Klarinet Archive - Posting 000115.txt from 1997/09

From: fgarcia@-----.edu (Frank Garcia)
Subj: Elitism in music
Date: Wed, 3 Sep 1997 05:00:08 -0400

As I mentioned before, I have changed my tune over the years, from being a
perhaps over-opinionated, stubborn and even manipulative pontificator about
musical aesthetics, to a more accepting listener of both music and people's
views about music. There is a reason.

My girlfriend's father is an avid music listener. Untrained, unmusical as
far as performing goes, but loves to listen to music. And he has what I
would consider to be excellent taste in a wide variety of both jazz and
classical music. His jazz library is a little limited on the modern side,
but he has Louis Armstrong, Benny, Chet Baker, Oscar Peterson, Miles, Bill
Evans, Modern Jazz Qt, Sonny Rollins, etc. He exhibits equally fine taste
in his classical music collection.

One evening, I was hanging out at his house listening to the radio.
Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin came on the radio. I am no big fan of
Tchaikovsky's music. I blurted out "God, I hate Tchaikovsky!! and began to
pontificate about the various reasons why I hated his music. He pretty much
kept to himself during my lecture. But I later found out that I had hurt
his feelings in some way. Turns out he loves Tchaikovsky. To this day he
shys away from talking to me about music. I would love to have those
comments back. I would truly like to know what it is about his favorite
musicians that he likes. Now I will probably never know. *I* am the
"musical expert" here, but somehow I am certain that this is *my* loss.

I have learned from this experience that people experience art in many
different ways. I would love to know what it is about music that makes it
so enjoyable to this man. He's very smart, well-read, more self-educated
than "educated". I am sure he would have very interesting and perhaps
enlightening things to say about the music he enjoys so much. Having this
rather unfortunate experience behind me, I find *telling* people what is
"good" and "not good" rather offensive these days.

Sorry if I got too "lofty" on you all. But, this experience is what changed me.

I don't think I can get much further from the "clarinet" than discussing my
relationship with my in-laws to be. Sorry for going so far away from the
subject. Perhaps I could write about cork grease or something, but the
truth of the matter is I really don't think about cork grease all that
much. End of this discussion for me, unless somebody writes something
really stupid! ;)

Frank

   
     Copyright © Woodwind.Org, Inc. All Rights Reserved    Privacy Policy    Contact charette@woodwind.org