High Culture is attacked as upper-class entertainment or a way the
ruling elites achieve hegemony over the masses. The elitist argument is
ideological rather than factual because working-class people are not
barred from attending concerts. Politeness and good manners are
essential but if they pay the fee they are entitled to watch a concert.
The definitions is also inaccurate. What is wrongly described as popular
culture is manufactured culture crteated by Corporations to make money
from the masses. It is also a means of social control- bread and
circuses. It is not really culture but fashion and dissociates young
people from their general culture and communities while guiding them to
manufactured identities.
Even talented musicians are controlled by record companies by contracts. They are
legally obliged to perform in publicity videos chosen by the Corporation
to market them to a particular section of the public. Hollywood action
films are aimed at adolescents.
The distinction between traditional and real popular culture is not
stark. Schubert and Beethoven used folk songs as motifs and popular
culture has used classical influences for melodies and structure.
Vaughan Williams is a fine example of the use of traditional folk music
in classical works. Contemporary composer Peter Maxwell Davies has
written pieces which incorporate or are inspired by folksong or folk
melody such as
An Orkney Wedding.
Traditional culture has depth: you can penetrate as far as you have the
personal depth to do so. It also has a long continuity; Manufactured
culture is exemplified by boy and girl bands who are created and
marketed to appeal to young people as a commercial arrangement. These
fads are engendered by the new Establishment.
When Bill Haley and his Comets first toured Britain in 1957 they were
sponsored by the Daily Mirror; David Bowie's first tour in 1973 was also
sponsored by a national newspaper.
The Hippy Fashion developed amongst bohemian sects in Haight Ashbury,
California, and after a major hit record: “If your Going to San
Francisco” by Scott MacKenzie national Chain stores across the west
began selling kaftan coats and beads to young people. The phenomenon of
“weekend Hippies” or “Ravers” grew up as professional people ceased
shaving on a Thursday so they could look like Hippies for the weekend.
The Punk boom which was engineered by Malcolm MacLaren and Vivienne
Westwood, from their clothing shop Sex. McLaren promoted a rock band of
sneering youths-the Sex Pistols. Elvis Presley had an outstanding
singing voice and natural presence but was controlled by his manager Tom
Parker.
There is a proliferation of David Beckham clones wondering around in the
sort of gear he advertises. I saw a young man in a Rock Bar recently
with a Mohican haircut a 1970s fad but Beckham recently had one. These
are sometimes described as “sub-cultures” by academics but are
deculturation by Corporations and replaced when another money-spinning
style appears.
National identity is being broken down into ethnic and sexual
identities: not whether one is English, Irish, Scottish or Welsh but
whether you are ethnic or gay.
Popular culture is distinct from the manufactured culture which is now called “popular culture”.
The ballads of Robin Hood or Medieval Mystery and Miracle plays with
their pageants are examples. These grew out of the churches Corpus
Christi Day ceremonies. These were very much produced by the guilds of
tradesmen but were communal and not completely top down affairs like
manufactured culture. The Music Hall was a popular entertainment but
well to do people also attended. The performers were very talented and
in complete control of their songs and the audiences.
There is little of Marie Lloyd left but there is of Libby Morris and
Wilson, Keppel and Betty are one of the most original acts I have seen.
They were not manufactured by Corporations. (1)
The great works of Europe grew from spiritual aspiration which is part
of religious observance. Bach and my personal favourites Byrd and Tallis
were church organists and imbued Christian spirituality and transformed
it into profoundly uplifting music.
Throughout the 60s there were dishonest clergy who took their pay from
the Church but tried to undermine it from within. Believing in “The
Death of God” and promoting Marxism from the pulpit. John Robinson, The
Bishop of Woolwich, dismissed the traditional idea of a “God up there”
or “out there” and said God is love. What is love in the abstract?
The Closing of the Church to the public
Those responsible for traditional culture in the churches have retreated
into little worlds when they should be welcoming a wider public, not
capitulating to our deculturation. Churches and cathedrals' are
constantly appealing for money from the public but seem not to encourage
people to attend.
Sunday evening services in the Church of England are communion services
which deter new worshippers as they cater for communicants. Take the
popular service at St. Lawrences Ludlow, which use The Book of Common
Prayer. They attract about 70 but held at 8 a.m; the less popular modern
service with its average attendance of 17, is at the more social 9a.m.
(2)
The clergy, the Synod are not interested in the views of people outside
the Church and do little to attract them. They have closed their minds
and see everything through the dogma of progressive services. I once
remarked to a vicar that I gave up church when they destroyed the
service by dropping the King James Bible. He was amazed! They are
ideologically convinced that holding services in a vulgar, modern
English means people can understand the services. You can not understand
communication with God in a simple rational way but achieve a spiritual
awareness through sublime language.
