Music appreciation

Music appreciation

I am writing in reference to Laksmi Pamuntjak-Djohan's
articles on the contemporary (western classical) music scene in
Jakarta in The Sunday Post (Jan. 26, 1997). There was a wealth of
information in the articles for the uninitiated, and for those
who only occasionally go to recitals and concerts.

I was unaware there were so many activities to "educate" young
people toward greater "appreciation" of (western classical)
music. From my occasional visits to music performances I have
gathered that the public is rather specialized. If you go to an
instrument recital one night, you would see an entirely different
crowd at a song recital. The two "crowds" do not seem to know
each other. This is really astonishing, because all have an
appreciation of music.

I have often wondered why the crowds are mutually exclusive.
Do the music institutes quoted by Laksmi have a course on music
appreciation? Are students learning an instrument acquainted with
the tradition of opera and German Lieder, and do singing students
learn about Beethoven's instrumental output?

Most of the young people at a piano recital seem to be
pianists or piano students. You will not see them at recitals or
concerts with other instruments. But why are they not interested
in other kinds of music? Why do they limit themselves to their
instrument? Isn't there something lacking in their music
education?

If Laksmi says, "... encouraging enough for the future of
classical music", does she mean there is nowadays a broader-based
appreciation of classical music in general? Or is it still
limited to one instrument or one type of music?

I would appreciate it if Laksmi Pamuntjak-Djohan could also
enlighten us on the contents of an appreciation lesson for young
music students.

What I strongly miss in Jakarta is good orchestral playing. I
think this is crucial to music appreciation. When Benjamin
Britten and Leonard Bernstein needed a tool to make young people
appreciate music they wrote orchestral works. I may have missed a
number of quality concerts, both by domestic and foreign
orchestras, but whenever I went to a concert, the sound was often
below standard. That is not good for classical music. I think
good orchestral playing is essential to music appreciation.

S. HARMONO

Jakarta