FORWARD?

New Zealand Listener, Volume 14, Issue 355, 12 April 1946, Page 5

FORWARD?

Sir-I see no reason why peopl should not enjoy popular. music, but th fallacy expressed by "Present Future" requires correction. Classi music is not out of date. Apart fr some of Handel’s sacred songs and a fe odds and ends, the great classical work were not even names to the majorit of last generation in New Zealand. Th knowledge and popularity of classi music has not only increased, but a pears to find to-day its greatest foll ing among young people. There is mu to suggest, for example, that the pe sonnel of the Summer School of Musi at Cambridge was far from being an diluvian (Listener, February 15). Th does not mean, of course, that all even most listeners under 35 have di covered classical music-which is u doubtedly their loss-but that a lar proportion of these than eyer befor are discovering how to listen and wha to listen for in classical music, "Present and Future" and some were in this happy position they woul soon discover that "dirges" is hardl the word to describe the type of musi in which some of the brightest and care-free moods of all are frequently be found. Because it is easier for th relatively young to overcome prejudi which was probably stronger a genera tion ago than to-day, a very high centage of listeners to classical musi are found among young listeners. In com paring old with new, I suggest a counterpart of Bing and Vera could be found among the music-hal singers of pre-1914 and the soapy bal lads of the drawing-room tenors, Ey generation, in other words, has "popular" music. That of to-day will come old-fashioned, as the popular tun of yesterday have already; I doubt i classical music will ever share its, fate. i

ALL TIME

(Pukeokehy), |