I tried to get information on concerts of The Linnaeus Ensemble who were
playing at two churches but neither church replied to me despite
leaving several messages. I mentioned this to one of the musicians and
she explained: “Churches are like that!” Do these people enjoy hosting
concerts for empty rooms? My helpers and I have had this difficulty with
cathedrals too so we wrote to several and other venues to make a
comparison.
Traditional culture is in retreat while manufactured culture is
assiduously promoted. We never received a reply from Great St. Mary,
Cambridge, Norwich Cathedral, or Gloucester Cathedral.
I attended a concert at Birmingham Conservatoire and was probably the
only one in the audience not connected to the College or friend of the
performers. Young musicians would gain experience and confidence by
playing to a wider selection of the public. I wrote to the head of the
Conservatoire but never received a reply. I thoroughly enjoyed the
concert which was conducted by Margaret Faultless as a wider audience
would have.
Zoe Poyser of Birmingham Conservatoire explained : “ We have a varied
output of both public and educational activities that range from those
involving students of the Conservatoire as well as external hirers such
as Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra, Birmingham Music Service, Central
England Ensemble, Schubert Ensemble, and Birmingham University Symphony
Orchestra and so on. Our priority as an educational institution is to
provide performance spaces and opportunities for our students, but this
sits alongside and in harmony with our existence as a performance
facility for hire.”
Art Galleries make great effort to welcome the wider public and offer
many opportunities for education. The fabulous National Gallery in
Trafalgar square has greeters who will answer any questions put to them
by the public and many interesting books on sale as do Galleries of
Contemporary Art such as The Tate in London and the The Baltic Centre
for Contemporary Art in Gateshead. Sarah Wilkinson of the Baltic was
very informative:
I often recommend that visitors spend some time
talking to the Crew (gallery assistants), who have a thorough knowledge
of the works on display. They are there to clearly provide an insight
into the views and ideas of the artists themselves as well as listen to
and discuss the ideas and thoughts of our visitors as well as their own.
Many of them are artists themselves which lends an extra dimension to
discussions on artistic practice and we know from our comments and
audience research that visitors who have used this resource have a
richer experience as a result.
The insularity of Church officials
The Director of Music at Gloucester Cathedral said he would look at my
email when he had some spare time: I heard no more. This is a great
shame because Gloucester is a magnificent Cathedral with most beautiful
cloisters and would also benefit from donations from the public. I asked
for some information on the continuity of the choir: “I know its on the
net but personal views are always more interesting and more engaging. I
would quote you and mention the choir.” This was my intention
throughout.
Those responsible for publicity do respond to explain how they try to
attract audiences as Helen Simms at Gloucester Cathedral did. It is the
clergy and directors of music who are insular.
Traditional Culture grows from religion. It is part of our continuity
and is inherited from our ancestors, not specially created for our
entertainment as a commercial operation. It is an historic continuity
and though there are different periods and reactions one against another
they occur within a continuous tradition.
Norwich Cathedral choir has impressive continuity. It was founded in
1096 and continues the tradition of choral worship today. It makes
broadcasts and recordings and their repertoire is masterpieces of the
Renaissance to contemporary by such as John Tavener and James Macmillan.
Yet when we contacted the Cathedral for information on their choir and
its history we were ignored despite twice being told the Vice Dean would
contact us.
The Reverend of Gonville and Caius, Cambridge replied to my assistant:
"I
am in no position to generalise about the issues you raise because I
have not done any research or studied any academic surveys on the
subject. I can only say that most people who come to Caius Chapel find
it an intimate, warm and friendly place where people are given support
if they look for it, and left in peace to say their prayers if that is
what they prefer." That was not my assistant's experience which is a pity because it has a fine chapel and should have a wider audience.
A good example
The Dean of Kings College, Cambridge, was very polite and courteous and
explained that he had introduced a welcoming system whereby he and the
Chaplain stand at the door to welcome people as they arrive for the
service, and to wish them well as they leave.
“This didn't happen
until relatively recently, and so I'd like to think we'd actually made
progress in being warmer. Certainly quite a lot of people have said as
much. On the other hand, it also has to be said that the very large
congregations we generally get at King's, composed as they are mostly of
one-off visitors, do mean that the actual personal contact is pretty
limited. It's perhaps also important to remember that the Chapel is a
private chapel which serves the community of King's College first and
foremost, and so much of the personal contact for which we are primarily
responsible happens outside the Chapel itself, in other parts of the
College.”
The difference in secular venues
The Three Choirs Festival is not a Cathedral-led event, but organised by
a separate independent charitable trust, the Three Choirs Festival
Association. It is international rather than English music. Debbie
Liggins was very helpful:
“We hire the space (along with up to 15
other venues in each City) but with the benefit of 300 years of
tradition i.e. the Cathedrals have us in their calendar in perpetuity,
though we have to negotiate the terms every year.
