Donald Satz wrote:

>I think Wes is correct.  Any poll results I've seen indicate that Baroque
>music is less popular than any subsequent time period.

I'm not so sure myself, again I don't have any scientific population
studies but in Spain early music and Baroque music is tremendously popular.
I drive a lot in my car and the majority of music I hear on the two big cm
stations I listen to, Radio Nacional de Espana and Radio Catalunya, is
baroque, chambermusic, opera and choral.  Also let's not forget the
Gregorian Chant discs that sold so much they went onto the pop charts a few
years ago.  I also think a lot of people who like wallpaper music, that is,
put on a disc not to listen to it actively but to have as background noise
while they cook/meditate/nap/copulate, like the river-of-music element of
baroque instrumental music and the shifting peacefulness of early choral
music.  Interesting note, I did a search on the Barnes&Nobel site for
"Chamber Music." One legit chamber music disc came up, almost all the rest
was "Music to do other things by," Music for sleeping, Music for babies,
Music for relaxation, Music for Cooking, all designed as background music.
Guess that's what Joe Classical-Listener is buying these days in the
states.

Dave