12 Extremely Disappointing Facts About Popular Mus

Schubert....so ticket sales are your measuring stick? And THAT's what establishes Mozart as the pinnacle of human artistic expression. Now I got it!

I also note your deep familiarity with the alternative classical traditions. It is this full appreciation of context that animates your judgement as to the superiority of Mozart, Schubert, et. al.

Upon reflection, I now see that there is no cultural bias in your posts.

Marty

BTW, you been following the economics of classical music lately? The are just over 300 million people in this country and (last I looked) +/- 30 classical radio stations (not one of which is economically self-sufficient). As a statistical matter, virtually no one cares about Mozart. Institutions and a very small number of wealthy, self-perceived cultural elites subsidize (and have always subsidized) Mozart. And THAT money is all about maintaining the perception of superiority of the culture it represents.

To be clear, I am not denigrating the music you love. I'm merely highlighting the sweeping generalizations you've made in an effort to establish its "superiority" to other forms of music (and, when you're on a roll, all other artistic expression).

Well ,this is a forum where sweeping generalizations are about as much energy an old man like me can expand.
Wealthly people are on Symphony boards etc, but the slim
support for classical music in the US is centered in middle income groups like teachers etc.
Wealthly money is spent in self-promotion.

If anyone cares to make an arguement that the West is now,always has been and always will be bacically a POS they wouldn't
provoke one from me.
One the premise that even a broken clock is right twice a day however,I have no doubt that Euro-centerd Classical Music is the worlds greatest art form which ipso-facto makes it very much an aquired taste.

Fair enough

"The are just over 300 million people in this country and (last I looked) +/- 30 classical radio stations (not one of which is economically self-sufficient). As a statistical matter, virtually no one cares about Mozart."

Interesting, when I think of classical music I don't even think of this country. Europe is the birth place and center. Read!! Classical music is not a niche market in Europe. It is alive and well.

Some places in Europe maybe.when I first lived in Berlin in the early 60's I would guess that Classical had perhaps 20% of the market,it still is the best place in the world
for the classical lover but if classical has 10% of the market I'd be surprised. Sex,drugs and rock and roll uber alles!
The best classical audiences in the world currently(excepting Japan) are in some of the former Soviet countries notably Hungary.Poland,Latvia and Estonia.
I was at a performance of Tosca at the Budapest Operahouse
3 yrs ago( SRO) where probaly over half of the crowd seemed to be under 30,which astonished me.
As any serious student of American History knows, the most powerful currents that run throughout it are racism and anti-intellectualism.which gives us the disdain for "egghead" pursuits that is largely missing in Europe wherever ones taste resides.

I once heard an American in France make the quintessical
american unaswerable putdown "if you are so smart why aren't you rich"(in perfect French),the half dozen French students at the table has no idea what that meant.
To them it was a totally meaningless concept.