wjm@whuxl.UUCP (MITCHELL) (07/19/84)
<munchees> I can only surmise as to why classical music isn't popular, but here are some thoughts: 1) I agree with Martin Taylor that most classical music does require some thought to be appreciated. I generally don't listen to the classics when I'm trying to concentrate on something else, such as a particularly knotty piece of computer code - Loretta Lynn tends to be better, probably because country music doesn't distract me from the complexities of telephone planning tools - I can listen(?) to it on a subconscious level. Of course the ultimate in non-distracting music is the "dentist office music" that has made Muzak and some FM stations (e.g. WRFM and WPAT in the NYC area) infamous. 2) I agree with Rich Rosen that people who tend to listen to classical music are "elitist", but not in the perjorative sense that that word is often used. I would think, given the mental effort that much classical music requires (and the same argument can be made for jazz - Why jazz isn't popular?) that those of us who like classical music may be (statistically, anyway) better educated than the "average" American. I'm also reminded of the famous H. L. Meniken quote "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public" when I hear about some of the things that go on in the "popular" (read rock, especially acid/punk rock) music business. 3) It is possible that people don't like classical music since they don't know what classical music is really like. They don't realize that many of the themes from TV commercials that they hum on the way to work are really classical pieces. I blame the educational system for this - I became interested in the classics through a 7th grade teacher who took the class to a Young People's concert of the New York Philharmonic, and then I was hooked. We should expose young people to the classics - they might like them. Another useful way of introducing people to the classics are the "Live from Lincoln Center (and similar)" TV programs. 4) Perhaps if some artists were more charismatic they would attract people who would then be interested in the classics. I suspect Pavaroti has attracted many people to opera, just as James Galway has made the flute much more popular. Also, have you tried to get tickets to an Alicia deLarrochia concert lately. (I managed to get tix to her two Mostly Mozart appearances, but only by sending the form in the day I received it). Personally, I suspect there is a good-sized audience out there for classical music, but it has to be encouraged. You can always tell a friend about a work you particularly enjoy (or even better, invite them over to listen to it). Regards, Bill Mitchell (whuxl!wjm)
lkk@mit-eddie.UUCP (Larry Kolodney) (07/22/84)
Here's a theory: Most people form their musical tastes when they are fairly young, say under 25. For most americans of that age, music serves a social purpose, as well as a merely asthetic one. For teenagers especially, the kind of music you like determines to a large extent where you will socialize and who you will socialize with. Thus, classical music, which does not do much for a teens social life, is ignored. Since teens are so image conscious, most would not think of straying from the mainstream. Teens also tend to have extremely short attention spans, and thus don't have the patients to listen to say, a synphony, (which takes a least a few minutes to develop a theme), while pop music (which frequently repeats every 5 secs.) is available.