Len Fehskens:

>>far fewer people than formerly in the American population claim an
>>interest in classical music.
>
>On what do you base this assertion?  My understanding is that the number
>has remained relatively constant at around (ballpark) 5% of the
>population.

I don't have statistics myself and Horowitz' (name) index will not find
this for me but he does mention a survey or two that indicated decades
ago that substantially more than 5% claimed an interest in this kind of
music.  I do recall his saying that something like 60% of New Yorkers,
especially, knew who Toscanini was in the 1930s, and you would be
hard-pressed to get that kind of survey result now about any classical
musician.  Maybe Beethoven?

Jim Tobin