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I was recently astounded to hear that some malls have been piping in classical music to keep kids from congregating; it seems most modern kids literally "can't stand" classical music. I picked up this little book to see if it might quickly give shape to the reasons I have for my long love affair with classical music. Alas, if I were looking for philosophy and aesthetics, I would have given it a very careful read; but my interest here was not academic, and I wanted a quck answer, which I did not easily find. Well, maybe I did receive my quick answer, in a backhand sort of way. Classical music takes mental effort, concentration, and emotional availablility. I brought none of these qualities to the book as I do bring them to my classical listening.
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Why Classical Music Still Matters
Why Classical Music Still Matters Lawrence Kramer
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS Berkeley
Los Angeles
London
University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu. University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles, California University of California Press, Ltd. London, England © 2007 by The Regents of the University of California Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kramer, Lawrence, 1946–. Why classical music still matters / Lawrence Kramer. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-520-25082-6 (cloth : alk. paper), 1. Music—Philosophy and aesthetics. I. Title. ML3800.K72 2007 781.6'8—dc22
2006026454
Manufactured in the United States of America 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on New Leaf EcoBook 50, a 100% recycled fiber of which 50% is de-inked post-consumer waste, processed chlorine-free. EcoBook 50 is acid-free and meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/ASTM D5634-01 (Permanence of Paper).
CONTENTS
In Lieu of a Preface vii Chapter One Classical Music and Its Values 1 Chapter Two The Fate of Melody and the Dream of Return 35 Chapter Three Score and Performance, Performance and Film: Classical Music as Liberating Energy 71
Chapter Four But Not for Me: Love Song and the Heartache of Modern Life 110 Chapter Five The Ghost in the Machine: Keyboard Rhapsodies 134 Chapter Six Crisis and Memory: The Music of Lost Time 171 Chapter Seven Persephone’s Fiddle: The Value of Classical Music 205 References 227 Index 239
IN LIEU OF A PREFACE
What can be done about the state of classical music? In recent years it has sharply declined in popularity and cultural authority; the prospect of its slow disappearance is no longer unthinkable. The music has had advocates, of course, some of them eloquent, but few have asked forthrightly why and how classical music should still matter. That is exactly what this book does. Without pretension or mystification, Why Classical Music Still Matters looks for answers that can appeal both to lovers of this music and to skeptics. It describes the sources of the music’s power in a wide variety of settings, from concert performance to film and television, from everyday life to the historical trauma of September 11. It affirms the value of classical music by revealing what its values are: the beliefs, attitudes, and meanings that the music has supported in the past and can support into the future. It shows the traits that make this music distinctive and that offer rich rewards to anyone willing to listen.
vii
viii / In Lieu of a Preface
The book also clears the air of old prejudices.