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The Horn

Robert R Reilly And The "Supremacy Of Classical Music"

   There  is  an  interesting  article  on  line   at  the   religious  magazine   Insidecatholic.com   by  its  music  critic  Robert  R Reilly,  a  muisc  critic  and  political  conservative.  It's  called   "The  Supremacy  of  Classical  Music".

  I  have  been  reading   Reilly's   articles   and  reviews  of  new  classical  cds  for   some  time,  and  they   are  excellent ;  always  very  interesting  and   stimulating,  even  if  I  don't  always  agree  with  him.  I  have  sent  e  mailed  him  and  we  have  had   an  interesting  corespondence.   He  regularly  writes  reviews  of   unusual   and  intriguing  classical  works  that  have  been  recorded  recently.

   But  I  have  some  problems  with  his   latest  article.  He  means  well  when  describing  how  magnificent   so  much  classical   music  is,  such  as   the  great religious  works  of  Bach,  and  that  composer's   ingenious  use  of  counterpoint,   and  his  descriptions  are  wonderfully   vivid.  But  when  he   speaks  of  the  "supremacy"  of   classical  music  and  dismisses  Rock  music  as  mere  noise,  he   may  be  unwittingly   misleading  many  people   who  are  not  familiar   with  classical  music   that   it  is   as  I  have   described  this  misconception  of  it  previously,  as  stuffy  boring  and  elitist.   One  person who  commented  even   suggested  that  the  article  was  racist !   

   Rock  music  is  not  my  cup   of  tea,  but  Rock  fans have  every  right  to   love  this  kind  of  music,  and  it's  wrong  to   denigrate   it.  But  at  least  I've  actually  heard  Rock .  Some  people  may  be  turned  off  to  classical  music   before  they've  even  tried  it,  by  reading  articles  like this. 

   As  I  have  stated  before,   one  kind  of   music  does  not  invalidate  another.  They  all  have  the  right   to  exist,  and  people   should  be  free  to  like  or  dislike  whatever  they   choose.  When  any  person  calls  classical  music  "supreme",   others  people  who  love  other  kinds  of  music  are  offended.  And  they  will   denigrate  and  dismiss   classical  music.  Can't  we  all  just  get  along?

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About the horn

I am a classical musician, former French hornist, substitute music teacher at various public schools on Long Island, former classical music critic for the student newspaper at Queens college, CUNY. I have performed in numerous orchestras,opera companies concert bands and chamber ensembles, and have played under such well-known conductors as Maurice Peress, Joann Falletta, and Arthur Weisberg,among others. I have performed in Italy,Australia, Switzerland and New Zealand. I am currently involved in programs playing recordings of a wide variety of classical repertoire for people with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, and elderly and infirm people. I enjoy reading books on a wide variety of subjects, and am particularly interested in history and linguistics.