The Eternal Breakfast Debate in a New Place

[underthecountertenor]

Or, as the Palone Ranger had it on Round the Horne, 'Hi Ho Sylvia!'

[antongould]

Is Breakfast now sponsored by the Daily Mail ? Sounds like it judging by the people who ring and email and text in !

Can we give an honourable mention to the early text asking for John Foulds's April - England?

[Barbirollians]

How long is Breakfast on for ? 2 hours ?

How about a Vivaldi Concerto for the Viola d'Amore, some Handel arias, a Mozart Flute Quartet , Bartok Two Rhapsodies for violin and the Rubinstein Fourth Piano Concerto with Cherkassky .

[antongould]

How long is Breakfast on for ? 2 hours ?

How about a Vivaldi Concerto for the Viola d'Amore, some Handel arias, a Mozart Flute Quartet , Bartok Two Rhapsodies for violin and the Rubinstein Fourth Piano Concerto with Cherkassky .

I shall add these to the April suggestions for Breakfast's playlist.

[rauschwerk]

What happened this morning was, I suppose, typical. After Now is the Month of Maying they asked anyone who knew the meaning of 'barley-break' to text them. The answer can readily be found in Wikipedia, though I got it from the notes in the S&B edition of Morley's Canzonets of 1597. They didn't read my text out. This suggests that they think the right answer is (a) boring, and (b) can be found on Wikipedia by 100% of listeners. What a silly game. It's the first time I have texted Breakfast, and it will certainly be the last.

[JFLL]

It's the first time I have texted Breakfast, and it will certainly be the last.

For gawd's sake don't encourage the b*ggers!

[rauschwerk]

Somebody from the Aaron Copland Fund/Foundation needs to intervene and complain to the BBC before this important composer's reputation is totally ruined by R3, by continually just playing the same unrepresentative piece.

Yes indeed. It's that kind of thing which probably gave rise to the letter in the current RT which says, "Copland is lauded for his use of the American vernacular music tradition, but I suspect that John Fahey's legacy will prove greater." If R3 ever played any of (say) Copland's major piano works, the writer of that letter might have become aware that Copland is to be lauded for a great deal more than he suggests.

[french frank]

It's that kind of thing which probably gave rise to the letter in the current RT

That'll be the one arguing that Radio 3 should diversify by playing Ry Cooder and Bob Dylan rather than some of these forgettable classical nonetities?

[Panjandrum]

What happened this morning was, I suppose, typical. After Now is the Month of Maying they asked anyone who knew the meaning of 'barley-break' to text them. The answer can readily be found in Wikipedia, though I got it from the notes in the S&B edition of Morley's Canzonets of 1597. They didn't read my text out. This suggests that they think the right answer is (a) boring, and (b) can be found on Wikipedia by 100% of listeners. What a silly game. It's the first time I have texted Breakfast, and it will certainly be the last.

I doubt they thought the answer boring due to the sexual subtext (ooh er missus). I would have assumed that they already knew the answer and were just looking for an excuse for more listener interaction or, more likely, they just got inundated with texts from people who'd looked it up on wiki. I wouldn't take it as a personal slight.

[rauschwerk]

I wouldn't take it as a personal slight.

No worries there, I assure you.

[french frank]

I think it shows how people in the end get sucked in (or should it be 'down into'?) these things. You complain about the celebrities, phone-ins or trivial questions until something comes up which grabs your attention. It's like any programme or programme content - there is always an audience for it. That's why they know that Breakfast and Essential Classics will work: they just have to reach that audience and pull it in.

[cloughie]

Can we give an honourable mention to the early text asking for John Foulds's April - England?

Must have been April Fould's Day!

[Nick Armstrong]

Must have been April Fould's Day!

[cloughie]

Yes indeed. It's that kind of thing which probably gave rise to the letter in the current RT which says, "Copland is lauded for his use of the American vernacular music tradition, but I suspect that John Fahey's legacy will prove greater." If R3 ever played any of (say) Copland's major piano works, the writer of that letter might have become aware that Copland is to be lauded for a great deal more than he suggests.

So much so that I needed to check wiki to remind me who John Fahey was. Now I think about it I seem to remember John Peel playing the odd track in the sixties. Now, Aaron Copland, remind me, wasn't he the guy who wrote something about Billy the Kid or was that Bob Dylan. They both did - which is more memorable?

[Suffolkcoastal]

Yes indeed. It's that kind of thing which probably gave rise to the letter in the current RT which says, "Copland is lauded for his use of the American vernacular music tradition, but I suspect that John Fahey's legacy will prove greater." If R3 ever played any of (say) Copland's major piano works, the writer of that letter might have become aware that Copland is to be lauded for a great deal more than he suggests.

That reminds me of a letter that RT published back in 1985 about the lack of Ferde Grofe's music in the 1985 American themed Proms (actually I would hardly have called it American themed as there wasn't that much American music). I wrote back (I was only 20) to say that I could think of at least 50 American composers whose music should have been included in that proms ahead of anything by Grofe, needless to say my reply wasn't published.

Isn't the website, especially the playlists a shocking mess at the moment. RW should for once concentrate on basic website presentation skills and stop asking for survey's to completed by website users as he clearly takes no notice of them.