhapsody	85	0	0	214	10	5
Can-Can	125	44	35	241	103	42
Eine Kleine Nacht Musik	122	1	1*	240	24	10
Dance of the Hours	99	0	0	238	2	1
O Fortuna	98	3	3*	226	40	18
Canon in D	106	29	27*	237	110	46
Also Sprach Zarathustra	125	0	0*	241	21	9
Les Toréadors	105	3	3*	230	36	16
Moonlight Sonata	78	16	21*	203	75	37
Ode to Joy	123	44	36	241	90	37
Pomp and Circumstance	113	12	11*	239	135	56^a
Sabre Dance	116	4	3*	236	29	12
In the Hall of the Mountain King	118	22	19	238	55	23
Toccata and Fugue	122	6	5*	236	40	17

Indicates pieces that were correctly titled by 50% or more of the students who had heard the piece.

p < .01.

Examining the incorrect responses revealed that students often listed the paired associations they had with the music and contemporary media or events. Examples of contemporary media associations included the following: K-9 Advantix commercial theme song for Dance of the Hours, Harry Potter movie for Aquarium, and 2001: A Space Odyssey movie for Also Sprach Zarathustra. Examples of event associations included the following: Christmas for Chinese Dance, Halloween for Toccata and Fugue, graduation for Pomp and Circumstance, and circus or carnival for Entry of the Gladiators.

Differences

Chi-square statistical tests were completed to determine if there were differences between playlists, within each playlist, or individual piece by student grade level (i.e., middle school or high school) for repertoire previously heard, where previously heard, and music title. To accurately compare student groups, 95 students were randomly chosen from Playlist 1 (high school) and Playlist 2 (both middle school and high school) to match the number of middle school participants who listened to Playlist 1. For previously heard music, results revealed a significant difference between playlists when middle and high school students’ scores were combined, χ² = 159.94, p < .001, as well as when separated by student grade level (middle school χ² = 61.13, p < .001; high school χ² = 141.6, p < .001). Results also revealed significant differences between middle and high school students’ scores within each individual playlist: Playlist 1 χ² = 41.12, p < .004; Playlist 2 χ² = 102.21, p < .001. Significant differences were also found between middle and high school students’ scores for eight individual pieces on Playlist 1 and seven pieces on Playlist 2 (see Table 1).

For the question that asked where the students had previously heard the repertoire, no significant difference was found between playlists when middle and high school students’ scores were combined or separated by student grade level. Significant differences were found, however, within each playlist for several contemporary media, school music class, or live performance areas between middle and high school students (see Table 2). Additionally, analysis of each individual piece between middle and high school students found significant differences for several pieces within each contemporary media, school music class, or live performance area (see Table 3).

For correctly naming the music title, results revealed a significant difference between playlists when middle and high school students’ scores were combined, χ² = 98.84, p < .001, as well as when separated by middle school, χ² = 15.29, p < .01, or high school χ² = 68.55, p < .001. Significant differences were also found between middle and high school students’ scores within each individual playlist: Playlist 1 χ² = 10.23, p < .001; Playlist 2 χ² = 141.41, p < .001. Analysis of each individual piece found significant differences for 8 pieces on Playlist 1 and 11 pieces on Playlist 2 (see Table 4).

Correlations

To determine whether there was a relationship between heard repertoire and the title of the piece, a Spearman correlation coefficient was completed. Results found there was a relationship between whether students who listened to Playlist 1 had heard the repertoire and could name the title; middle school ρ = .614, p = .05; high school ρ = .535, p = .05. No relationships were found for Playlist 2. A Spearman correlation coefficient was also completed to determine whether there was a relationship between music that had been heard in school music class and the title of the piece. An association for three of the four student groups was found for this correlation; middle school Playlist 1 ρ = .634, p = .05; high school Playlist 1 ρ = .736, p = .01; middle school Playlist 2 ρ = .514, p = .01.

Discussion

The purpose of this study was to determine which classical repertoire was familiar and predictable to adolescent students. The results revealed that most students had previously heard the music chosen for this study. In fact, only one piece (Piano Concerto in A Minor by Grieg) had been previously heard by less than 50% of the students. Additionally, students reported previously hearing these pieces in a number of contemporary media, school music classrooms, and live performance situations. These data indicate that students are familiar with many classical pieces (i.e., they have heard it somewhere before) and this music is predictable to them (i.e., they have had repeated exposure to same or similar music; Price, 1986).

