How many kids like me in the 1950’s and 1960’s were introduced to classical music via Looney Tunes?
One side comment. When one gets into the 6th and 7th decade of life-the desire to hear certain popular AM/FM radio songs for the umpteenth time loses its attraction.
Heck, I grew up a bit later—in the late 70’s and early 80’s—and still feel the same way, that I was introduced to classical music via looney tunes. Actually, I was introduced to a ton of cultural references by Bugs and the gang.
This is true of my dad who grew up in the 70s and 80s, but also of me, who grew up in the 90s/2000s. Because of how much he loved Looney Tunes we had the dvd collections and my siblings and I all grew up watching them and learning to love the music.
This makes a ton of sense. Most of the teenagers I've worked with have, at some point, shared similar frustrations about detesting the older generations' beliefs that they are more superficial, less-intelligent, and less capable than their elders. Combine this with a drive towards drifting back towards the real world (total time spent on the internet is trending downward with time, not upward anymore), and this may be part of a counter-cultural response towards rejecting where we've been over the past decade or so and where we're going. If this is true, I'm very much along for the ride!
Came here to mention this. It’s cool because I would love to listen to more classical music, but it’s hard to know where to start, what I would like, etc. I’m looking forward to exploring the app, which imagine they’ve tried to make as unintimidating as possible
Try to find a radio station in your area that plays classical at least some of the time. In southern Ontario we have both a dedicated Classical station (CFMZ at 96.3 and 103 FM) and a dedicated Jazz station CJRT 91.1 FM. My mom hates going out in the car with me when I have either of these stations on the radio - she is a pop/soft rock lover till her dying day. As soon as I'm alone in the car again, I switch back to either of these stations.
Unfortunately, 96.3 only plays a top-40 version of classical, very little from Canadian performers or composers, and regularly ignores the artists from it's own broadcast area. Toronto has a LOT of talent roaming around. Tom Allen's show 'About Time' on CBC Radio 2 is a much better place to start as he makes connections between different forms of classical music to current popular styles and plays a lot of Canadians. 94.1!!
I saw that recently and remember thinking it was a curious, and bold move. Big thanks to Ted for providing more context to what’s going on more broadly.
With all the writing one sees about anxiety and stress increases in younger people over the past couple of years due to pandemic, politics, economy it’s no wonder people are turning to music that is soothing?
I have played in a community orchestra in Minnesota for the last 8 years and our string sections have been growing lately. I thought it was because of our excellent conductor and that we like to party after rehearsals and concerts! But now I learn that maybe it’s just part of a larger trend.
Demographically, classical audiences have equal representation across age groups - the same trend as public radio and television. I’m in my 60s and it’s great to have the interaction with the musicians who are in their 20s and 30s.
I’ve played off and on since college, so we may have intersected. It has a wonderful community mojo about it. Our current conductor cannot quite quit us and flies in every week to rehearse. There is something in the water.
Maybe Wendy Carlos could re-release SWITCHED-ON BACH to ride the wave? That was one recording that made me get into music, and it was a joyous celebration of past and present, done with impeccable integrity. Better get back to practicing my Bach...
I wonder how much of this is about the instruments. I noticed maybe ten years ago that there seemed to be a wave of interest in traditional materials and techniques. In an era of plastic, electronic sounds, and machine-made perfection, the almost imperceptible variations and irregularities of things shaped by the human hand and eye touch us on an indefinable level. And I suspect that the growing impact of AI on our lives will only increase the appeal of the unique. (This may also account for the resurgence of vinyl.)
"How people start the relationship with classical music is less important than where they take it." So true, Ted! I have an internet radio and find hundreds of classical stations around the world. This gadget was science fiction in the heyday of progressive rock, where my love of Mussorgsky and Copland (ELP), Stravinsky (Yes) and many others was born. And "2001 A Space Odyssey", of course, for my passion of Strauss. Classical is forever.
In the 6th grade (1951) all the 6th graders from Los Angeles schools were bussed to the Shrine Auditorium to hear Madame Butterfly. The first half was interesting and in the second half the singers caught fire and it was the most exciting live musical experience I'd had up until that time. I'm still an opera listener. It's more about the performance and less about the age of the listener. I've had the same experience listening to live Jazz while in high school. When the players were "on," it was an otherworldly experience, when they weren't, it was just ho hum.
