# Do/Did your Parents Enjoy Classical Music?



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

My mom enjoys Classical casually, my dad doesn't really care for it too much but can handle some of the less demanding works.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Mine didn't mind it but didn't pay much attention to it.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

My mom will at least attend shows with me, which is nice until I find a girlfriend that wouldn't mind going with me.


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## Taplow (Aug 13, 2017)

Already answered in this thread, I'm afraid: Did your parents love classic?


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Taplow said:


> Already answered in this thread, I'm afraid: Did your parents love classic?


oops!
15 Characters.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

My dad was a violinist and played that instrument much of the time when I was growing up. When not playing, he had classical music on the stereo.


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## Taplow (Aug 13, 2017)

Bulldog said:


> My dad was a violinist and played that instrument much of the time when I was growing up. When not playing, he had classical music on the stereo.


If I had been raised in such an environment, my life could have turned out very differently.

Was your mother a quiz show host, by any chance?


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## Richard8655 (Feb 19, 2016)

Both parents liked CM. Dad especially Klemperer’s Beethoven symphonies. Remember as a kid Otto glaring down at me from the no. 5 album cover on a high shelf, that characteristically serious Otto glare.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

My dad a huge fan of Chinese Classical insturmental and Opera. I dig the instrumental, but not the opera.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Phil loves classical said:


> My dad a huge fan of Chinese Classical insturmental and Opera. I dig the instrumental, but not the opera.


I recall you composing a Chinese inspired piece in the past, right?


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I recall you composing a Chinese inspired piece in the past, right?


Right. A lot of Chinese melodies follow similar conventions, so I just put some of those conventions together.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Nope. My brother was a good musician but classical wasn't his thing. If we don't take hymns into account then my first experience of classical if I recall correctly was at Middle School where the music teacher taught the class to sing Schubert's _Der Lindenbaum_ (in English, of course). Once I got into rock music during my early teens I became aware of bands covering certain classical pieces but it wasn't sufficient to make me want to explore the original music. I did get around to buying three vinyl albums of Wagner highlights during the 1980s but otherwise I still gave classical a wide berth - it wasn't until the late 1990s when I took the plunge and got into it in a big way.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

My family was poor and could afford only a few LPs. My father favored Beethoven, especially the Emperor Concerto and the Pastoral and 7th Symphonies. My mother preferred the late Romantics, especially the French impressionists – Debussy and Ports of Call.

To this day, I think of those as the masculine and feminine poles of music.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

KenOC said:


> My family was poor and could afford only a few LPs. My father favored Beethoven, especially the Emperor Concerto and the Pastoral and 7th Symphonies. My mother preferred the late Romantics, especially the French impressionists - Debussy and Ports of Call.
> 
> To this day, I think of those as the masculine and feminine poles of music.


In this day and age, I think that could constitute as unfounded sexual sterotyping.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I do a lot of stereotyping. So shoot me.


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## jenspen (Apr 25, 2015)

My father said he was tone deaf (he had been banished from every school choir). I never heard him hum or whistle a tune or even saw him tap his toes. I was actually brought up by my father's mother, a lovely woman, but she discouraged me from playing classical music on the piano. We didn't even have good ABC radio reception where I lived back then. For geographical reasons, I had no contact with mother's family after her early death but I gather that they had enjoyed listening to and playing classical music, so maybe I benefited from some early neurological development...?

But, as for so many kids like me decades ago, it was nuns at country schools who opened the Ali Baba's cave of classical music to me.


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## DBLee (Jan 8, 2018)

My mother, only rarely. My father, not at all. My maternal grandparents listened to quite a bit of classical.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Taplow said:


> If I had been raised in such an environment, my life could have turned out very differently.
> 
> Was your mother a quiz show host, by any chance?


No, but she often watched them on tv.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

No, not at all.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Mother liked Chopin. Father liked Beethoven. Father also recommended Gilbert and Sullivan, Mahler, and Wagner to me. I took up all but G&S. They also listened to a lot of popular music.


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## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

Mother yes, father no.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

From dusk till dawn my mother still singing in her own choir, they are just like my grandparents , so the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

KenOC said:


> I do a lot of stereotyping. So shoot me.


