2.4.15

Classical Music is a Hidden Treasure

One of the most difficult things I encounter when discussing music with friends and family members is trying to convince them that there is ... thumbnail 1 summary


One of the most difficult things I encounter when discussing music with friends and family members is trying to convince them that there is plenty of classical music worth hearing. When I say this, most people just laugh, shake their head or, worst of all, yawn.

I have loved classical music since I was very young. When I was eight or nine, my grandmother would make compilation tapes for me of some of the more notable works by the greatest composers the world has ever known, and I would listen to them for hours on end, marveling at the intricacies and beauty of their music.

Such pieces as Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and Handel's Water Music mesmerized me, and helped to foster a passion for classical music that lives in me to this very day.

I guess the first time that I realized that not everyone felt the way that I did about classical music came when I was about 14, when I visited a local music store that had just opened in our neighborhood. It was called Sounds Unlimited, and I was excited at the prospect of finding some works by my favorite composers.

Well, I found them, stored in boxes underneath the classic rock, country, hip-hop, Rhythm & Blues and alternative rock racks.

When I asked the store's owner about his classical music selection, he gave me the strangest look, then immediately made me an offer.

I've had these CDs for years, and I will sell them all to you for $5 each, he said. That goes for any time you come into the store.

Apparently, the guy had bought the CDs for a few of his other stores, and they sold so poorly that he was desperate to get rid of them.

While I was a bit disappointed that more people weren't as interested in classical music, I figured everyone else's loss was my gain and used it as an opportunity to enhance my personal collection at a very good price.

A few years later I was in college, working part-time in the produce department of a local grocery store. I was talking to my supervisor, Eddie, about a Mozart review that was coming up, and he said that he, too, loved classical music.

I thought for a moment that perhaps I had found a kindred spirit. Then he informed me that he listed to classical music to help him get to sleep at night.

I'm not sure that I will ever completely understand why some people don't like classical music, but when I reflect on how I developed my love for it, I realize that my passion took years to cultivate, and it is probably that way for most people.

I guess that classical music is not for everybody, and there are certainly plenty of genres of music that I don't like. I just wish that more people would give it a try, because it opens you up to a completely different world in which you can discover something you've never heard before practically every day.