# Classical music listening habits



## Lunasong

The results of a YouGov survey assessing the public's classical music listening habits have been published. According to the survey, commissioned by the Philharmonia, the survey revealed that a huge 8 out of 10 UK adults have a relationship with classical music.

The top ten locations for listening to classical music are:

1. Relaxing/'chilling out' at home (43%)
2. While in a concert hall (38%)
3. At a special occasion (35%)
4. While driving/on a car journey (34%)
5. When eating out (33%)
6. While reading (23%)
7. Travelling on public transport or on a flight (18%)
8. When on a date/at a dinner party (17%)
9. When working (16%)
10. While exercising (8%)

http://www.classicfm.com/artists/ph...news/classical-music-listening-habits-survey/


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## Chi_townPhilly

Hmmm... I wonder if the "self-testimony" aspect of the survey yields some results that might not be entirely consistent with objective reality. I certainly can see a situation where someone would want to _say_ they have a relationship with Classical Music (to avoid giving the impression of being a Philistine), but their actual interface with Classical Music is that they heard Mendelssohn's 'Wedding March' at a marriage ceremony- or saw a TV special on "The 3 Tenors."


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## Manxfeeder

Eight out of ten? Good for all you Brits!


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## Vaneyes

1, 6, 4, 2, 3. The rest would have way too confusing atmosphere. 

Re concert hall, I'm not impressed with the acoustics most of the time...and the playing and concertgoers about half the time. It's usually not a good experience, considering the cost and hassle of getting there, and parking.


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## Sid James

I think that judging from what some cd labels are marketing, things like reading, chilling out, or working etc. do come across as being important to how they package/program cd's (esp. compilations). Eg. this 'easy listening piano' of Naxos, which I've got a couple of, and they're good. & highbrows, don't have a heart attack looking at these, despite the commericialised sort of covers, these 2 and 3 cd sets have the same recordings (exactly the same) as on other Naxos cd's, its just that they've been repackaged and reissued like this (like any compilation).

So what I'm saying is that a good deal of classical listeners are not as 'serious' as many of us on this forum. They are still though legitimate listeners of classical music, just like anybody. They're just different, and I know people like this, I'm fine with it.



















Vaneyes said:


> ... It's usually not a good experience, considering the cost and hassle of getting there, and parking.


Yeah I think I can kind of get grumpy on the way there, & even have to push myself to do it sometimes, but once I'm seated and the music starts, I begin to get easily absorbed in that and forget all the other stuff. Its got that magical effect.


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## KenOC

Vaneyes said:


> Re concert hall, I'm not impressed with the acoustics most of the time...and the playing and concertgoers about half the time. It's usually not a good experience, considering the cost and hassle of getting there, and parking.


We're lucky here to have a couple of smaller local suburban venues (~1,000 seats max), one with world-beating acoustics. Parking is free and easy. We mostly attend concerts, usually chamber music, at these halls. They've all been delightful. Next up, in about a week: "The Romeros, known as The Royal Family of the Guitar, are joined by Concerto Malaga, a 13-piece chamber music ensemble from southern Spain under the direction of Massimo Paris." We'll be there!


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## Guest

> Of the 2,020 people surveyed, 8% listen to classical music while exercising, with full-time students making up the majority of those who do.


So, to the students here...do you exercise to Gloria Coates or Eric Coates? Bach or Partch? Berg or Schoenberg?


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## moody

Manxfeeder said:


> Eight out of ten? Good for all you Brits!


I don't believe it!


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## Renaissance

Well...I know a lot of classical music listeners who only recognize "The Summer" of Vivaldi.... I guess many use classical music as a background sound, not so sure if this could be called a real relationship with it, but as Sid said, they are listeners too, but just different.


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## Ramako

I go for 1, 2, 4, 7 and sometimes 9 depending on what work it is. Why isn't there an option for score-reading/concentrated listening etc. :lol:



Vaneyes said:


> Re concert hall, I'm not impressed with the acoustics most of the time...and the playing and concertgoers about half the time. It's usually not a good experience, considering the cost and hassle of getting there, and parking.


