Quote:
Originally Posted by nikolas
BTW, why is the fault of pop music that contemproary classical music is suffering greatly? Do you think that if Britney was not around people would value more Stockhausen? Or ligeti? Or Boulez? Cause I really don't...  |
You've completely hit the nail on the head here. Gianluca's essay really boils down to two things:
1) He doesn't like pop music.
That's fine, we all have opinions and your reasons are valid enough. I have no argument with your not liking pop, that's up to you.
2) Pop music is the cause of a decline in classical music
This is the point I disagree with and the point that is so contentious in your argument. Nobody cares if you don't like pop music and pretty much everyone will agree that classical music and musicians probably deserve better than certain talentless miming pop singers who earn huge amounts of money. It's your linking of these two things as though they are cause and effect that's causing controversy in this thread.
I have sympathy with your argument that many musicians deserve better (though this is not necessarily something new; Mozart, after all died a pauper) but we musn't use pop music as an easy scapegoat for the problems that exist. Nikolas has already suggested some possible causes for the problems:
Quote:
Originally Posted by nikolas
if 99% does not care about classical it's the fault of the musicians, the conductors, the stars and the composers and not of the audience, nor of the "simplistic" pop songs.
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And I would add to that,
once again (as I feel it's very important) it's the fault of our schools! Expose kids to classical music. Don't neceassarily hold it up as a beacon of perfection but at least give them a chance to hear what's out there!! This is
so important.
Incidentley, I read this rather convieniently timed pieces of news in my paper today which kind of sums up what I've been saying:
Barenboim returns with warning on music lessons - Independent Online Edition > News
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So Gianluca, I don't care that you don't like pop music, but I'd suggest you look elsewhere for the problems in the classical world. Scapegoating pop is an easy thing to do but it won't solve anything at all.