An article I've read in the March issue of "The Atlantic" seems to touch
upon a number of MCML threads of late, and I wanted to recommend it to
List members.  The premise (not just limited to America, I would think)
is not all that unfamiliar, at least in the backs of our minds--that the
increasingly ubiquitous presence of music as a background to every activity
in our lives is making us less susceptible to its powers.  But there many
side issues discussed as well, in a historical and social context.  The
article deals quite a bit with pop and rock, but quite a few references to
classical works (not all of which come out unscathed) are there as well.

The article, by one J.  Bottum, can be accessed online (no registration
needed that I know of, by going here:

   http://www.theatlantic.com/cgi-bin/o/issues/2000/03/bottum.htm

Bill H.