Early Spring Morning Response To Alert Reader Danny Liss On The Continuing Importance Of American Classical Music And Classical WETA-FM's Suicide Wish

Danny, thanks for asking for a clarification. I realized upon publishing late yesterday that the "Cultural Distrust" post might strike some as highly elliptical.

Briefly, being pressed for time now, I am very concerned that the new Classical WETA-FM station (under the new musical direction of Jim Allison, who spent 14 years directing music at commercial WGMS which featured a very shallow playlist) will, unlike the older, more than quasi-Classical WETA-FM which existed until two years ago, and which featured NPR SymphonyCast often incorporating American classical music, Saturday afternoon American Jazz, and Saturday evening American Folk Traditions (and Sunday evening pre-Bach Western classical music), harden the perception among the young and casual listeners that Western classical music ended at about the time of the First World War, and that 'classical music' is a dead art form unworthy of consideration by younger intellectuals and aesthetic appreciators -- many of whom now, in the United States and elsewhere as well -- are of color.

The African musicians cited are contemporary performers and, I imagine some to be, also world music composers. They are representatives of the contemporary music composers whom I do not feel comfortable advocating for over at the newly reinstated Classical WETA-FM and its new blogsite.

WETA-FM, under the direction of Jim Allison from WGMS, recognizes neither that music is a living artform, nor that for approximately 250 years, the United States and the Americas, provided an experimental melting pot where Western classical music rubbed shoulders and occasionally engaged in meaningful conversations with non-Western, but highly alert and human, musics.

Over at the Classical WETA-FM blog, I am not advocating for musical activism, but only that public radio include a well-curated and well-loved American Classical Music Wing -- just like the public American museums in Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, now all have beautiful and meaningful American Classical Art Wings (as well as Modern Art Annexes, which is a separate issue and problem for public radio. One only needs to tune to public television during pledge month of March to see how many public television stations see modern musical art -- and with some exceptions needing to made for modern art programming from places such as WGBH, WNET, and KQED.)

Of course, I wish the listeners to the new Classical WETA-FM lite would also be introduced to Henry Cowell's and Roy Harris's Symphonies, Lou Harrison's Mass for Saint Anthony (whose composition started the day the Nazis invaded Poland, September 1, 1939), selections from Philip Glass's Satyagraha [to be performed by the MET Opera next year] or Christropher Rouse's new Requiem [2007; premiering in Los Angeles this weekend], or selections from John Adams's El Nino or Doctor Atomic Symphony [world premiere London this year; U.S. premiere Saint Louis Symphony, next year].

Sorry that perhaps this only begins to scratch the surface of the question you ask.

I look forward to looking at you blog later this evening. And I thank you again for posting your important question here.

PS. I look forward to reading Alex Ross's new book on Western classical music in the twentieth century which was published earlier this week.

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Restored ruins of the great stone church in San Juan Capistrano, California, North America.

"When The Swallows Come Back to Capistrano"
Leon Rene, c 1939

'...When the swallows come back to Capistrano
That's the day you promised to come back to me
When you whispered, "Farewell", in Capistrano
T'was the day the swallow flew out to sea


All the mission bells will ring
The chapel choir will sing
The happiness you'll bring
Will live in my memory
When the swallows come back to Capistrano
That's the day I pray that you'll come back to me


All the mission bells will ring
The chapel choir will sing
The happiness you'll bring
Will live in my memory
When the swallows come back to Capistrano
That's the day I pray that you'll come back to me...'

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In loving memory of FHT.

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Photo and poem credit: (c) San Juan Capistrano: Living History in Spanish West Think and Ask Non-Profit News www.thinkandask.com. With thanks.