@WieWaldi thank you for bringing up that earlier discussion, it’s quite relevant here. And what I was getting at (IIRC) in my post in that thread was more about the musical details, instruments and orchestration, composition etc…. If the same assembly of people, with the same selection of instruments, using the same musical/playing techniques, and the same conducting techniques, can play both a “traditional work” and a film score, then saying one is classical and the other is not seems silly to me.
WieWaldi I think there is a kind of a difference between true classical music and classical-ish film scores. Classical music stands for its own.
I don’t think there’s anything inherent in “true classical music” that makes it stand on its own more than film music does. I think this is probably a more individual thing than you’re giving it credit for. And after all, isn’t that why John Williams’s scores have gotten such praise, that they stand alone in the concert hall without the film visuals?
But film scores are composed to tell a story, or help the pictures at story telling. A lot lot of orchestral film music drip with heroism. Or they are made to spread fear and terror.
Couldn’t we say the same about a classical music? I can’t imagine any composer saying their music isn’t intended to tell a story.
Very often, film music works only when you see the movie clip as well.
Again, I think this is in the ear of the listener. I don’t mean to be argumentative (well to some extent I guess that is my intention 😅 ). But I just think saying film music isn’t classical doesn’t make sense, it’s an artificial distinction. I really think film music (like Williams) show be grouped under the classical umbrella, and then given it its own genre, like baroque etc.
@Simonb mentioned an opera and I think that is actually extremely relevant. If opera is included under the umbrella of classical, then film music also should be.