Oh my! There is still to this day a literal ton of a curtain they will drop between the audience and the stage in case of fire! I believe it stems from when theatre was lit by stage lamps
When my cousin and I were 18 and could legally drink in bars, we'd get endless fun out of clearing the neighborhood bar using the juke box as our tool. We would pump in a lot of quarters and punch in a long sequence of songs by Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Connie Cato, and the like, and watch the magic. Our baby-boomer contemporaries could be seen chuckling together when the first country song came on, but soon they began drooping, and by the fourth song they'd start clearing out.
I saw something similar happen a couple years ago at my neighborhood Catholic parish. It's one of those swingin' post-Vatican II places, where they still play music intended to please "the young people", who are now headed for their 80s. After Sunday evening mass one week, the youth group (to my surprise there are teenagers there) held a trivia night as a fundraiser for a trip they were taking. The first notable thing was that they were playing beautiful Italian opera as background music, and an old Italian guy and I were really transported by it. The second notable thing was that not long before the event started, a baby-boomer or Xer woman, looking as if she were truly physically nauseated, meekly asked if the kids could change the music. She used that weak voice people often feign in restaurants when asking, "Do you have anything gluten-free?" when they don't have health problems. The kids didn't change the music. But it was again that nauseated reaction of baby-boomers to serious music that kids were embracing.
All the more to make it easier to lift our Spirits? 'The Violin Capital of China - Ludwig Van Daily
3/20/2023
More than 950,000 violins are crafted each year in the small Chinese city of Huangqiao Town, earning it the nickname the “Cremona of the East”. That staggering number makes it the world’s largest violin-making centre, supplying about 70 percent of China’s market, and about 30 percent of the global supply, according to local officials.
Of that total, annual export sales have reached 720,000, accounting for 53 percent of China’s violin exports. The instruments are shipped to markets in Europe, North America, the Middle East, and South Africa, among other regions. Annual exports from the town are valued at about 1 billion yuan ($196,524,226.60 CAD).
In a city of about 200,000 residents, 30,000 work for violin companies, which number well over 230. Some companies also produce violas and cellos...'
Then of course, some music may not be uplifting, sometimes...'The 5000 FINGERS OF DR. T. '1953 (FAN MADE TRAILER)MOVIE CURATOR ... youtube.com/watch?v=3CP5_8PKuIs
My favorite streaming platform is the Berlin Philharmonic.
Not only do they have top-notch musicians, but they produce historical films and conduct interviews that round out the experience. There is nothing like listening to four or five hours of Mahler or Shostakovich playing in the background on my TV.
I also like jazz and increasingly there are vintage jazz videos on YouTube. I particularly like listening the transitions that Coltrane and Miles did during their careers.
I got on antidepressants a few years back and for a few months my brain couldn't stand listening to most music, but i grew up playing the violin. I turned to orchestral music and fell back in love I started collecting Movie scores thanks to Mondo, and it grew. I found my favorite composers, new and old and my life is better for it. I've been off the meds for a little while now, but my love of "Classical" has only grown. I hope it keeps growing.
This is great news, especially as a millennial who has only recently gotten into opera and classical!
I wonder how much of this is creditable directly or indirectly, to the phenomenon of classical music mega mixes. As Edward Kimbrough noted, these mixes are popular with students, with some of them raking up tens of millions of views. Initially, I was negative on them - how can you appreciate the genius of each piece when it's mashed together, devoid of context, to serve as musical wallpaper? - but more and more, I feel like they are an essential entryway into what might otherwise be an intimidating genre.
How many kids like me in the 1950’s and 1960’s were introduced to classical music via Looney Tunes?
One side comment. When one gets into the 6th and 7th decade of life-the desire to hear certain popular AM/FM radio songs for the umpteenth time loses its attraction.
Heck, I grew up a bit later—in the late 70’s and early 80’s—and still feel the same way, that I was introduced to classical music via looney tunes. Actually, I was introduced to a ton of cultural references by Bugs and the gang.
“Kill the Wabbit” inspired many an opera singer and afficianado!!
This is true of my dad who grew up in the 70s and 80s, but also of me, who grew up in the 90s/2000s. Because of how much he loved Looney Tunes we had the dvd collections and my siblings and I all grew up watching them and learning to love the music.
I’m picturing the Boy Meets World episode where Mr Feeney uses the looney tunes to get the dopey brother into classic music.
This makes a ton of sense. Most of the teenagers I've worked with have, at some point, shared similar frustrations about detesting the older generations' beliefs that they are more superficial, less-intelligent, and less capable than their elders. Combine this with a drive towards drifting back towards the real world (total time spent on the internet is trending downward with time, not upward anymore), and this may be part of a counter-cultural response towards rejecting where we've been over the past decade or so and where we're going. If this is true, I'm very much along for the ride!