That's a shame, I always enjoy concerts, even when I still lived in the backwater which was the North-East. As a student I can now get into pretty good concerts with a discount, and sometimes even for free


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## Manxfeeder

moody said:


> I don't believe it!


Hey, I'm trying to be positive! Or maybe a cock-eyed optimist.


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## moody

Manxfeeder said:


> Hey, I'm trying to be positive! Or maybe a cock-eyed optimist.


Sorry,but you are cock-eyed if you believe those ridiculous statistics---I don't believe you do----ignorance is bliss here mostly.
You've probably heard that we have a radio station called Classic FM,it's popular and wins awards but only plays top of the pops classics all day and every day.Switch on at any time and you will hear one of Rodrigo's guitar concerto type pieces or Rach's 2nd Concerto or the dreadful Lark Ascending.
They get more serious at night but the madding crown has departed by then.


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## Sid James

Renaissance said:


> Well...I know a lot of classical music listeners who only recognize "The Summer" of Vivaldi.... I guess many use classical music as a background sound, not so sure if this could be called a real relationship with it, but as Sid said, they are listeners too, but just different.


Yeah, and I'm in the opposite boat, kind of. Being mainly into classical, but dabbling in rock now and then. I listen to non classical music (eg. from rock to techno to hip hop and so on, incl. by Australian performers) on radio stations here. Most of the times I don't know the bands (but over a period I get to know them, since a lot is repeated on rock radio as well). But I do enjoy it as a break from classical, for variety, and its great music. I also more than dabbled in jazz in past years, and I have a number of jazz cd's.



moody said:


> ...
> You've probably heard that we have a radio station called Classic FM,it's popular and wins awards but only plays top of the pops classics all day and every day.Switch on at any time and you will hear one of Rodrigo's guitar concerto type pieces or Rach's 2nd Concerto or the dreadful Lark Ascending.
> They get more serious at night but the madding crown has departed by then.


Thats not much different than what major orchestras here, eg. the Sydney Symphony, have been doing for like 20 years. Its become increasingly warhorse oriented. Last year in 2011 (and the previous year) they played all Mahler symphonies and song cycles. Some of these people walked out on Mahler's 9th. That's the state we're at here. WHich is not much different to what you say of listeners of Classic FM, implying they just listen to the big hit type things. I am not trying to judge here, but I'd say many 'died in the wool' classical listeners are like this. They rarely move beyond certain things. Maybe I'm just realising there's no use in judging them, let them do what they want to and likewise I'll just get along and do what I like to do.

The late Stuart Challender was the last conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orch. to move programming away from just warhorses. That was 20 years ago. At that time, the Federal government also separated all our major city orchestras from the national classical radio network. The orchestras became businesses in themselves, serving no national common purpose or that type of thing. Some here say that since, we have gotten nothing much but warhorses, apart from a few necessary token type things like the Mahler cycle. Its a pretty sad state of affairs, but other orchestras have been established that fill the void. That cater for people who see this direction as not fulfilling their needs.


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## PetrB

*"The English may not like music, but they absolutely love the noise it makes."* ~ Thomas Beecham


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## Ramako

MacLeod said:


> So, to the students here...do you exercise to Gloria Coates or Eric Coates? Bach or Partch? Berg or Schoenberg?


I don't exercise.


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## emiellucifuge

MacLeod said:


> So, to the students here...do you exercise to Gloria Coates or Eric Coates? Bach or Partch? Berg or Schoenberg?


Handel mostly


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## Manxfeeder

moody said:


> Sorry,but you are cock-eyed if you believe those ridiculous statistics---I don't believe you do----ignorance is bliss here mostly.


I definitely wouldn't believe it if they were polling Americans.


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## moozentertainment

Manxfeeder said:


> Eight out of ten? Good for all you Brits!


I agreed with your survey. It was excellent.


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