Thread: Elitist Music ???

Why is Classical Music labelled Elitist?? And is it a dieing form of music?

A maximum of 10% of music lovers listen to it. Children, unless it is in the home, know next to nothing of it so, can go through life without this wonderful experience.

That's because most classical music is left over from a time when it was made primarily for nobility, regular people/peasants were not as exposed to it. It's also more compositionally complex when you get into it. Does that make it better or mean that it's dying? I say no.

Thanks for your reply NotBob, I thought it had fallen on stoney ground


Classic evolved from folk music, and was the peoples music of the time.
I agree with you it is more complex but you don’t have to understand music in order to enjoy it.
The normal thing with music is that you like what you hear and if you like it enough then you may want to learn about it, the point I am raising is that to my knowledge it only attracted the tag ELITIST in the past 15 yrs or so and seems to be used as a form of put down, also if a child is in an environment where all it hears is Pop, Rock etc then it is denied the chance to hear and judge for itself, it used to be in Schools but seems to have all but disappeared now. Thanks

I think if this child you speak of were to hear some, (while not with his/her social circle) they would love it.

Also, it may take a higher respect for music to like it. I know that I didn't start listening to it untill I started taking my own music playing more seriously. But then, I may have been that child you speak of (eew I didn't listen to pop though; I hope).

If you were as that child, then how lucky you were to have made the journey into serious, adult music, you could have missed out.

Originally Posted by Die Fledermaus

the point I am raising is that to my knowledge it only attracted the tag ELITIST in the past 15 yrs or so and seems to be used as a form of put down,

It was certainly regarded as elitist in the 1950s and 1960s, so your fifteen year figure is grossly wrong.
It was also used as a put down back then too.
Fortunately, as one of the elite, I have always been able to enjoy it. 8)

and as a teen my only contact with this genre has been in the form of playing it on a saxophone.

really i don't find the tag elitist to be a put down i think it really comes down to taste, i'd prefer a hard rock rythm over a classical tune any day of the week.

now for some AC/DC 8)

Originally Posted by Ophiolite

Originally Posted by Die Fledermaus

the point I am raising is that to my knowledge it only attracted the tag ELITIST in the past 15 yrs or so and seems to be used as a form of put down,

It was certainly regarded as elitist in the 1950s and 1960s, so your fifteen year figure is grossly wrong.
It was also used as a put down back then too.
Fortunately, as one of the elite, I have always been able to enjoy it. 8)

I said to my knowledge and while 15 yrs may be a bit off the mark, I certainly never heard that term in the 50s or 60s at which time I was in the music field in the UK, in my present Country it is a tag that has become noticeable as I say over the past 15yrs or so.
I am glad that as one of the elite you enjoy the music.
But I do not consider myself or the music elite.

Wallaby wrote

really i don't find the tag elitist to be a put down i think it really comes down to taste, i'd prefer a hard rock rythm over a classical tune any day of the week

I think it is easily possible to enjoy more than one genre, Though I don’t share your taste

It is called like that because snobs brag about them listening to it. But as somebody pointed out, just a tiny 10 per cent actually listens it... soooo, what does Barbie listen to?

Originally Posted by wretched

It is called like that because snobs brag about them listening to it. But as somebody pointed out, just a tiny 10 per cent actually listens it... soooo, what does Barbie listen to?

Genuine lovers of Classical music do not brag about listening to it but I can understand why you think so. And, I had a look at your web site and loved the pics but can only guess at the type of music you like, still as long as you enjoy it!?

Originally Posted by Die Fledermaus

Genuine lovers of Classical music do not brag about listening to it but I can understand why you think so. And, I had a look at your web site and loved the pics but can only guess at the type of music you like, still as long as you enjoy it!?

Ah thank you. I took those pics. Exept one article.

What do I like. I do like classical actually. Hmm. Kronos Quartet, what they play I like. Folk/World music, Nils Landgren and Esbjörn Svensson are my favourite fiddlers.. Mari Boine, Bruno Coulais film music and of course Ennio Morricone. What about you?

Originally Posted by wallaby

and as a teen my only contact with this genre has been in the form of playing it on a saxophone.

really i don't find the tag elitist to be a put down i think it really comes down to taste, i'd prefer a hard rock rythm over a classical tune any day of the week.

now for some AC/DC Cool

AC/DC is awesome along with many other classic rock artists. It's just, there is something about classical music that is magical. Depends on the person though. I love Beethoven although, the amount of classical I have listened to is not much.

Hi wretched

My favourite is Chamber Music and the string quartet in particular, I like the lean efficiency of the genre, each player must work, no room for coasting and it is fun following each line, The works of Beethoven are at the top of my list followed by Shostokovich, also Haydn, and of course J S Bach in any type of music. I only have 1 CD of the Kronos, Beethoven what else!.
Which Quartets ? Julliard, Lindsays, Tokyo etc etc

I love choral works. and enjoy the works that I have heard of Arvo Part.
Full Sym Orch are also exciting but for me it is very hard to get to Symphonic concerts. :-D :-D

Today at the office they were giving away tickets for a Tchaikovsky symphony, I got a couple very easily (because no one else wanted them ) and realized it's a extremely small group of people who knows what's all that about.

I guess by "elite" they mean a very small group of people...