New Outbreak Of An Old Argument

We've begun to detect in the classical music blogosphere the beginnings of a new outbreak of a very old argument concerning attracting new and younger persons to the audience for classical music to take the place of classical music's now graying and diminishing present audience. The cause of classical music's current problem in this regard and the solution offered are the same-old-same-old: our culture has changed radically from times past where classical music, although never of popular interest (contrary to what one reputed expert bewilderingly claims), was nevertheless one of our culture's mainstream interests and in order for classical music to be rescued from its present position deep in the bowels of our culture's cultural margins and once again become one of our culture's mainstream interests it must "adapt" — to use the insidious codeword used repeatedly by one reputed expert — to the new cultural realities. Invariably, and no matter how high-minded the language used, that solution always translates into pandering, to some meaningful measure or degree, to the tastes and sensibilities of the Great Unwashed; a strategy that, by its very nature, will always result in meaningfully diminishing or outright destroying the very thing it's attempting to rescue. To this reality these well-meaning and well-intentioned champions of "adaptation" seem willfully deaf and blind. It's quick fixes these champions are seeking and it's a circle-squaring exercise. There are NO quick fixes for this particular problem and it’s a failure of recognition and acknowledgement of that fact that will continue to keep the problem intractable and devoid of any meaningful, lasting, and satisfactory solution.

No, we refuse to here again argue for the umpteenth time the particulars involved, and refuse as well to link to the instances of this new outbreak of a same-old-same-old argument as doing so will serve only to encourage the perpetrators who we also refuse to name for the same reason. We here make note of the matter only by way of a heads-up and a caution.

As you were.