The Three Choirs Festival takes place for a 10 day period only and
rotates annually between the 3 cities of Hereford, Gloucester &
Worcester. Yes, our main concert venue is the Cathedral in each city,
but we are more interested in promoting the excellence of the festival
with its international reputation than the various venues utilised. Thus
we focus on our international soloists, resident symphony orchestra
(the Philharmonia Orchestra) and the quality of the artistic programme.
We advertise and place editorial in niche choral and classical
publications and online event listing sites.” They use promotional material, e-newsletters, press releases.
They cherish the different character that each city gives to the
festival, and thus undertake extensive publicity within each city every 3
years while putting on 'fringe' events for the local community. (3)
Ludlow's excellent, world famous festival makes every effort to reach a
wide public. They send-out 40, 000 brochures, have 13, 000 friends on
their list and use a professional firm to to distribute them and they
have many visitors from abroad.
They stage a Shakespeare play which is very atmospheric as it is put on
in Ludlow Castle and, as the sky is darkening, Bats take to the wing and
create a eerie atmosphere. This year it is much Ado About Nothing
which, regrettably, has been set in WW2 Britain on VE Day. Changing
periods always ruins the play because it changes the associations of the
time period.
In response to my The Neglect of English Classical Music Raymond Walker, Chairman Victorian Opera NW wrote: (4)
“May I say how strongly we at Victorian Opera endorse what you are
saying. I agree with all you say about the composers mentioned. How
could it be that the Cheltenham Festival did not give the premiere of
Holst's Cotswold Symphony and that a Danish CD label Classico provided
the first hearing of this symphony. And how dare a director Michael
Berkeley promote his own work when he should be acting as an impartial
director of the Festival. 2008 saw Balfe's bi-centenary yet nothing was
given by R3. When last September RTE broadcasted a rare performance of
Balfe's Falstaff 1838 the BBC wouldn't relay it even though it would
have cost them nothing in royalties. We have just recorded W V Wallace's
'Lurline' 1860, a superb work, in readiness for his bi-centenary in
2012. Will Wexford or Buxton pick up a Wallace opera to perform? I doubt
it without a deliberate shake up. I am disheartened by the fact that
licence payers cannot get R3 to promote a wider coverage of classical
music instead of pushing atonal and serial music that very few enjoy
listening to.”
It is important to save English Music that is stuck in attics and
garages and record it. The Daily Telegraph of 26 April 2004 had a
feature on John Foulds when Birmingham Symphony Orchestra released their
recording of "Dynamic Tryptich." Malcolm MacDonald, editor of music
magazine Tempo: "There's no question he was a genius and one of the most
significant English composers of the last century. MacDonald, found
some scores in the British Library: "I got out a dozen pieces, and the
first thing I opened was the Dynamic Triptych. I was blown away by it.
This was music unlike any British composer of the time. I was amazed it
was lying around, and no one was playing it.
"Foulds's daughter " took me to the garage, where there were two
coffin-sized boxes full of sketches and manuscripts she's been left by
her mother." Unfortunately, many of the manuscripts were damaged by rats
and ants. In his book "Music Today" Foulds's, explained how, by strict
diet and meditation, he had developed his clairvoyant and clairaudiant
abilities. Much of his music, he claimed, was dictated to him by
spirits."
Some of the greatest modern English music has been popular. Elgar, Tippett and Britten were very well received.
One who is keen to promote traditional music is Em Marshall founder of
The English Music Festival and EM Records. I asked her why so many
guardians of classical music looked inwards rather than outwards to a
wider audience: She told me:
“I suppose that maybe they feel it is
"safer" keeping their concerts amongst a dedicated audience whom they
know approve of the music, rather than opening it up to the general
public, where they might experience more criticism? I don't really know -
that's only a possible thought! Clearly if traditional music is going
to survive it HAS to be opened up to as many people as possible - and it
is unfair and narrow-minded to keep it from anyone who might want to
listen. We are now publishing scores to make this music accessible to
artists as well as making our own DVDs.” (5)
The common trait is that religious venues have become insular and cater
only for themselves yet they are as a spine running through our national
history and vital to the nation as a whole. When I was researching in
St. Lawrence's, Ludlow, an orchestra was practicing for a concert. There
was a stall for refreshments but “Brian” refused me a cup of tea!
Perhaps I was not one of the club!
We have churches and cathedrals from those of accepted beauty and
majesty to the eccentric as in Chesterfields twisted spire and these are
repositories of our history as well as culture and should again be the
centre of our communities.
It is my view that they should open up to the general public by
advertising and putting on refreshments to perpetuate our culture not
allow the forces of decadence to go unchallenged. Colleges of Education
have a responsibility to do so because they are funded by taxpayers
money. This could be done without cheapening the music by lowering
standards, people must lift themselves up. Religion is the fount of
culture and the clergy and directors of music have a duty to perpetuate
that. Churches and cathedrals are spines of continuity through our
national existence.
(3) Peter Hitchins.The Abolition of Britain.1999. PP 105-135