Posted by Jay Bertolet on October 17, 2001 at 12:06:39:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Bad News posted by Crozet Duplantier on October 17, 2001 at 00:00:50:
Taken from the Webster Dictionary:
Elite - the choice part; a superior group
Elitism - leadership or rule by an elite; also advocacy of such elitism.
Meritocracy - a system in which the talented are chosen and moved ahead based on their achievement; also leadership by the talented.
Are we talking about the performers or the listeners? Of course, every symphony orchestra is an elitist meritocracy. That is the nature of the audition system. What that has to do with whether or not a government chooses to fund said orchestra escapes me. I will not dispute that the selection of musicians for a symphony is elitist; it has to be. This assures that the public gets the best product possible as a result. However, there is no merit required to be a listener of classical music (or any other kind of music for that matter). Just because a small minority of the population listens to classical music (the figure I've always heard is approximately 6%) doesn't mean it is any less important to the community at large. How many people who aren't even sports fans benefit directly from the existence of professional sports in their community? The same is true for orchestras and there is research to back this statement up. A study was done in the 70's on this very question and the conclusion was that every dollar given to symphony orchestras is returned to the community at large eight-fold. Such is the impact a symphony orchestra has on a community's economy. This manifests itself in many ways. I think it is reasonable to speculate that the recent lack of good music education in many areas of this country has led to a lack of interest in the arts in general. Perhaps this is why many people today complain about the declining moral fabric of our society. I don't know the answer to that question but it is indisputable that these are tough times for orchestras. Orchestras have to overcome severe dropoffs in patrons and donations while still providing increased salary and benefits to its musicians.
It is my hope that your statements about listeners believing orchestras to be elitist are in the minority. The very last thing orchestras need is to be perceived as "upper class" entertainment that requires a "membership card" of sorts just to be qualified to enjoy it. Such a distinction, when combined with all the other factors, could ruin any chance orchestras have of surviving in the long term.
My opinion for what it's worth...