Is Classical music too posh, too white and too irrelevant? ???? @chichinwanoku is guest editing from 1-2.
???? https://t.co/zOt1Btbs7R pic.twitter.com/2G31lUTets
— BBC Radio 5 live (@bbc5live) August 1, 2017
A while ago the BBC was giving publicity to a black classical musician who suggested that classical music was too ‘posh, white and irrelevant’….a racist statement if ever there was one but the BBC didn’t mind hyping that idea just as it laughs along with the phrase ‘male, pale and stale’ in a way that it never, ever would if someone were to say the same sort of thing about Black people or culture….say something like ‘black, slack and on crack’...or Rap music…’ghetto, black and irrelevant.’
That disappoints me. I had thought she was alright.
In the same was that the word GAY has been appropriated and its meaning changed from joy, happiness to represent homosexual, so has the word WHITEWASH changed from a painting term and meaning to cover over the cracks, to a codeword meaning the white English culture as a racist culture supressing minorities (BAME).
Apologies – I meant to type “In the same WAY that the word GAY has been …”
BBC,
The other day I was searching the net for a Blacboard and found to my surprise that I was redirected to Chalkboard instead, which turned out to be exactly what I wanted, i.e. A Blackboard. Out of curiosity I searched for Whiteboards and found them with no trouble at all and without redirection.
Fits in nicely with Corbyn saying theatre has become taken over by the upper middle classes and wealthy.
No Jeremy ,its your supporters ,luvvies and lefties that act on the stage who have taken it over .The ones who lecture us about staying in the EU and taking more refugees .
You can get into any theatre very cheaply if you take the time to plan and search properly for tickets and that includes Covent Garden .
My local Theatre Royal East has been taken over by council grants and is now-a community theatre,showing little but plays about black culture and LGBT issues. Even the Chrustmas pantomimes are slanted this way.It offers nothing to me an indigenous Eastender.But does this community theatre attract more blacks and Asians ,of course not. If it didnt get the grant it would have to close down.
Deb,
If that is what the theatre puts on it would be better if it did close down.
Point of interest. Is a black woman playing classical music “Cultural Appropriation”?
I am being sarcastic of course, but anything whites do that is perceived as being originated by black people is called that, so why not in reverse.
That woman looks to be what used to be called a quadroon – 1/4 black 3/4 white.
Many black feminist activists tend to be more white than black. But they claim to be “black” in order to claim victimhood status – and to fight against “white oppression”.
What they should be doing is arguing with different parts of themselves, while leaving the rest of us in peace.
BBC,
Quite ! She looks even less “black” than Obama. As for “irrelevant ” , irrelevant to what ?
And also to ensure a stream of paying gigs and opinion pieces on the Biased BBC.
Yawn!
Music is neither “relevant” nor “irrelevant”, that’s a stupid, affected, left-ish way of looking at it. It’s a form of entertainment and you either like it or you don’t. Stuff like “John Lennon changed my life” is pretentious rubbish IMO, unless, perhaps, you’re a lazy drugged-up good-for-nothing who sits around all day listening to records.
Anyway, classical does not have to be “relevant” to black people, it doesn’t have to justify itself in that way. They can take it or leave it, and most decide to leave it. Quite a few white people do as well – it takes time and not everyone wants to bother; it’s not for everybody just as jazz is not for everybody. Black people are not excluded in some way – I think I mentioned not all that long ago here that black opera singers have been reaching the top for some time but, as far as I’m aware, that has not stimulated an interest in opera amongst the wider black population. It has also been pointed out numerous times that people of SE Asian origin don’t seem to have a problem with it. In fact there are many “white racist” things that SE Asians don’t seem to have a problem with. Funny, that.
Sick and tired of hearing about bloody race, and black whines in particular.
And another thing – SKY (at least) going on about “European” paedophiles on the sex offenders register being excluded from travel to places like Thailand. Seems reasonable to me but I can’t help wondering about the timing of this. Are they trying to divert attention away from Newcastle? How about exluding “non-European” paedos from Europe? How does that idea grab you?
When it comes to the arts as far as the Left are concerned ‘Irrelevant’ means any art form which they cannot manipulate to use as propaganda to further their Leftist agenda and they are obviously so blinkered in their outlook that they believe Classical Music automatically falls well within that category.
Lad,
I posted below, before I read yours !
Clare,
Good post. I think the Left’s objection to Western Classical music, other that it being “hideously white “, is that it is not political, generally. Not much politics in Mozart’s operas, so let’s just write them off as irrelevant. But, you can be sure that, if Mozart had been black, it would be a different tune, so to speak.
I think a lot of leftists dislike classical music because of its history of patronage by the wealthy aristocracy, the monarchy and the church – all anathema to a good lefty.
