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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
March 4, 2005
/ 23 Adar I Shevat, 5765
Yesterday, classical musical lit the way
By
Diana West
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
When Paul McCartney, songster of the '60s Revolution, wins one for the
zipper at the Super Bowl, it's evidence, or, rather, confirmation of a
sea change. What was once a countercultural wave has subsided into a
gentle current of the mainstream. This week, with the abrupt end of
classical music on WETA-FM (90.9), Washington, D.C.'s public radio
station, I guess you could say a gentle current of the mainstream has
just plain subsided.
"It is painful, but my job is to steward this public radio station in
the best possible way," Daniel C. DeVany, WETA's vice president and
general manager, told The Washington Times. This was a new one: The
general manager was making it sound as if it were in the public interest
for public radio to "steward" classical music right down the drain.
Glug, glug. Airtime once filled with timeless music will now carry the
day's events, which, of course, we in The Public don't ever get enough of.
This format switcheroo is not an isolated event. The Times reports that
the number of all-classical public radio stations in the nation has held
steady at 42. Over the past five years, however, between 40 and 50
stations that once featured a mix of news and classical music have
either totally cut the Bach, or drastically reduced it — no doubt, as
in D.C., to "steward" public radio in the best possible way. It is true,
as public broadcasters point out, that the all-news audience is bigger
than the part-classical audience. But should that factor be public
radio's decisive criterion?
I don't think so. That is, I always thought "public" radio — which, of
course, receives "public" support — was supposed to do something more
edifying than just chase the almighty market share. Otherwise, why the
"public" support? WETA's decision may reflect a dwindling classical
music audience, but what's more troubling is that it suggests our
stewards of the airwaves no longer consider classical music worthy of
their public mission — or at least not as worthy as an all-talk format.
This is a cultural about-face worth marking. Once upon a time and long
ago, bringing classical music to the airwaves was an image-enhancing
operation, a programming decision, in the words of music historian
Russell Sanjek, to "win over the custodians of public taste and appease
the Federal Communications Commission." These days, it's bad taste even
to mention public taste, and the FCC is appeased just by keeping a
wardrobe functioning. But in the pre-television era, radio networks
didn't just spin classical disks; they routinely featured live symphony
orchestras — "partly for the sake of prestige, partly to convince the
people who wanted radio to be more educational that the radio companies
themselves were hot for culture," as social historian Frederick Lewis
Allen put it.
The effect, Allen wrote, was unprecedented gains in the public's
appreciation of classical music, the high-water of which probably came
in 1937 when NBC sent a representative to Milan, Italy, to invite Arturo
Toscanini to lead a new radio orchestra. And not just any radio
orchestra. As music historian Sanjek wrote, NBC "(raided) European and
American orchestras to obtain the best first-chair players." Another
airwave institution was The NBC Music Appreciation Hour, a show produced
between 1928 and 1942 that was heard by as many as 7 million children in
some 70,000 schools every week — "children" who likely make up a
sizable chunk of today's aging symphony-going audience.
With the advent of television, composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein took
up the educational baton, producing 53 installments of "Young People's
Concerts." As one chronicler noted, however, "his 'young people' have
not musically inculcated their young." Nor have they considered it
important to do so. MTV culture aside, the fringe status of Bach,
Beethoven and Brahms shouldn't surprise a society that always chooses to
teach, say, recycling education over music appreciation. Sure, our kids
will know how to dispose of old records and CDs, but they'll never know
what's on them. After all, the less you hear, the less you hear. Call it
decline, call it a trend — but don't call it stewardship. Because what
the classical fade-out tells us more than anything is that the
"custodians of public taste" have left the building.
News, traffic and weather, anyone?
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and the media consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Diana West is a columnist and editorial writer for the Washington Times. Comment by clicking here.
Diana West Archives
© 2005 Diana West
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