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Painter James McNeill Whistler
Of the painter James McNeill Whistler, writer Oscar Wilde said that he “spelled art with a capital I.”
At a radio conference, a panel of classical music programming decision-makers was asked to create a 10 Commandments for classical radio – “commandments” they would never break.
One commandment that came up from a respected radio Program Director: “Don’t hire musicians to be hosts on your station, where they will also be the ones selecting the music they would play on their shifts.
Why?
Experience told them that instrumentalist would mostly program music primarily featuring their instrument. The same could be said for an early music fan, organ aficionados or vocal music lovers.
I certainly saw this a lot when I was in radio. At the time there were colleagues for whom trombone, or violin, or Hawaiian slack-key guitar, or choral music would always be their “go-to” pieces that listeners would hear with regularity during their time on the air.
“If only people could hear this instrument or setting, they would come to love this music as much as I do.”
This all came back to me as I was curating a number of chamber music concerts for a concert series. On two different programs, two pieces were being considered – a violin and viola duo by a major composer and a piano trio by a tertiary composer – each in the 25 minute range.
In both cases, the lead curator told me “These are such great pieces.”
And, each piece featured their particular instrument.
These are the favorites in the ears of the “beholder.” For the general classical music audience, in my opinion, not so much.
But, this is something I always try to remember:
“Everyone is entitled to their own taste…“It doesn’t resonate with me” is not the same as “No one will like this.” (Seth Godin Marketing guru”
