Another extremely powerful essay, Don Baton! Thank you again. I've been thinking about part one of this essay all week.
I've also been thinking about how to introduce your blog to more readers. I'll start with recommending it to readers of a few of the other Substacks I read - the non-covid related ones - such as Think For Yourself, which is written by a philosopher, and a few select others, and then proceed to classical music stations, music departments at colleges and universities, music conservatories, a private school in my area (the east bay of the San Francisco bay area) which offers classical music training as a core part of its curriculum, etc. And symphony orchestras, come to think of it. (Why did I not think of that first of all?) There must be at least seven in the greater Bay Area, including of course the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Eight when you include the San Francisco Ballet Symphony Orchestra, which is also magnificent.
I would have started on this project sooner but I've been sick all week and haven't been functional enough to do so. But at least I thought about it, so I have some ideas to start with. This will be a work-in-progress for a while.
I would be honored if you helped spread the newsletter around and it would be most helpful! I think recommending it to readers in the comment section of other relevant Substacks ("Think for Yourself" sounds like it would be great) is an excellent method. Emailing the writers of those Substacks and suggesting they officially recommend it on their pages is another one.
But I'd greatly appreciate any help to get the word out. I'm not the world's greatest marketer.
As a subscriber to the Chicago Symphony (as well as the local Lakeview Symphony), I do think there is too much “canon” in the programming. But it’s a question of proportion for me. I’d just like to hear a world class orchestra perform pieces that aren’t the usual same old same old. For me, the CSO is a curator of classical music. Part of curation involves presenting things you aren’t already aware of, or things you are aware of but haven’t heard done the right way (enter Riccardo Muti, stage left.)
Classical music is a Eurocentric art form because it is a European art form. That is a feature, not a bug. I hope it isn’t leveled out of existence by the utopian delusions of the woke.
Important article, but . . . I try to imagine the day when the US and possibly the entire West looks like Brazil or Lebanon, with whites as a minority. I then try to imagine the non-whites (and elite non-binaries, etc.) fretting about not including enough heterosexual white men in their repertoire, or anywhere for that matter. And I have to laugh. Do you really think they're going to worry about the racist, bigot, sexist haters? Really? Because I for one see no evidence for this to happen. Sorry to be so negative – I like what you're doing here – but as they say, reality doesn't go away when you stop believing in it.
“America has legislation which forces every private enterprise of size to have a proportion of women, of black people and sexual deviants; who of course know they don't belong there, and thus are extremely faithful political commissars.” - https://spandrell.com/2017/11/14/biological-leninism
Another extremely powerful essay, Don Baton! Thank you again. I've been thinking about part one of this essay all week.
I've also been thinking about how to introduce your blog to more readers. I'll start with recommending it to readers of a few of the other Substacks I read - the non-covid related ones - such as Think For Yourself, which is written by a philosopher, and a few select others, and then proceed to classical music stations, music departments at colleges and universities, music conservatories, a private school in my area (the east bay of the San Francisco bay area) which offers classical music training as a core part of its curriculum, etc. And symphony orchestras, come to think of it. (Why did I not think of that first of all?) There must be at least seven in the greater Bay Area, including of course the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Eight when you include the San Francisco Ballet Symphony Orchestra, which is also magnificent.
I would have started on this project sooner but I've been sick all week and haven't been functional enough to do so. But at least I thought about it, so I have some ideas to start with. This will be a work-in-progress for a while.
I would be honored if you helped spread the newsletter around and it would be most helpful! I think recommending it to readers in the comment section of other relevant Substacks ("Think for Yourself" sounds like it would be great) is an excellent method. Emailing the writers of those Substacks and suggesting they officially recommend it on their pages is another one.
But I'd greatly appreciate any help to get the word out. I'm not the world's greatest marketer.
Hope you feel better!
As a subscriber to the Chicago Symphony (as well as the local Lakeview Symphony), I do think there is too much “canon” in the programming. But it’s a question of proportion for me. I’d just like to hear a world class orchestra perform pieces that aren’t the usual same old same old. For me, the CSO is a curator of classical music. Part of curation involves presenting things you aren’t already aware of, or things you are aware of but haven’t heard done the right way (enter Riccardo Muti, stage left.)
Classical music is a Eurocentric art form because it is a European art form. That is a feature, not a bug. I hope it isn’t leveled out of existence by the utopian delusions of the woke.
Important article, but . . . I try to imagine the day when the US and possibly the entire West looks like Brazil or Lebanon, with whites as a minority. I then try to imagine the non-whites (and elite non-binaries, etc.) fretting about not including enough heterosexual white men in their repertoire, or anywhere for that matter. And I have to laugh. Do you really think they're going to worry about the racist, bigot, sexist haters? Really? Because I for one see no evidence for this to happen. Sorry to be so negative – I like what you're doing here – but as they say, reality doesn't go away when you stop believing in it.
“America has legislation which forces every private enterprise of size to have a proportion of women, of black people and sexual deviants; who of course know they don't belong there, and thus are extremely faithful political commissars.” - https://spandrell.com/2017/11/14/biological-leninism