By Yechezkal Freundlich, Senior Science and Technology Editor
After buying airpods when the generation ones were launched a few years back, I stepped into the world of music. Being a novice, I experimented with many different genres of music: from old legends like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra to modern phenomenons like Coldplay or Linkin Park. Today, I listen to most genres of music, each for different occasions. Some for exercise, some for walks, some to relax and some to study.
As a pre-med student at Yeshiva University, there is a lot of studying. Three years ago, when reading about microtubules, my lofi beats playlist ended and spotify played Violin Concerto No. 2 in D major. I fell in love. I started listening to classical music and not just when riding an elevator in a hotel but as an art.
In an era where music has been reduced to one hit wonders, 15-second TikTok trends and formulaic beats, there is one genre that opposes the modern attention span, something that will forever outlast the social media trends: classical music. While not the oldest form of the art, it remains steadfast as a popular genre in modern society. The genesis of classical music is unknown, but it can be traced back to the royal courts and churches of Western Europe. The earliest written records of the genre date back even further, to the Carolingian Empire in the 9th century. Dubbed to be the longest-lasting form of music still popular today, having persevered throughout history, it is no surprise to claim that it simply is the best.
The settings in which one can listen to classical music vastly supersede all other forms of music. It can be listened to when performing mundane tasks, when relaxing, when wanting to feel sad or happy and even when working. In fact, I am listening to it as I write these words. I love to listen to classical music when I study. These aren’t just old, archaic tunes meant for the past; classical music boosts brain activity. It makes you smarter. Students listening to the genre whilst under scientific observation demonstrated an increase in cognitive function and intellectual performance. Classical music is built on complexity, with multilayered symphonies and complex time signatures and harmonies. The brain becomes more efficient in memorization and concentration whilst listening to, say, Adagio for Strings.
Classical music’s complexity is not an elitist barrier, it is its most vital strength. There is a reason why countless studies link classical music to improved cognitive function, enhanced memory and elevated concentration. Unlike music designed for immediate gratification, classical music invites prolonged engagement. It rewards attentiveness, offering ever-deepening meaning through repeated listening. The harmonic structures, dynamic contrasts and intricate interplay between instruments provide a level of intellectual stimulation that is rarely matched in contemporary popular genres.
Equally significant is its emotional breadth. Few genres possess the capacity to convey such a vast range of human feeling with such precision and subtlety. A single movement of a Gustav Mahler symphony can evoke joy, terror, nostalgia and existential awe, often all in the span of a few minutes. There is a reason why Beethoven’s 14th sonata is called the Moonlight Sonata; give the first movement a listen. The absence of lyrics does not hinder this communicative power; on the contrary, it enhances it. The emotional architecture of classical music is built on sound itself, unmediated by words, allowing it to resonate across language, culture and time.
What I enjoy most about classical music, especially in these modern times, is its resistance to commodification. It does not seek virality. It does not chase trends. It does not beg for attention. Instead, it asks something far rarer of the modern listener: patience. It challenges the listener to slow down, to engage deeply and to feel profoundly. In return, it offers something that transcends entertainment, something that transcends those fleeting moments of joy, those small surges of dopamine when listening to viral songs. It provides the experience of beauty, intricacy and emotional truth rendered through disciplined artistry.
In a world increasingly defined by speed, distraction and impermanence, classical music remains a monument to human potential. It is a testament to what can be created when time, skill and soul are invested not in what is most profitable, but in what is most meaningful. Its greatness lies not only in what it sounds like, but in what it demands, and inspires, in us.
So do me a favor, sit down for a minute, put on some headphones and play some tunes, some real, ethereal tunes, maybe some of Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Or if you really want to hear a story through music, listen to the 1812 Overture by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Fair warning, it is long.