Cranmer,
And they are too ignorant to know that many ” working class ” people went to classical concerts even in the 18th century, in the “cheap seats “. But that would not fit Leftist ideology .
The Left also seems to be unaware of (mainly) northern brass bands (which, like Thomas Beecham, I don’t personally like the sound of) and organisations like the Huddersfield Choral Society.
Brass bands are a source of young talent for symphony orchestras, even though most of the instruments used are different. All very elitist.
I think you’re right, although the USSR didn’t seem to object to it in principle, in spite of constant interference in Shostakovich’s case, for example. But then modern lefties are an infantile lot.
So far as patronage is concerned, even Mozart was more entrepreneurial than he is often given credit for. Far more so than Haydn.
Amounderness and Grant:
Agree entirely.
I don’t follow jazz although I don’t mind the traditional stuff on the right occasion. Happy to be corrected but I get the impression that most black people have abandoned it, even though it is widely regarded perhaps simplistically as “their” creation. I don’t understand why, and why is nobody commenting on it?
Clare,
Not a great jazz fan, but I love John Coltrane especially. One of my best friends in Gambia is the jazz trumpeter and vocalist , Vincent Arthur ( black ), from Ghana and has played with some big names in Europe and USA. But he is a bit of an anachronism . I shall ask him what is happening to jazz and black people next month when I am there.
Clare,
Great suggestion , which if implemented would put an end to the migrant crisis at a stroke. Seriously I think that your suspicions re diverting attention away from Newcastle are well founded. I noted that in this morning’s edition of the Times there was no mention of the Newcastle case in contrast to the Telegraph which had it on the front page. This seemed odd as it was the Times which broke the vow of silence on Huddersfield. I wonder if they have been persuaded not to rock the Islamic boat !
Some black kid with a chip was given air time winge img about the lack of diversity amongst actors- too many public school types and other rich kids using family connections.
The kid was 25 ish and full of anger and entitlement. He obviously hasn’t grown up yet but al Beeb gave him air. I think he wanted to replace cumberbatch as Sherlock.
All I could think – it’s the way of the world [ declaration- I am not rich, have no family connections and not an actor – or black ]
I think public schools are more likely have drama groups doing traditional plays, and debating societies where speaking is allowed to build self confidence. That is probably a large part of it.
Having said that, enunciation and projection seem to have deteriorated across the board.
What a strange and most PC subject. Why, because all 4 corners of the world have their own versions of classical music, be it Indian, Chinese, African , Australian, or even North American. Music transcends all races, faiths and of course colour.
Pounce,
To quote Riccardo Muti ” It is the common language of humanity “. But the perverted minds of the Leftists want to link all music with race, sex etc. Anything to further their twisted ideology. I never listened to much reggae until I went to Gambia. Really like a lot of it. But when I play Western Classical music there, they look a bit puzzled ! And to really get them to be quiet, play Turkish music loudly !
Music as popular culture stopped in 1989. Since then, all we`ve had for kids to listen to is derivative cliched sliced and diced rehashes.
I`m a Spike Island kinda gal, so my collection stops at the Stone Roses and Tim Burgess.
But rap has squatted over all popular culture with an Uzi and medallions swinging where their dicks ought to be.
I keep an eye on my nieces Freeview-Katie Perry and the like. Basically it`s slumming it in Bollywood with liberated hotties in their panties cavorting around fully dressed Arabs or blacks, all directed by Oxbridge pervs who can still get into Vietnam or the Phillipines at will.
This has been the entire rebellious culture since the late 80s-rap has gone nowhere, its decay has permeated the entire pop culture of the guilt ridden white host culture.
I`m more graphic that Roger Scruton-but boy bands, choreographed barbies in their rape-me heels and arab rap mix and match is all that normal kids get by way of “music”.
We let evil grab the cultural battlefield-if only Mrs Thatcher had kept listening to Sir Roger, or linked with Pat Buchanan or Newt Gingrich when she was compos mentis.
Used to live just round the corner from the Theatre Royal (Oxford Road) in the 1960s when Joan Littlewood and then Gerry Raffles was running it. Started losing itself when it put on stuff like The Road by Oh So Right On Wole Soyinka and other chippy immigrants.
As a Metalhead I wounder if anyone at the dire BBC has ever listened to my favorite band Motorhead and their album “The Ace Of Spades” wonder if anyone at the BBC knows that the ace of spades is black as in”As black as the ace of spades” should get auntie beeb’s PC/diversity knickers in a right twist. Meanwhile I am of to treat the neighbours to Metallica’s “The Black Album” or as many call it Enter Sandman. PS auntie I also like a fair bit of classical including Holst’s The Planets {And apparently I am not the only metalhead who has that in their record collection} and anything by Wagner.
I wonder why even Planet Rock never play Manowar.
Not BBCs fault for once.