Chris Bonds wrote:

>No, here I disagree.  It's not the same payoff at all, because the music
>of the 18th/19th centuries (I really shouldn't lump them in together so
>cavalierly) emphasized different values.  I think that music stressed a
>level of considered craftsmanship and complexity that pop music of the 20th
>century rarely if ever even attempts.  This is not to "diss" the latter,
>of course--because that isn't the purpose of pop. Where the two musics
>overlap is that both do have an entertainment component, and both exhibit
>craftsmanship and professionalism in production values when they are at
>their best.  (I call "professionalism in production values" the act of
>knowing what sound you want and then producing that sound to the best of
>your ability.)

Truth be told - I do agree with you in this....there's definitely more
craftmanship and creativity in classical music - even the ones composed by
Jenkins and Taverner.  Eloquently put too.  Unfortunately for CM, as you've
said not all of society thinks the same way as you do.  More to the point,
this is not going to make classical music more popular.


>So changing the costuming of performers and fans will change attitudes
>to the music? I think these are band-aids (no pun intended--but if one
>happens, I'll take it!)

Whoops - my flippancy got the better of me I guess......but in retrospect,
as a music lover and radio announcer, I spend a lot of time with young
people who seem to have the same complaint - the find classical music and
it's proponents too inaccessible - to my dismay, some even said un-normal
- many complain that CM venues discriminate with dress codes - against
the 'poor but ambitious' as opposed to the rich and famous who are
welcomed into their realm....so perhaps, this small step will help
after all - I don't know.  Perhaps I can make myself clearer with this
description.....The Malaysian Philharmonic occasionally has a Family Day
concert - where on Sunday afternoons they play the same program as they do
on a Saturday night with extra embellishments.  Attending both concerts for
a program called Dances of the World - I noticed that on Saturday night,
the hall was 3/4 full....with the bourgeois in attendance, whereas on Sun,
it was packed to the brim with parents and children who thoroughly enjoyed
the free dress code, the dancers who accompanied the musicians on stage,
and the cutesy Smiley printed T-shirts worn by the conductor and the
members of the orchestra.  Everything was free and easy, the children were
respectably quiet throughout the concert, and both adults and children had
a good time.  Speaking to some of the parents after....  the general
consensus was that this was a preferred way to introduce new listeners to
classical music.  So these 'band-aids' might actually work.  As for me, I
hate dresses, never wear them - which is my personal choice, and it seems
absurd that the hall would bar me from the concert for this choice....then
I'd rather sit at home and listen to the radio and give the concert a
miss....which is the way a lot of people feel.  People need to feel
relaxed, before they can welcome something new, i.e.  CM....which might go
a long way in changing their attitudes to music....don't you agree???

cheers,
anu