Jeff Tedford wrote:

>So it goes...given the opportunity and support most humans
>will prefer artistry to slop.

I sometimes feel that I am wildly over-optimistic about these matters, but
I don't think I would go quite far.  It would be nice to believe that Jeff
is right, but even back in the days when the level of "opportunity and
support" for kids to experience CM was much higher than it is now (i.e.,
in my youth), it certainly didn't out-draw pop music among either adults
or kids.  I think that the main variables are (a) whether a person really
cares about well-crafted, rather complex and lengthy pieces of music (most
people don't), and (b) whether one is attracted to the particular styles of
CM (some people like "serious" rock, etc., but just don't seem to care for
the sounds of orchestras, string quartets, etc.).

For example, the same thing is true of graphic arts.  Some people (like me)
are quite happy putting less than the highest-quality art on their walls
because they just don't care that much about what they see around them,
or even though they might like to decorate their homes with something
attractive, they just don't happen to like Picasso or Renoir, or whatever.

Jon Johanning // [log in to unmask]