Musical Elitism is Everywhere

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"The trouble with music appreciation in general is that people are taught to have too much respect for music; they should be taught to love it instead." - Igor Stravinsky (New York Times Magazine, 9/27/64.)

So when can we get together for some more bourgeois cosplay?

16:50 Just floored by the fact that Mozart, who now symbolizes elitism, was actually Punk Rocker for his time! Amazing video.

I don’t remember the last time I’ve laughed so hard at something so educational… “This book is too sad. Delete half the alphabet” 🤣🤣🤣

I think part of the problem is that music is often treated as extracurricular in schools - it's the first subject to get cut when funding becomes tight, so it quickly becomes limited to private schools. Yet, for me, music is as important to our culture today as 'core' subjects like languages and history. It's a shame, but fortunately music is becoming a much more accessible area of study than it was a couple of decades ago.

One time I really felt classical music only being played for the sake of elitism was during one holiday of mine. I stayed with family but a luxury hotel nearby was hosting a famous chellist of the country I went to holiday in. Eager for a nice activity I and my family booked tickets. But the concert was a total desaster. The microphone couldnt handle the chello´s and piano´s range and had a terrible pick up pattern. It was outside near the sea, leading to terrible accoustics. And nearly everyone there was from the luxury hotel because they got free tickets and wanted to feal fancy and classy. They took pictures of the venue and their tickets but then left halfway trough came back with a lot of noise, had children playing and running around infront of the stage. I later went up to the cellist to thank him for his great performance and give my "condolences" on the bad set up by the hotel which had heavily hindered his performance and to take a picture. Interestingly he was sooo thankful that someone was aware of what was going on and also sooo upset, that he then hung out at the bar with me and gave me some input on a piece I was working on(I play the piano).

One of the best video essays I've ever watched. I've been on both sides of musical elitism : born in the working class, I went to a little countryside conservatory for 10 years before I moved to a big city and entered the conservatory there. I still don't know how I got in, the expected level was so much higher than what I was able to give. For 7 more years, I was blasted with elitism : I didn't have the codes, wasn't taught the "right way", didn't like the "right" composers, and this came from the teachers as well as from the students, most of whom were from wealthier environments. But there I discovered opera, went almost twice a month for 5 years straight, I learnt classical composition, my classical guitar skills went through the roof and so I began to behave as an elitist as well, rejecting music that wasn't written the way I'd been taught it should be. Even now I'm past these ideas, as I teach music, I find that elitism is everywhere in music, from teachers to students, from working class to bourgeoisie, from small music schools to prestigious conservatories : jazz musicians seeing themselves as the epitomy of music, smarter than the classical twats and groovier than the rock dumbass, the classical snobs see all other form of music as lacking thought and refinement, more popular genres seeing everything else as mental masturbation... But there are plenty of people out there who are ready to share there music with people from other worlds, and we should all be like them.

i grew up playing jazz guitar, i loved blues and jazz and played gigs and shows. playing those shows i’d wear sneakers and jeans. i got into a school for classical guitar because i thought “guitar is guitar” my first performance i got excoriated for wearing jeans and a dress shirt for a small solo performance. i realized that music school dislikes people who don’t grow up in the tradition. after getting shamed for clapping inbetween movements i just didn’t clap because i was scared of getting it wrong. i brought jazz pieces to perform and got told that they weren’t “musically acceptable”

"I think most of these groups would be vastly improved by a sudden death" was so blunt and vicious of a line that I felt like I was socked in the face by it.

I love that you included Milton Babbitt. I met him at a performance of one of his works about 20 years ago. He asked what I did for a living. I answered that I sell synthesizers (really just worked at a music store, but I’ve always been a synth geek/specialist) to which he responded, “Quite a noble profession”. Sincerity or sarcasm, it’s one of the highlights of my life to have met this delightful man.

Using the bright green Papyrus font for Elitism in the beginning was really creative.

In many parts of the UK and Ireland, there is a strong counter example - the traditional folk music. In both countries, this was composed, performed and danced to by all classes - something which continues to this day. The top performers are admired but not put on a pedestal. As a very modest exponent, I have played and sung with many of the best-known names in sessions and charity gigs - something that would never have happened when I was a classical performer. And yet the music continues to evolve in exciting ways, including all kinds of fruitful cross-genre experiments and collaborations. It's a genre where musicality is valued more than elite virtuoso skills, so almost anyone can participate if they are prepared to put in a little work. As someone who straddles both worlds, traditional music is far less elitist, with more scope for creativity as a performer. I'm not alone in thinking this - there are lessons to be learned.

"bourgeoise cosplay" had me in stitches.

Can I just point out that the no-clapping rule came about AFTER the middle class and more everyday folk started listening? When it was still the pet of the nobility, people did plenty of different things, including having dinner and conversation while the music played. When more average people got involved, they came for the music itself.

The part where you described classical music and its use to describe rich people genuinely made me tear up. I enjoy classical music a lot, it's one of my life's passions and seeing how badly it's showcased in media is genuinely depressing to me. Classical music isn't rich, old or white or prestigious, it's colourful, beautiful and meant for everyone to enjoy.

I think you'll appreciate this little anecdote, Tantacrul: an earlier time in my musical life was briefly spent in an experimental thrash punk band in Cambridge Massachusetts, maybe two-and-a-half generations removed from the Sex Pistols. One of our originals was a cacophony of headbanging drums, distorted atonal guitar and bass riffs, where the lead singer just screamed "Milton Babbitt sucks" over and over again for about two minutes.

About the issue of private schools having more music resources and music usually being a costly hobby, I live in a somewhat small Italian city (<20000 people) and we have our own city band. I went there when I was 5yo out of interest after it being suggested to me by my mom, who saw my musical interest. They offered (and still do) free lessons (at the time I had recorder, then moved on to a sort of flute-like instrument whose name I do not know and can not find), and once I was ready to move on to clarinet (which they needed) they lent me one of the band's clarinets FOR FREE (obviously it was implied that I had to participate in the band's activities, like concerts or playing at festivals and stuff). I had the opportunity to start a hobby that I loved and still love for free, all thanks to the activity of my local band (which is not the only one like this).

By the way I love this take on "video essays"; not even attempting to deliver any concrete answers but rather just go on an in-depth thought provoking exploration of a subject. Great work!

As a metal head ( and classical music fan ) having a lot of eitists in my genre groups I wanna say this. Just cause a certain group of people like a genre of music shouldn’t stop you or make you feel uncomfortable listening too it especially now days. You don’t need to be a king to enjoy orchestras I’m certainly not! You should listen to music cause you like it not cause others allow you too. To stop elitism ( particularly classical ) is too ignore the elitists and build up a new appreciation for the music among peers around us