Apple Music is coming out with a classical version of their app on March 28. Check it out!
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/apple-music-classical/id1598433714
Came here to mention this. It’s cool because I would love to listen to more classical music, but it’s hard to know where to start, what I would like, etc. I’m looking forward to exploring the app, which imagine they’ve tried to make as unintimidating as possible
Just go to Internet Radio in iTunes and click on stations like Radio Swiss Classic and a ton of others.
Thanks for the tip!
Try to find a radio station in your area that plays classical at least some of the time. In southern Ontario we have both a dedicated Classical station (CFMZ at 96.3 and 103 FM) and a dedicated Jazz station CJRT 91.1 FM. My mom hates going out in the car with me when I have either of these stations on the radio - she is a pop/soft rock lover till her dying day. As soon as I'm alone in the car again, I switch back to either of these stations.
Unfortunately, 96.3 only plays a top-40 version of classical, very little from Canadian performers or composers, and regularly ignores the artists from it's own broadcast area. Toronto has a LOT of talent roaming around. Tom Allen's show 'About Time' on CBC Radio 2 is a much better place to start as he makes connections between different forms of classical music to current popular styles and plays a lot of Canadians. 94.1!!
And if you prefer more traditional classical selections, Julie Nesrallah's show is before Tom's (10-12) and is a lovely mix as well.
I'm sometimes near a radio at that hour, I'll tune in soon.
I saw that recently and remember thinking it was a curious, and bold move. Big thanks to Ted for providing more context to what’s going on more broadly.
Yes, this is a good sign because Apple is a follower, not a leader. A separate app is good because classical is more composer oriented.
With all the writing one sees about anxiety and stress increases in younger people over the past couple of years due to pandemic, politics, economy it’s no wonder people are turning to music that is soothing?
Honestly think this is about 75% of the reason; I was going to make the comment until I saw that you did...!
I agree. I've noticed a boom in interest in ambient music which I would attribute to the same desire for comfort and a reduction in stimulation.
I have played in a community orchestra in Minnesota for the last 8 years and our string sections have been growing lately. I thought it was because of our excellent conductor and that we like to party after rehearsals and concerts! But now I learn that maybe it’s just part of a larger trend.
Demographically, classical audiences have equal representation across age groups - the same trend as public radio and television. I’m in my 60s and it’s great to have the interaction with the musicians who are in their 20s and 30s.
Which orchestra? I used to play viola in Mississippi Valley Orchestra, but now I’m in a smaller city out west with no volunteer orchestras.
That’s the one!
I moved out west 8 years ago. I miss MVO a lot. Played in it from about 2000-2014.
I’ve played off and on since college, so we may have intersected. It has a wonderful community mojo about it. Our current conductor cannot quite quit us and flies in every week to rehearse. There is something in the water.
Thanks for the comment. It is about the search for authenticity, But Real. Trust the people.
I still clean my house to Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony and have for over 50 years.
Maybe Wendy Carlos could re-release SWITCHED-ON BACH to ride the wave? That was one recording that made me get into music, and it was a joyous celebration of past and present, done with impeccable integrity. Better get back to practicing my Bach...
SAME!!!
There is one cut available under. ‘Walter’!
Final Movement From Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 In G Major (Remastered 2022) by Walter Carlos
https://music.apple.com/us/album/final-movement-from-brandenburg-concerto-no-3-in-g/1631805517?i=1631805797
I wonder how much of this is about the instruments. I noticed maybe ten years ago that there seemed to be a wave of interest in traditional materials and techniques. In an era of plastic, electronic sounds, and machine-made perfection, the almost imperceptible variations and irregularities of things shaped by the human hand and eye touch us on an indefinable level. And I suspect that the growing impact of AI on our lives will only increase the appeal of the unique. (This may also account for the resurgence of vinyl.)
"How people start the relationship with classical music is less important than where they take it." So true, Ted! I have an internet radio and find hundreds of classical stations around the world. This gadget was science fiction in the heyday of progressive rock, where my love of Mussorgsky and Copland (ELP), Stravinsky (Yes) and many others was born. And "2001 A Space Odyssey", of course, for my passion of Strauss. Classical is forever.
Hi Thomas. I too fell in love with Strauss' glorious music in 2001: A Space Odyssey at the tender age of 11.
