���John Kulig et al: > you mean there is less interest (per capita) in classical music in the UK upper classes than the middle/lower classes? Or does the rate bears no relationship (r = 0) to social class? Any data?<
Of course I have no data! :-) And given the wide grey area about who is middle class nowadays I think they would be very hard to come by. By the way, in the last century the upper classes in Britain for the most part had a reputation for being cultural philistines! > People who attend opera have more money than those who attend, say, country music; higher SES people are more likely to sample foods from =0 D different cultures…< Of course the upper classes have always gone to "the opera", but I'm inclined to regard opera as classical music for people who don't like classical music, i.e. they have to have a "story" along with the music, with "big tunes" that they wait for between the boring bits. :-) An unfair generalisation I know, but (even putting aside going to "the opera" as a social function) I think there's an element of truth in it, i.e. there are some people to whom it applies. Increasingly most people for the last half-century have got to know classical music via records, tapes and CDs, so cost scarcely comes into it. I can't 20recall the last time I went to a concert, but I listen to classical music almost every day (including on BBC Radio 3, mostly dedicated to classical music – and there's Classic FM for more popular repertoire). Anyway, the cheap seats for classical concerts are a lot cheaper than the tickets for numerous big name pop and rock stars for each of which hundreds of thousands of people apply. And in London there have been for more than a century the two months of nightly Royal Albert Hall Promenade Concerts (the "Proms") which are dirt cheap for people standing in the large auditorium (and cost nothing for the nightly Radio 3 broadcasts!). http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2007/abouttheproms/history.shtml > While I am digging up data, let me throw out one bit of nostalgia info that we should all familar with: George Harrison went to India and learned how to play the sitar from Ravi Shankar in the late 60s. He inspired a lot of us who were strumming guitars, and all of a sudden we were buying Indian classical music, doing yoga, Hinduism, meditation, etc.< Yeah, and for just how long did the interest in Indian classical music last? :-) I'd also say that the deeper interest in meditation in the West started long before The Beatles' short (George Harrison excepted) infatuation with 20Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Ravi Shankar. Think Alan Watts and quite a few others. Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London http://www.esterson.org ---------------------------------------------- From: John Kulig [email protected] Allen et al Well, this is way off the track of the original cross-cultural issue, but, intriguing ... you mean there is less interest (per capita) in classical music in the UK upper classes than the middle/lower classes? Or does the rate bears no relationship (r = 0) to social class? Any data? I am predicting the relationship is posi tive and will do some digging. I expect so since, in general, upper classes travel more & have more money for music lessons. People who attend opera have more money than those who attend, say, country music; higher SES people are more likely to sample foods from different cultures, try fashions from different cultures; all then filter down the SES. While I am digging up data, let me throw out one bit of nostalgia info that we should all familar with: George Harrison went to India and learned how to play the sitar from Ravi Shankar in the late 60s. He inspired alot of us who were strumming guitars, and all of a 20 sudden we were buying Indian classical music, doing yoga, Hinduism, meditation, etc. Now everyone knows about it. Cheers p.s. I think cross cultural issues are psych relevant -------------------------- John W. Kulig Professor of Psychology Plymouth State University Plymouth NH 03264 -------------------------- --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
