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