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From: "dough"
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 20:57:23 -0600
Subject: re: atonalism (and opera)

Although it is a given that music appreciation is subjective and we all have
the right to like whatever we like, there are times when you just have to
question peoples' motives for liking what they do.

For example, about 25 years ago I was in Vancouver BC when I heard that
Segovia (classic guitar great) was coming through town. I was surprised to
notice that the concert was going to be held in a fairly large theatre and I
was sure that when I got there I'd find it in one of the smaller associated
venues. I could not imagine that more than a couple of hundred people in
Vancouver would play or be interested in classic guitar. When I arrived
there were closer to 2500 people - all dressed in furs and pearls etc!?

Our seats turned out to be in about the 20th row. Segovia it seems was a bit
of a primadonna and as a matter of principle refused to use amplification of
any kind. The program that everybody got explained this fact and asked
people to be as quiet as possible during the performance.

You can guess the rest. At first it wasn't to bad and you could hear about
95% of the music - soft passages were lost simply because of the size of the
hall and the distance. Then someone coughed, which seemed to be the signal
for someone else to unwrap a mint and then for someone to whisper a comment.
Soon only about 50% was audible and more whispering and rattling of paper
ensued. By about half way through the concert, it sounded like a polite bus
station and Segovia was lost in the crowd.

I refer to these people as the "opera set" (sorry opera fans) and I really
believe that "they" patronize many arts (and thus keep "atonalism" funded)
more because it is "the thing to do" rather than out of a genuine thrill of
the listening experience.

Segovia is long gone now but that night lives on as an eye opener for me!

Harp Content: only that I'm still singin' the blues about the cost of those
tickets!

Doug h