BBC Music Day

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Those who "stumble" upon 'classical' music (or have it played to them in school assembly) and then are smitten for life are the exceptions and really odd indeed.

Then I'm really odd indeed.

In 1956, Mrs Rankin played us the Manchester Children's Choir recording of Nymphs and Shepherds. It had the added wow factor as she had been in the choir at the recording. But it never left me, and by the time we left that primary school, there were many lovers of classical music in that primary school. We were called "squares" by some, of course, and I had a £1,000,000 bet with Douglas Campbell that Mozart's 40th would get into the Top Ten. (I've never claimed my winnings. )

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

"Odd" is good - "exceptionally odd" is exceptionally good.

[MrGongGong]

Then I'm really odd indeed.

In 1956, Mrs Rankin played us the Manchester Children's Choir recording of Nymphs and Shepherds. It had the added wow factor as she had been in the choir at the recording. But it never left me, and by the time we left that primary school, there were many lovers of classical music in that primary school. We were called "squares" by some, of course, and I had a £1,000,000 bet with Douglas Campbell that Mozart's 40th would get into the Top Ten. (I've never claimed my winnings. )

Yes, you and I (or should it be me? i'm sure you can advise on that ) are odd, weird, unusual, whatever

I'm frequently encountering folks who find it hard to accept this.
If you ask the players in the LSO what they think about the AB Grade system as a way of EVERYONE learning to play an instrument the majority are likely to tell you how wonderful it is, it is, for them. If you got together a load of CEO's of big companies and asked them about gender balance in corporate life they would be likely to tell you that there isn't a problem at all, why should there be? "It worked for me".

I've taken teenagers for whom music starts and ends with hip hop to hear orchestral rehearsals ("who's the scruffy dude with the little stick?" ) and they have often been mesmerised by it. Play the "same" music on a CD or radio and they won't bother. Wot Magritte said

[french frank]

Many people in 'classical' music are far to attached to the trappings that go with it that have precious little to do with MUSIC

Just read one of the lengthy Wikipedia articles on one of the icons of popular music - Amy Winehouse, David Bowie - and see how attached the fans are to the trappings rather than the music.

I think these days the radio is probably the last place I would go to encourage wider listening

I have been saying for years that it's no use putting material for young listeners on Radio 3 and thinking you'll attract them to either Radio 3 or whatever it is that is being broadcast. But as for Radio 1 or Radio 2 - just look at the size of the audiences and the average length of time they listen each week (but if some of them stopped listening because they were being introduced to something new, they could afford to lose a million listeners - 2 or 3 million in Radio 2's case). And television averagely gets bigger audiences than radio. Which I think is the point I've been making for what seems like an eternity.

I'm currently editing some scores of pieces made by teenagers, I've been sending them things to listen to, all sorts of stuff that relates to what they have made (from Gabrielli to Crumb to Xenakis to Aphex Twin etc etc ) BUT I very rarely suggest they tune into the radio at random.

I don't undervalue what you do, but it's only marginal to what I'm talking about.

[MrGongGong]

Just read one of the lengthy Wikipedia articles on one of the icons of popular music - Amy Winehouse, David Bowie - and see how attached the fans are to the trappings rather than the music.

Dahlhaus is what is needed