Classical, Pop and Folk, Music

Classical music (see further below) for me at least, tends to be grown into as  one matures.

However,  Listening to the Deputy Editor of Times 2 on the radio this morning, I believe she is Alice-Azania Jarvis, one of her comments in particular intrigued. When asked about her favourite pop music, she said that  she   like many people, tended to favour music by stars who sang when she was only about about 13 years old. 

I agree and  indeed found support for her view in an experience  some 14 years ago, when with the then headmaster of Donhead and his wife, mrs maytrees and I, attended a packed concert given by The Hollies at Wimbledon's Cannizaro Park see:

The Hollies

Almost all the large crowd a Cannizaro were probably teenagers when The Hollies, along with as I recall, The Beatles, were often the occupiers of  the number one spot in the  pop hit parade. My own favourite pop singer  was  also in his prime when I was a teenager, namely Bob Dylan though his talents go well beyond popular music extending for example to art, which has been exhibited at The Tate St Ives. 

Interestingly,  Bob Dylan frequently sang with another favourite of mine from that era, namely Joan Baez whose songs such as "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" I would classify as largely folk music.

Music that bridges the gap between popular and classical is interesting. The Irish song "Down by the Salley Gardens" is sung by both male and female singers and I suppose is at least quasi-folk when heard in that way. But the song is also played on violin and cello and at that point is probably  'classical' music.

Before turning to classical music, I should mention that my favourite  two pop music songs are firstly Mr Tambourine Man. This is also sung by Bob Dylan but was being sung by The Byrds when a few  boys (myself included) from Beaumont on a week with the army,  were having lunch in the refectory  when news of the closure of Beaumont broke. Secondly, probably because of its popularity with the guitar player who travelled in our HCPT Group to Lourdes; see for example: HCPT  I also like Sit Down by James, which is probably folk rather than popular.

Liking for classical music tends to grow at least  for me with age. Beethoven's 9th Symphony is heavenly  as are  many others of a classical music nature though the 9th Symphony's adoption by the EU as that organisation's anthem, puts me off slightly.

However during early working years as a solicitor in private practice, I was fortunate enough to be able to use a grand tier box owned by a  foreign client's trustees and thus was able to benefit from many old and new classical music pieces. Perhaps Pachebel's Canon is representative of the classical taste that began to develop then, though much on BBC's classical music station, Radio 3, these days is far more modern and equally enjoyable.

Interestingly, when speaking with family members, my enjoyment of classical, popular and folk music seems wider than some of theirs though the saying "Jack of all Trades is Master of None"  then  comes to mind.