Simon, you're not doing yourself or any other sceptics a favour, your responses are actually more difficult to develop from than those of our composers.

At least Richard and colleagues are making us think; contemporary music appears to not be aimed at the general public so I for one don't expect to hear anything whistled in the street. There's a lot of Beethoven and Sibelius that I have yet to hear whistled in the street but I can hear it in my head.

John W

Hmm. That's made me think some more.

I've made my points several times over in the past elsewhere, John, and so I wonder whether there is much mileage in doing the same again - I never got reasoned answers, except from Bryn and a couple of others on occasions.

We'll see.

bws S-S!

I'm glad you're not offended, Alastair, because as I've never knowingly heard any of your music I don't know what it is like and therefore am unable to comment upon it.

The fact that you consider my comments nonsense leads me to believe that you may subscribe to a style of music that I - and of course the majority of classical musicians and music-lovers - would not rate particularly highly, but this comment of course may be just your way of suppporting those whom you consider as your colleagues - a commendably loyal, if perhaps misguided, position to take if this is the case.

Best wishes,

Simon

Simon, I fear you've crossed the line from amusing scepticism to calculated personal offence?

I don't believe you are doing the cause you espouse any favours by dealing in schtick like "tuneless" and "masquerade" - especially as you haven't even mentioned which pieces of music you're referring to?

You are quite within your rights to dislike individual pieces of music.  But blanket dismissals of entire genres with nothing but invective as your rationale do both the music and yourself an equal injustice, and I strongly suggest either becoming more focussed and dispassionate in your criticism or.... giving it a break? 

Does anybody else sense that SS may be basing his entire premise on assumptions which he supposes must be generally accepted for no reason other than that he holds them himself?

 There are millions on these islands for whom his beloved Mozart is just 'classical rubbish' on the one hand, and more than a handful of music lovers who are happy to acknowledge Wolfie's mastery without being in any way moved by much of his outpouring on the other. In much the same way others (or indeed some of the same) may find another of his stated passions, Heavy Metal, either a cacophonous din or otherwise too glibly basic to be of interest or merit: are their views any less (or more) valid than those he broadcasts so regularly?

Music is as much a personal taste as food, drink or other people. For many it is an evolving taste, which grows and expands as they explore, leading to an acceptance of broadening horizons in much the same way that remarkably few adults still yearn for a constant diet of nursery food. For some it is a passion akin to religion, for others it is a mere distraction, tinkling or jangling away in the background to anæsthetise the brain and stop it thinking, to a few it is even a total anathema: but who has any right to criticise others for anything, particularly anything legal and harmless, which gives them pleasure or otherwise helps them make their way through this tempestuous life? Those who wish to proscribe or otherwise decry such pleasures surely tell us far more about themselves through such pronouncements than contributing anything of value to a debate concerning the relevance of serious music - and actually it's not just contemporary serious music, is it, nowadays? - to the general public at large.   

Hi Richard, well if the music is aimed at the general public it will never succeed in that aim if it is only broadcast for one hour a week on a programme whose audience is likely under 50,000 (total guess but the number of zeros as a round up is likely).

Of course some contemporary music is featured in film soundtrack and gains recognition as part of the audio-visual package.



While our moderation methods are under review let me reveal the number of complaints that they've had about Simon's postings:

0


John W

"Hardly the composers' fault"

Whose fault can it be then?  Surely not the window-cleaner's?

But I digress... I really posted to tell RT that I will do as he suggests and give it a break.