Bob K. writes:
>I ain't THAT young, but I rarely come across people around my age (in
>their mid-late 20s) who have any interest in CM at all. A few passing
>interests, or favorite melodies of youth. Of course young musicians care,
>but your run-of-the-mill non-musician college student couldn't care less.
>I would like to discuss why. Lack of exposure?
I'm 27 years old. I attended parochial schools throughout elementary
school, middle school, and high school. My elementary school, which was
Lutheran, had a music program of sorts. This involved learning basic
musical terms and getting a general appreciation of the repertory --
inasmuch as squirming, irritable elementary school kids can appreciate
Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. Actually, I can't be certain of the latter
two. But I do remember a large diet of J.S., which ought not be
surprising, considering the theology of the place.
High school was Catholic. No music program to speak of. I never learned
an instrument or played in a band until I was 19 years old. That was when
I scraped together enough money to buy a drumset and start playing bad
Beatles covers with a garage band for about four out of my five years in
college.
My interest in classical music fluctuated over all this time. "Passing
interests and familiar melodies" just about sums it up. It's amazing, now
that I pay close attention to this stuff, how much exposure I got when I
was younger. Even more amazing was how much I retained. Turned out I knew
a lot of the basic reportory, it was just a matter of putting a composer
and a title to the music.
Also, I can't emphasize enough how much the movies affected the way my
interest developed and my tastes were shaped. Wagner, Rachmaninoff, Holst,
Beethoven, Mozart, Saint-Saens -- I learned their music from the movies.
Two events really sparked my interest. When I was 16, I decided to hear
the rest of the music surrounding "The Ride of the Valkyries," which I'd
come to know from -- you must have seen this coming -- "Apocalypse Now."
So I bought the Solti and fell in love.
But it was a puppy love. I was young and poor and dumb. I did know,
however, that Solti was a reliable conductor. Over the next few years, I
picked up CDs from London's "Solti Collection" and a few others here and
there. Movies helped. After I saw "Casino," for example, I made a beeline
for the nearest record store and picked up the soundtrack *and* Solti's
complete recording of "St. Matthew's Passion."
Then, about three years ago, another movie came out that has been discussed
at length on this list. That movie was, of course, "Shine."
Naturally, I had to hear the full version of Rachmaninoff's Third Piano
Concerto. There was such a run on that work at the time that I the best
I could do was EMI's double-forte set of all four piano concertos and the
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Anievas on the piano). In retrospect,
that was a pretty good investment, I think.
Anyway, I went nuts after that. I was making money by then, so could
afford to buy more recordings. I started buying books, too, including a
Classic FM guide to composers and their music and Harold Schonberg's "Lives
of the Great Composers." I also found Mr. Lampson's "Classical Net," but
that happened some time later. In any event, I soon reacquainted myself
with the basic (and not- so-basic) repertory. I went from about 50
classical discs in my collection to just under 900 in three years. You
might say I'm a fanatic. I still have much to learn.
I've been fortunate to work with people who seem to have an interest
in good music. Not everyone, but a fair number. Also, my wife, whose
interests before we met were limited mostly to R&B and the worst sort of
Top 40, has been extremely receptive to the music. She even likes Mahler.
Of course, since we married just over a year ago, my CM acquisitions have
been greatly curtailed. We still go to concerts about once a month,
though.
I may be an exception -- except for the part about the movies. If I were
a betting man, I'd wager that many folks my age have come to know and love
CM from films. I am a bit pessimistic, though. How many people have the
imagination and the curiousity to listen beyond the soundtrack? Clearly,
judging from much of the recurring discussion on this list, very few
indeed.
Regards,
Bob Chen
Los Angeles, CA
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