Classical music belongs to the people!

We second this emotion!

Classical music has been co-opted by luxury goods manufacturers and lofty theoreticians. Take it back – it's yours

“…..And a thrill it was too, to be on stage at the University of York’s Jack Lyons Concert Hall in my alma mater, talking to a wonderfully involved and informed audience. I was attempting to convince them that classical music isn't a system of academic ideologies, or a canon of timeless perfection that needs protecting from the world. Instead, I said, it is most meaningful when its values are lived, embodied, practised and participated in, when it is played and owned by classrooms of schoolkids from Liverpool to Los Angeles, or by countless amateur choirs and orchestras.

“That's a wee thumbnail of some of what I said, anyway. If you're interested, look out for a podcast of the whole lecture at the university's website soon.

“I also tried to explain how classical music comes to be seen as exclusive, expensive, and not-for-me. If you keep telling people that classical music is lofty and inhabits a different sphere from the everyday, you shouldn't be surprised when they believe you. Or when advertisers use the idea to serve their bottom line: if you want your product to be seen as prestigious and expensive, you need a soundtrack that communicates that to your audience.

“So now, classical music is used to sell us cars, watches, jewellery, and other largely pointless trinketry. But don't blame only the advertisers – generations of musicologists, writers, critics and thinkers are also responsible. We need to shake ourselves out of this insensitivity to the rich meanings of classical music by getting out there and doing it, teaching it, sharing it with people who haven't yet encountered it. A thought for a wintry Thursday, at least.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/tomserviceblog/2009/nov/12/classical-music-people