A friend's question

A good friend, after a concert, posed a question to me: "How is it that you do not listen to other types: (jazz- there are all varieties, oldies - 40's through the 70s, modern contemporary, new age, religious, country and blues, etc. etc.)? It seems to me that these various genres include many selections that overlap parts of the classical music spectrum." In a nutshell, why classical above all else?

Like all things, we start somewhere and live on through it -- such was the case with music. In recalling my early musical experiences, I'm reminded of three things: symphonic music shorts at the movies; accordion lessons and my teacher Mr. Williams. When I went alone to movies for the first time, way back in the 50's, theaters showed short clips other than ads for popcorn and coming attractions. There were cartoons, news reels, and sometimes concert performances. They weren't long, but I distinctly remember watching the magnificence of a conductor in front of a large orchestra and the final amazing clash of the cymbals. I really liked that. My parents cleverly decided that the cymbals weren't the way to go, so off to Keyboard Studios where I took accordion lessons for many years. I learned to read music, perform it poorly, and develop a sense of what went where. Fast music was more fun, slow was sad, loud didn't go with slow and the right hand needed to cooperate with left. Then along came Mr. Williams, our music teacher in high school. A somewhat strange looking fellow that some kids teased, he exposed us to the classics, choral music, "musicals" and band. Since playing the accordion in the band was frowned on, I skipped that part now wishing I hadn't. He was dedicated and with a passion for what was "art" and what was "right" -- not just classical music, but singing on key and acting the role properly - no messing around. He was devoted, as best I can remember, to the 3 B's, and that became my first real exposure to the giants. I've always held Grieg and Khachaturian close because I played "In the hall of the Mountain King" and "Sabre Dance" fairly well, but fast, on the accordion.

So my youthful experience lead to me thinking more about music. I grew up in the 50 and 60's, so I heard Elvis, Rickie Nelson, Fats Domino and the Beatles. I listened and danced to folk and rock 'n roll stations like other normal kids. But one night, on a date, a rock announcer completely mispronounced Wagner's name and "Siegfried's Idyll". I knew better, so why ever trust them again? Rock's credibility was blown. I made money delivering papers and saved enough to buy a used component stereo system, so next the challenge was to buy records. My first purchase was Stravinsky's "Petrouchka", though I can't now imagine why. I would stand in the middle of my small narrow bedroom and blare it out and pretend to conduct it. That was, I believe, the start of my continuing kinetic reaction to music -- absorb it but play it and conduct it and feel it. Over time I collected many records, mostly "classical", but a sprinkling of the Kingston Trio, Joni Mitchell, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Dave Brubeck, the Beatles, Ahmad Jamal, Harry Belafonte, Ramsey Lewis and many others, some known and some not. This small writing exercise somehow makes me want to listen again to some, but old scratchy LP's are all I've got. When I google some I find them, but it's not satisfying. I found Ahmad Jamal's Trio performing "Poinciana", but it's definitely not what I remember. It is why I don't appreciate about jazz -- the lack of repeatability and dependence. To me much of what I tend of ignore in music is improvisational and not repeatable. Composers composed. They wrote down what they wanted to say and offered the performers guidelines. For me the art and the emotion and the reaction is in the performance of well composed music. That's not to say that jazz and rock and folk and country isn't well-done, to me it's just not what I like.

In remembering Mr Williams, it occurs to me that I can be influenced by other's suggestions. My college music instructor, Larry McIlvain, introduced me to a lot of new music: German lied, Benjamin Britten, Olivier Messiaen and string quartets. I've enjoyed books by the current critic for The New Yorker, Alex Ross. His latest, "Listen to This" had some interesting chapters on musicians that I ignored. He writes about Radiohead and about Björk. Okay, I said, if he found them interesting I'll try them. Our resident violist, Rachael Gibson, shared some Radiohead and also recommended Sigur Rós. YouTube had some Björk. I guess I can see why some people (make that many of people) like them, but they really don't appeal to me. Listen once or twice, then forget. Listen once to Mahler or Beethoven or "The Ring" or even Arvo Pärt and you don't want to forget. You want to hear it again and again and again.

I'm not sure that fully answers the question, but it's a start.