Trash tabloidism is everywhere. Decide to be a nitwit and the phone will be ringing nonstop with interview requests. Then they'll find an anti-nitwit with opposite views, and before you know it there'll be a "debate" between the "two sides" on national TV. Why do we say all three names for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart but only two for Florence Price. Definitely something's fishy here ... (stare, stare, stare)
I skimmed this article (and a few other trashy pieces I've encountered) and I wonder if it is part of the cancel culture and rewrite history effort.
Finally, a website addressing the real issues in society. I scrolled down and noticed the same website also had a (presumably exhilarating) article on "Why Does My Boyfriend Constantly Dirty Talk About Something He Finds "Gross"?". Clearly, they are on point on the major issues of the day and knocking down sacred cows one by one until utopia is upon us!!!!!
which I found cute and now have as my forum signature.
Or, what if we said:
Why should any of these trigger anyone?
The "mononyms" of music history = more straw men to attack. For equality they should go medieval as with Anonymous 4 -- composers take a number and form a line to the right.
I just scanned the first of the articles from ClassicFM.
This article seems to follow standard operating procedure:
Don't be silly. It's an opinion piece and doesn't affect hundreds of years of music at all.
If this article is generating interest in classical music or Beethoven, I wonder with what impact. The focus of the article seems to be on asking whether Beethoven (and classical music) are relevant in today's 'culture' - or telling the reader what to think.
While this is just one article and one person's opinion, what worries me is that these kinds of articles seem to be becoming more common, which is why I started this thread. And while it doesn't mean that these articles can really represent a cross section of society, I doubt they will be of any help for keeping classical music alive and well among the younger audiences and posterity. Plus, they are just so stupid that it's irritating to know that some people actually write this stuff.If this article is generating interest in classical music or Beethoven, I wonder with what impact. The focus of the article seems to be on asking whether Beethoven (and classical music) are relevant in today's 'culture' - or telling the reader what to think.
(repeated) "This collision between increasing diversity and the mononyms of music history [i.e., Bach, Beethoven, Mozart] has created a hierarchical system that, whether or not you find it useful, can now only be seen as outdated and harmful."
Nah, it's just a call for diversity, not a flip to non-European music. No one is seriously suggesting replacing Beethoven with Francis Johnson, just a call to include him.
That might actually be tricky since so little outside of a few piano scores seem to exist. (But there are Chevalier de Saint-Georges and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, with several large works for orchestra.)
If you actually believe that, then I have some great beach front property I'm selling in Nebraska. I promise, I'll give you a great price!
Adriesba summed it up well. These articles seem to have increased in frequency over the past few months and regardless of how many voices there are - they are becoming louder (or so it seems - or maybe they get more coverage). It is no secret that there have been questions about 'is classical music dying' - but not IMO in conjunction with current philosophies.