This familiarity and predictability became even more apparent during the course of the data collection when students were observed anticipating musical happenings within the repertoire (e.g., the trombone “slide” in Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance). Although this study was not qualitative, nonverbal gestures mirroring the music’s rhythm, texture, melody, or instrumentation were observed and noted. Because of the nature of these experiences as well as the empirical data collected, teachers may want to determine how much their students actually know about “popular” classical music. Moreover, choosing familiar and predictable “popular” classical repertoire to use in music classroom activities may help teachers connect “school music” to “outside music” for their students.

The results of this study also found differences between the student age-groups. High school students indicated they had heard the repertoire more frequently and in more contemporary media, school music classes, and live performances than middle school students. This result is, perhaps, not surprising. The music chosen for this study was found multiple times within contemporary media and popular culture over the past decade. Therefore, it seems logical that older students would have more opportunities to be exposed to this music. Although the data of this study indicated that both middle and high school students are familiar with many classical pieces and this music is predictable to them, according to the operational definitions set a priori, further research may want to investigate student grade levels before conclusion can be drawn.

Students were only able to identify three pieces with more than 50% accuracy: Flight of the Bumblebee, Hallelujah Chorus, and Pomp and Circumstance. However, students often labeled repertoire by the paired associations they had with various contemporary media or events. Although these responses were incorrect, it does indicate the impact popular culture has on students. It also raises the question of whether music titles are basic information students should know about classical repertoire they hear “outside school.” In The National Standards for Music Education Standard 7 (i.e., listening to, analyzing, and describing music) and the subsequent Performance Standards for that criterion, no mention of naming repertoire is included (MENC: The National Association for Music Education, 1994). However, many teachers want (and even require) students to know music titles. This is especially true in secondary general music and music history classes. Therefore, teachers may want to determine whether knowing “popular” classical music titles is needed for effective student learning or if recognizing the paired associations is sufficient.

The majority of students perceived they had not heard this music in school. However, for those students who had heard the music in school, there was a correlation to whether they could name the piece. School music classes play an integral part in a student’s knowledge of classical music. Teachers are responsible for not only choosing which music to study but also what information is taught. Therefore, the results of this study raise the questions of which classical music pieces music educators should choose for classroom study and what types of information should be taught. Research may want to investigate these questions to help provide clarity of student knowledge.

Conclusion

This research sought to examine which repertoire constitutes “popular” classical music for adolescents with the intent of compiling a list of classical repertoire that is familiar and predictable to students. Most pieces within this study were found to meet these criteria. However, research investigating use of this music in school music classroom activities and students’ perceptions, attitudes, and preferences has yet to be conducted. Therefore, further investigation may help clarify to what extent “popular” classical music should be included in classroom settings.

Footnotes

Appendix

List of Repertoire and Corresponding Composers Heard Within the Study

Playlist 1 Repertoire	Composer
1. Symphony No. 5—Mvt. 1	Ludwig van Beethoven
2. String Quintet in E Major—Minuet	Luigi Boccherini
3. Sylvia—Pizzicato	Léo Delibes
4. Piano Concerto in A Minor—Mvt. 1	Edvard Grieg
5. Entry of the Gladiators	Julius Fucˇík
6. Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major—Rondo alla Turca	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
7. Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major—Minuet	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
8. William Tell—Overture (Finale)	Gioachino Rossini
9. Carnival of the Animals—Aquarium	Camille Saint-Saëns
10. The Blue Danube	Johann Strauss Jr.
11. 1812 Overture Op. 49—Finale	Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
12. Tsar Saltan—Flight of the Bumblebee	Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
13. Piano Sonata No. 2 in B Flat Minor—Funeral March	Frederic Chopin
14. The Nutcracker Suite—Chinese Dance	Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
15. Trumpet Voluntary in D Major (Prince of Denmark’s March)	Jeremiah Clarke
Playlist 2 Repertoire	Composer
1. Messiah—Hallelujah Chorus	George Fredric Handel
2. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2	Franz Liszt
3. Orpheus in the Underworld—Infernal Gallop (Can-Can)	Jacques Offenbach
4. Serenade No. 13 for Strings in G Major—Eine Kleine Nacht Musik	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
5. La Gioconda—Dance of the Hours	Amilcare Ponchielli
6. Carmina Burana—O Fortuna	Carl Orff
7. Canon in D	Johann Pachelbel
8. Also sprach Zarathustra	Richard Strauss
9. Carmen—Les Toréadors	Georges Bizet
10. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp Minor—Moonlight Sonata	Ludvig van Beethoven
11. Symphony No. 9—Mvt. 4 (Ode to Joy)	Ludvig van Beethoven
12. Pomp and Circumstance	Edward Elgar
13. Gayane—Sabre Dance	Aram Khachaturian
14. Peer Gynt—In the Hall of the Mountain King	Edvard Grieg

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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