It just occured to me that I don't really have an answer when people ask, "Why do you like classical music so much? It's so...one-dimensional."

And when they ask, "So who do you like then?"
Rachmaninov, Chopin, Beethoven, Elgar...

"Oh...Beethoven, he's so boring."
I don't know... What am I supposed to say to that? They've obviously haven't heard much Beethoven outside Fur Elise and three measures of Symphony No.5...

I have found that they also think that because you like classical music you don't like anything else in the way of music.

I have a very good friend who is always mentioning people in the pop world and saying 'But you wouldn't know who that is, would you. You like classical music.' I have to remind her that I do live in the world and am not quite that tunnel-visioned.

The other thing is that a lot of people aren't actually aware of the diversity within so-called "classical music". Baroque/Classical/Romantic, etc is all one thing to many. However, if they're receptive at all, I'll stick a CD on and tell them a little about it, and it's usually appreciated!

I also like "rave" music....

My eldest daughter used to call classical music 'soft/loud' music.
She realised that there was a variety of sound there that she didn't hear in pop music.

I get that pretty consistently. Many a new pupil has expressed surprise to me that I've heard of many of the acts in the current pop charts......

You could talk about the various works within the same period as well as works from different times. 'Classical' music is as diverse as 'pop' in my opinion.

Yep, people do that to me too. They assume because I play the Horn that it's totally classical - and they hear me doing loads of jazz stuff and they know I play with the steel band too so they should realise I can't just like classical! Silly people.

As for exactly why I like it - well, I like anything with a nice melody, nice chords (I'm a very chordy person for some reason), something you can hum or sing, something you can tap to or that's funky, anything you can dance like a muppet to, anything played lyrically and beautifully, anything that feels amazing in some way to listen to...If the music I hear satisfies a couple of those, I'll like it, be it classical, rock or jazz.

Many years ago when people used to tell me that they enjoyed classical music I used to answer that I was suprised that they did not like Bach or Handel then! I have mellowed since my cheeky teens and now take time to explain far more about the different types of music that come under that ill-used title. most are interested to know some of the background history of their favourite works, and about the composers that penned them.

I once invited some of my friends to a concert , so they asked me "so , what are you going to play?" I told them " A Chopin nocturne and a Bach partita" ... They asked me then "Who's Chopin???"

I was quite shocked , of course.

Another thing , few months ago , The Cairo Symphony Orchestra played Mahler's symphony No.2 , Guess how many poeple where in the Hall .... Not more than 50!

I don't get that involved in my friends talking about music. when I do, ,most of it's totaly different from what I listen to on my MP3.

Argh. Is it just me who finds people who say classical music is "one dimensional" funny in a really depressing way??!

Compare the width and breadth of classical music from renaissance to the present day with most of the pop music that the "classical is boring" people listen to, and it becomes quite amusing that people would claim it's the classical side which is "one dimensional". There's some good pop and rock out there, but the world world seems a whole lot more one-dimensional than the classical one to me...

The parents of those sort of people don't listen to classicals.

My parents don't listen to classical.

My dad likes completely different classical stuff to me...weirdly, his taste in 'pop' is similar to mine!

My Dad doesn't like classical (or Baroque - especially not Baroque!) music but i like it! Not too much Baroque, though. People always jump to the conclusion that the cello can only play 'boring' Mozart/Beethoven stuff and because i play cello, they assume that i only play classical on piano. Thank you very much, they can both do a lot, lot more! Only a few moments ago, i was playing Blues on piano..!!

Phew, at least i'm not the only one that's mis-judged!

My Dad too doesn't listen to classical music, my Mum is the only one who's responding.