"Classical" Taboo

Cafe Society
21

I might say that a certain amount of education is useful if you really want to get everything that the composer hoped to transmit.

In canonical European art music, for example, a cursory understanding of the sonata-allegro form would stand one in good stead. Not to say that you can’t completely appreciate it for its melody and harmony, but form is pretty significant and most composers assumed that their listeners would be familiar with it.

In pop music (if you’ll excuse me for using potentially loaded terms), I think there is a conception that it should grab you instantly–you hear it and say this is cool, I like it (or not). But other forms, including classical and jazz, really do ask the listener to bring something apart from visceral reaction (though this is not to denigrate that reaction). And this idea degenerates into snobbery all too easily.

I think the attitude that the OP objects to is slowly receding. But you can still find in older writings, for example, people making a distinction between music (encompassing everything including folk, jazz, and rock styles) and fine music, which is only western art music of the 17th through 19th century That’s pretty annoying, and I think particularly the Beatles’ later recordings (and perhaps Bernstein’s public appreciation of them) helped to put a few nails in that coffin, along with the rise of ethnomuciology as a respected field.

22

To get everything, you’ve got to be superhuman.

Bolding added - to demonstrate your own unwitting use of a loaded term. “Art music” automatically implies that all other musics are not artistic. It’s a term to avoid at all costs.

23

I’ve noticed it mostly from young people (under 30ish) and mostly females. When you ask them what kind of music they like they almost invariably say “Everything” or “Everything except classical.”

Then again, I say everything except new country so I’m not really one to talk :).

24

I am sure that in some circles that is true, but in all my experience, we Classical fans never get a chance to be “annoying geeks.” We’re too busy fending off the outraged comments about “You listen to that Classical crap? You’re kidding!”

It seems like for some people, Classical is in a category by itself. It’s like some non-existent music that no one really listens to. When people ask you about what “song” you like, they probably aren’t expecting you to mention Sibelius’s Finlandia or anything. Because, to some people, music only comes in one form: a song. Not a “musical piece,” not a “tone poem.” Nope. Just a song. That’s all.

It’s like in some people’s world view, Classical doesn’t exist. Or at least, no real human, no real human that isn’t putting on airs or just pretending, anyway, listens to it.

So when you claim that you honestly, completely, totally enjoy listening to Classical music, voluntarily, some people cannot fathom it. They think that maybe you listen to it sometimes, just to look smart, or perhaps you like a piece or two but that’s it, but a steady diet of the stuff, with no let up? Inconceivable.

Or, there are the people who say that they like Classical music (for “relaxation” — put me in the homicidal category when that comes up) but when it comes right down to it, the last time they listened to something Classical, voluntarily, on their own, just because they wanted to, Bush Sr. was in office. And so if you want to listen to something Classical, say, in a car or office with them, they’ll tolerate it for a while, and then they’ll think they’ve had enough of it. Because they only like Classical music on paper—not in reality. Hey, that’s fine, but don’t say you like it if you never actually listen to it.

Oh, and then there are the folks (who have been discussed here) who think that people who like Classical are “puttin’ on airs” and are being pretentous snobs. That’s what happened a lot to my family. We were poor, drove a crappy car and had an unremarkable lifestyle and in no way could have dreamed of “puttin’ on airs,” but the fact that we listened to Classical (and weren’t doing so as a pretence) really annoyed the shit out of the neighbors. It wasn’t as if we played our music too loud or made disparaging remarks about others’ musical tastes—it was simply that it was too weird and incomprehensible and could not be tolerated.

And another story while I’m rambling: years ago, some local record store had a special sale on all records from a certain label: (RCA, I think it was). All RCA label records on sale. So, my dad picked out some Classical RCA records and went to pay for them. The clerk told him, “Oh, we didn’t mean the Classical RCA records!” “Well, why didn’t the sign say that, then?” my dad asked. “It says all RCA records!” The clerk wouldn’t back down, assuming that it was somehow obvious that of course they couldn’t mean Classical too—Classical is an afterthought, after all. My dad made a stink (either called or wrote the manager, I forget) and eventually got his discount. But it was just one of many instances that we experienced where people thought that Classical didn’t count as “real” music. I think things are better today, but still—it can be annoying.

25

My “trendy” 16 year old sister has started loving classical music for some reason. You can’t imagine how nice it is for her to be blasting Mozart instead of Westlife when I enter the room.