To think liking classical music doesn't make me pretentious?

[Hagothehills]

Especially when I've listened to and enjoyed it all my life? I'm not posh or rich by any means but I'd rather listen to Rachmaninoff than Rhiannah. Accused by my neighbour of being pretentious for having classic FM on while I was in the garden! It's a bit out of the blue she's normally lovely

[honeyroar]

One of my neighbours is in a pretty successful indie rock band. This weekend there were big brass band contests in the area, he was there spectating, saying "good music is good music, no matter what genre".

[SisyphusDad]

OP, if she's in to Drum & Bass then she's probably closer to classical music than she knows. Some of the roots of that style of music can be found in composers like Boulez, Stockhausen, Reich and Glass.

uglyswan - thanks for the link. I'm always on the lookout for new music and he sounds well worth investigating.

[TheNaze73]

She's the one being unreasonable, how judgemental......?

And agree with snoring about Adele but, appreciate I'm in the minority. We can't all like the same things. Think your neighbour has a chip on the shoulder

[IsItIorAreTheOthersCrazy]

I have a similar neighbour. When I was blasting kisstory (it's lively enough to get me through the housework) he told his daughters to ignore because it's chavvy.
When I play classic fm (which I love to cook to) he made a comment along the lines of "who does she think she is?"
I dread to think what his opinion would have been of a recent evening in with my dad. His music taste is more eclectic than mine and we spent quite a while on YouTube listening to everything from Doris Day to Slipknot

Ignore the neighbour OP. classic fm is great!

[Onedaftmonkey]

I hate snobbery when it comes to music. My view is "Listen to whatever the hell you like". It's all good even the bad. Music lifts your soul. you'll find they're the snobs. It works all ways. You play that classical it may just expand their minds a bit.

[dailymaillazyjournos]

Just so much ignorance and stereotyping about classical music. It's not elitist. it's open to everyone as much every other type of music is. But there's still this idea it's for posh people. Crazy.

And as PPs have said, Classic FM is FAR from 'posh'. Whenever I put it on it seems to be playing music from games/films. Channel 3 is less mainstream and more experimental.

I was brought up by parents who despite having parents who listened to big band type stuff, somehow discovered and adored classical music. My brother ended up being a piano teacher and I love everything from early music though to Bowie, Marley, Eminem. I think introducing kids to all sorts of music - classical, early, romantic, contemporary as well as world, folk, country, jazz and pop, is a huge gift that they can enjoy through life. DD is like me, loves all sorts and plays all sorts to baby GD. We are the most unsnobby people ever. I'm not middle class, live in a HA flat. You never have to justify what you listen to. As my other bro says - you like what you like. Just ignore silly neighbour.

[Hagothehills]

Haha uglyswan don't think she'd know quite what to make of that!

[NannawifeofBaldr]

Knits this is why I now love my Kindle!

[uglyswan]

What? Over 1000 years of musical development and it's all pretentious? Second BillSykes suggestion, only not Phil Glass - faaaah too accessible. Hit her with some Xenakis (I really like this, but then I am quite pretentious, moi).

[ElectroStallion]

Insufficiently- maybe they have a routine that works to the album? (By which I mean housework,or exercise, not a show routine!)
They must like PSB a lot to play it every day.


Music is just music. No type is particularly pretentious, unless you were deliberately playing it to make yourself seem in a certain group (eg hipster, etc)

[Hagothehills]

EveryoneElsie me too but I'm far from posh, I'm from the rough end of Liverpool

[londonmummy1966]

OP you need to look at the recent thread on when was a suitable time for a piano practice - lots of ways of annoying your neighbour (chopsticks at dawn or taking up the cornet) until she starts begging you to go back to Classic FM. Condemning all classical music as pretentious is ridiculous and no one is too young for it - which is no doubt why there is such a market for Baby Mozart CDs...

[Snoringlittlemonkey]

I find Adele depressing self indulgent commercial drivel does that make me pretentious

March to the beat of your own drum OP! Whether it be Jungle, garage or a great big kettle drum!!

We like listening to classic fm on the way to nursery. The magnificent seven theme was on the other day and we were pretending to be cowboys - happy memories

[EveryoneElsie]

I like classical music and reading and gardening and all my neighbours think I'm posh.

[InsufficientlyCaffeinated]

Hago sometimes it does but I think the predictability of it helps! I work from home with my office at the back of the house and it's become part of my daily routine now. Not sure I could cope with Adele's caterwauling though

[KnitsBakesAndReads]

The only time I've really felt bullied at work was when someone noticed the novel peeking out of my handbag under the desk. (My train reading btw not for for reading in work). I had horrible comments for a month from most of the team including the boss.

The book? War and Peace.

Apparently 'normal' people don't read Tolstoy.

Argh, I had a similar experience in my old job. I can't understand why people think it's okay to make nasty comments about someone choosing to read something "cultured" (their language not mine). If someone made a negative comment about a colleague reading a Dan Brown or John Grisham novel then they'd rightly be considered a total snob so why doesn't the same standard apply to making comments about someone reading a "cultured" book.

[Hagothehills]

Good grief InsufficientlyCaffeinated I think that might drive me to murder!

Though neighbour has Adele on repeat every few days, from about 11am (when she wakes up) to between midnight and 3am. Occasionally she'll have radio city (local station that plays whatever drivel is in the charts and has about ten songs) at full blast too.

When DS was younger I knocked on her door a few times to ask her to turn it down because it woke him up/ stopped him settling at all.

She's not so bad these days, a few other people in the street complained to the council (she's a council tenant) with the hopes of getting her evicted, which I thought was a bit harsh really, but she does still have her days.

[InsufficientlyCaffeinated]

I flick between 6 Music, Classic FM, Gold, Smooth, and Absolute 80s on my radio throughout the day so no idea what the neighbours think of me! Musically confused?

Neighbour behind me puts on the same Pet Shop Boys album every single day at about 10am before moving on to Heart fm once the album has finished

[NannawifeofBaldr]

I was coming on to say that you were unreasonable for listening to it in the garden but given your last post I take it back.

I suspect the music has triggered some insecurities on her part. People like to have their own choices validated (if you like what I like my choice must be ok) and attack what they don't understand.

The only time I've really felt bullied at work was when someone noticed the novel peeking out of my handbag under the desk. (My train reading btw not for for reading in work). I had horrible comments for a month from most of the team including the boss.

The book? War and Peace.

Apparently 'normal' people don't read Tolstoy.

[ThisCakeFilledIsle]

I remember a friends girlfriend scoffing at the fact that I actually liked gardening. She added that she might take it up in retirement!
(I am very glad I did enjoy it in my twenties as I am unable to do any now due to immobility.)

[KnitsBakesAndReads]

Not pretentious at all. I generally like listening to classical music more than pop music etc. My dad used to play me classical music as a child and I've always enjoyed it since then. It's all about personal choice, I don't see why someone should judge your decision to listen to classical music any more than you should judge someone who listens to pop etc.

[LineyReborn]

If she's a 3.30am drum & basser then her views are, frankly, immaterial.

[LineyReborn]

I don't think she knows what 'pretentious' means. She probably was struggling for 'portentous' and didn't quite get there. A bit like some of Mahler.