Question of the Day
I was listening to NPR this morning, and our regional station had just finished up its big Spring time fund raising drive. As a result, the local programming is more slightly more geared to appeal to a broader than usual audience. In short, they've been doing all the good stuff. Classical music was playing on my way in to work, and I had a moment of pop culture awareness. I studied piano for seven years when I was young. I completely lack talent, but love the piano. After all these years, I can barely read music and when I sit down to play, I plunk notes and strain to recognize a melody in what I play. ::Weeping over my lack of talent and discipline:: I no longer recognize the great pieces just by hearing them. Where I used to know who composed a concerto in what era just by hearing it, now I just know that I've heard the music before. Today, I had to laugh at myself. The music I recognized without knowing the details, but the cartoon in which the music was a centerpiece for the foibles of Bugs and Elmer re-ran itself with crystal clarity in my head. (No, it wasn't Kill The Wabbit.) The question this evokes is does that constitute cultural literacy?
pop culture
posted by Cynthia at
10:35 PM
5 Comments:
Several years ago I remember seeing a piece on the CBS Sunday morning show about how our generation learned about opera and classical music from the cartoons we watched! That ain't so bad is it?
I hate to pop your bubble but I think now-a-days to be culturally literate you have to play name that tune on South Park. ;-)
Cultural Literacy.
You may be berating yourself without cause.
What was is different than what is.
Now Literacy? That may be a constant. Or at least a slower moving target.
How's that for obtuse. That's a literate word ya know.
Cyn, I have fixed the link.
Funny you should post this (or, actually, that I should read this) today... my normal am routine includes Morning Edition on NPR, but for some reason I put on a recording of Bach piano concertos from many years ago... a time when I, too, could recognize and "name that tune" classically, a time which is-- alas-- passed.
I know that Bugs Bunny cartoon.
I don't comment here as often as I read, but I want you to know that I so identify with so much of what you say. Your ongoing blogging of your weight loss (a place I just have not been able to go publicly), your writing about writing and art... I enjoy it all so much. Thank you.
Pax, C.
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