I enjoy a variety of music, including classical music, and Mozart is certainly one of my favourite classical composers. Today is therefore an exciting day, as it’s the 250th anniversary of his birth in Salzburg, Austria. Wikipedia’s Mozart entry even has some public domain (ogg) downloads of various compositions.
Last year we went to listen to a performance of his Requiem at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, and hope that we’ll be able to go and see/hear some more in this anniversary year. Whilst Classical music may not be for everybody, I’d certainly argue it’s altogether more impressive when you’re up close and personal in a dedicated venue.
Good to see Google have made one of their fun - and frequently informative - banners to mark the occasion.
As James Naughtie commented this morning on Today, Mozart, who died so tragically young, has left behind a vibrant and living legacy.
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January 27th, 2006 at 11:46 am
Oh, but classical music is for everybody. You might as well as say “Pop music isn’t for everybody”. Sure, we can all find exceptions, but aren’t they merely rule-proving exceptions.
Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say “Loads of people can’t be bothered to make the tiny effort to listen to classical music because it requires slightly more energy than letting pap wash over them..”!
January 27th, 2006 at 11:54 am
Very true. I did really mean “not everybody likes classical music”. Certainly that many people are simply not bothering to put the effort in is a key reason.
I’d suggest it’s also had something of an “elitist” reputation over the years, certainly when looked at through the eyes of the pop industry. It’s being tackled quite effectively by Classic FM, and the packed concerts I’ve been to over the years show this is a fading label. That most of the music is available legally and free over the internet (see the Wikipedia link above) is also marvellous.