Here’s an article by long-time rock critic Paul Morley who, jaded by the safe, slick commercialism of contemporary pop, shares his new-found zeal for the raw undercurrents in much of classical music.
Predictably, but no less depressingly, the backlash from too many of his readers in the comments section is informed by a knowledge of classical music apparently gleaned from Three Stooges shorts. You know, where they flip bananas and grapes into the mouths of histrionic opera singers to scandalize the snooty patrons.
As you probably know if you’re a regular reader, I love love love classic movies, but one thing that disturbs me as a viewer is a recurrent misunderstanding of, if not outright disdain for, classical music. Was it ever as stuffy, inaccessible and exclusive as it is portrayed in movies of the ‘30s and ‘40s (or even today, for that matter?).
Yes, it helps if you have enough money to be able to attend concerts, and the old films are full of anti-populist straw men, the idle rich, all knock-offs of diminutive Uncle Pennybags and dowagers with Thurber builds. But then what about the cab driver in Preston Sturges’ “Unfaithfully Yours,” who is delirious for Rex Harrison’s Delius? It could be argued that the humor in that is that someone holding such a position could be knowledgeable about, let alone capable of appreciating, classical music.
Whatever the reality, today things couldn’t be more accessible. You’ll still get sneers (frequently from me) if you text in the concert hall or wear open-toed sandals and cross your legs to display your untrimmed, fungal toenails, but for the most part I think classical music has become a very democratic pursuit for anyone with half an interest in it. Morley makes a very good point when he indicates that it is now easier than ever to educate oneself – or, if that sounds too pompous, to explore – by following one’s natural curiosity through the privacy and convenience of one’s own laptop.
What a world it would be if people could lose some of the attitude and just listen. Of course, that would apply to anything, not just music.