Karl Miller wrote:

>Kyle Major wrote:
>
>>The general public has to truly be spoon fed modern classical music.
>
>Why?

Wow, simple yet good question.  I think I partially answered this
in my posting, but I'm not even sure I convinced myself of its truth.
A professor at my university planned a contemporary music festival in
Vermont, where most of the audience for the concert(s) had little exposure
to classical music.  Many quite progressive works were performed and it got
an overwhelmingly positive response from the audience.  Yet you finish up
a symphony concert with Messiaen and half the crowd, which happens to have
much more classical exposure, gets sick and leaves.  Why?? I think (I've
yet to do any scientific studies) that this is a question of exposure to
the 20th century music.  I think that modern music has a lot to say, and
intimately relates to our lives, perhaps in a way that older music doesn't.
(Not that I don't love older music.) However, when people grow up with
Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven they learn to strongly associate themselves
with this music.  Then, when they try to associate with Varese it becomes
quite difficult.  If you try to see Varese through the lens of classical
(time period here) music, it doesn't work.

I think my own mother is a good example of this.  She is an excellent flute
player and grew up with Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, etc.  She can't stand
modern music, and needless to say, isn't my (as a composer) greatest fan.
I've started giving her CDs of Hovhaness and Martinu for gifts, and perhaps
eventually I'll be able to introduce Penderecki, who knows.

Certainly I can't force her into a chair to listen to this stuff, just as
we can't force radio listeners to do the same.  But in my experiences, once
someone realizes they can like Debussy and Ravel, they may go on to like
Stravinsky, then *gasp* maybe even Schoenberg and Berg, further expanding
their sphere of consciousness.

Now, for the youth and for people with less exposure and conditioning
perhaps Webern bagatelles are the place to start.

I hope this answers your question and refines my thinking.  Perhaps you and
others can help me out on determining how necessary "spoon feeding" may be.

Kyle Major
[log in to unmask]