In the 6th grade (1951) all the 6th graders from Los Angeles schools were bussed to the Shrine Auditorium to hear Madame Butterfly. The first half was interesting and in the second half the singers caught fire and it was the most exciting live musical experience I'd had up until that time. I'm still an opera listener. It's more about the performance and less about the age of the listener. I've had the same experience listening to live Jazz while in high school. When the players were "on," it was an otherworldly experience, when they weren't, it was just ho hum.
Oh my! There is still to this day a literal ton of a curtain they will drop between the audience and the stage in case of fire! I believe it stems from when theatre was lit by stage lamps
The Shrine and the Embassy Auditorium were music meccas. Some of my earliest listening experiences were at those two theaters.
When my cousin and I were 18 and could legally drink in bars, we'd get endless fun out of clearing the neighborhood bar using the juke box as our tool. We would pump in a lot of quarters and punch in a long sequence of songs by Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Connie Cato, and the like, and watch the magic. Our baby-boomer contemporaries could be seen chuckling together when the first country song came on, but soon they began drooping, and by the fourth song they'd start clearing out.
I saw something similar happen a couple years ago at my neighborhood Catholic parish. It's one of those swingin' post-Vatican II places, where they still play music intended to please "the young people", who are now headed for their 80s. After Sunday evening mass one week, the youth group (to my surprise there are teenagers there) held a trivia night as a fundraiser for a trip they were taking. The first notable thing was that they were playing beautiful Italian opera as background music, and an old Italian guy and I were really transported by it. The second notable thing was that not long before the event started, a baby-boomer or Xer woman, looking as if she were truly physically nauseated, meekly asked if the kids could change the music. She used that weak voice people often feign in restaurants when asking, "Do you have anything gluten-free?" when they don't have health problems. The kids didn't change the music. But it was again that nauseated reaction of baby-boomers to serious music that kids were embracing.
It makes me happy to hear. I wish you could find a similar path for jazz... but I guess that's too much to ask for.
Try listening to Big Band music while you do mundane chores. You'll be "swinging" through the house in no time.
All the more to make it easier to lift our Spirits? 'The Violin Capital of China - Ludwig Van Daily
3/20/2023
More than 950,000 violins are crafted each year in the small Chinese city of Huangqiao Town, earning it the nickname the “Cremona of the East”. That staggering number makes it the world’s largest violin-making centre, supplying about 70 percent of China’s market, and about 30 percent of the global supply, according to local officials.
Of that total, annual export sales have reached 720,000, accounting for 53 percent of China’s violin exports. The instruments are shipped to markets in Europe, North America, the Middle East, and South Africa, among other regions. Annual exports from the town are valued at about 1 billion yuan ($196,524,226.60 CAD).
In a city of about 200,000 residents, 30,000 work for violin companies, which number well over 230. Some companies also produce violas and cellos...'
ludwig-van.com /main/2023/03/20/violin-capital-china/
Then of course, some music may not be uplifting, sometimes...'The 5000 FINGERS OF DR. T. '1953 (FAN MADE TRAILER)MOVIE CURATOR ... youtube.com/watch?v=3CP5_8PKuIs
'5,000 Fingers of Dr. T: Ending' Chris The Kappa
youtube.com/watch?v=yOznBhNEStE
Fascinating. Not unexpected, however.
My favorite streaming platform is the Berlin Philharmonic.
Not only do they have top-notch musicians, but they produce historical films and conduct interviews that round out the experience. There is nothing like listening to four or five hours of Mahler or Shostakovich playing in the background on my TV.
I also like jazz and increasingly there are vintage jazz videos on YouTube. I particularly like listening the transitions that Coltrane and Miles did during their careers.
I got on antidepressants a few years back and for a few months my brain couldn't stand listening to most music, but i grew up playing the violin. I turned to orchestral music and fell back in love I started collecting Movie scores thanks to Mondo, and it grew. I found my favorite composers, new and old and my life is better for it. I've been off the meds for a little while now, but my love of "Classical" has only grown. I hope it keeps growing.
This is great news, especially as a millennial who has only recently gotten into opera and classical!
I wonder how much of this is creditable directly or indirectly, to the phenomenon of classical music mega mixes. As Edward Kimbrough noted, these mixes are popular with students, with some of them raking up tens of millions of views. Initially, I was negative on them - how can you appreciate the genius of each piece when it's mashed together, devoid of context, to serve as musical wallpaper? - but more and more, I feel like they are an essential entryway into what might otherwise be an intimidating genre.