I'll leave that part for Gubaidulina.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Not at all. Dad played ukelele. Mom some piano - pop tunes only. My ear glommed on to classical from a steady diet of Universal Horror films - those late romantic composers appealed to my ear, so I sought it out. Fortunately, there was a neighbor who realized my interest and gave me a lot of old records that I learned to love. He was a gentleman, and I owe him so much. From my parents it was "are you listening to that long-haired garbage again?", and "girls don't want to go out with guys who like that sissy music." Really supportive. Only late in their lives did they realize what a mistake they had made as I was asked to play on concert tours throughout Europe, China, and South America.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

Like stated earlier question has been asked before.

For the record: mom yes, dad no.


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

My mother plays the piano: I'd listen to her playing Chopin and Debussy growing up. We had a few LPs too, some Beethoven, Ravel, Brahms, Prokofiev. My father listens to music only because my mother plays the piano or puts music on the stereo. They still attend symphony concerts, and they did when we were kids 40 years ago. 

Classical music was a part of my childhood.


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

They both did. Both parents were members of the Scandinavian Symphony in Detroit (Michigan) for many years, and later on musicians in the Long Beach Philharmonic (Southern California).

Mom played the violin, Dad the double Bb tuba. 

My sister plays viola and violin. 

In my younger years we would often play music together as television was not like it is today, the highlight of the week was watching the Ed Sullivan show. 

Don't know what happened to the tuba, but my sister has Mom's violin and plays it regularly.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

My parents loved classical music. Music was always playing in our house. I followed and was soon devouring music at a fast rate until my twenties, when I took a decade off from classical music and only listened to progressive rock. But classical music lived in my mind and, when I started listening to it again in my 30s, I already knew so much music that I found it easy to understand and digest more and more. My parents and my childhood gave me something that will always give me the will to live.


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## mathisdermaler (Mar 29, 2017)

My mother likes to play classical music on the piano and will listen to it on the radio, but is not a serious listener. She will never sit down and listen to a longer piece, especially so if its not for piano. My dad, on the other hand, is a big classical fan. We both like Mozart, Beethoven and Bruckner the most, but he has a special attachment to Mahler which I like, and he _hates_ Wagner operas (which I love) though he likes the music. He's also a great fan of Schubert , though he's very antagonistic towards Schumann. He likes Bach more than I do.


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

No, neither of them were deeply into music of any sort, except casual pop songs on the radio, although in fairness, they loved old Hollywood musicals - and traditional Irish songs...


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## Guest (Mar 13, 2018)

Nope, neither. My mother just about liked Tom Jones and The Sound of Music. My father on one occasion declared (as a comment on my record buying): "After you have played a record once, what is the point in playing it again?"


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## Oakey (Nov 19, 2017)

Yes they did. Mostly masses (eg Shubert's German Mass) and choral works from Händel, Mozart etc. No opera or 20th century stuff. No symphonies either, but that was probably not because they hated them (they did hate opera though), but just preferred the choral works. I inherited their classical CDs and sometimes play them.

They also liked the easy listening stuff, Clayderman and such, got rid of those CDs of course :lol:


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## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

Neither of my folks ever actively listened to classical music (both are still alive). My mother may know a few of the popular melodies from Tchaikovsky, Mozart or Beethoven but it's from Television or Movies, not from listening to an actual classical album.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

KenOC said:


> I do a lot of stereotyping. So shoot me.


Typical American......tsk!


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## DBLee (Jan 8, 2018)

Merl said:


> Typical American......tsk!


Well played. And with Scottish dryness, to boot.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

My dad was into the Moody Blues, ELO, Status Quo and The Eagles. My mam loved the Carpenters and Abba. The closest I got to hearing classical music was my dad's James Last albums (yes I know they were awful). Beethoven followed by American Patrol was quite an experience in the hands of James Last.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

DBLee said:


> Well played. And with Scottish dryness, to boot.


Mancunian dryness. I only live in Scotland. Im a Manc, born and bred.


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## Genoveva (Nov 9, 2010)

There seem to be a lot of replies where parents dont or didn't have much interest in classical music. It's not surprising given that classical music is a minority interest (5% or whatever).

In my case, I guess I was fortunate in that both parents were, and still are, keen on classical music. Fortunate in the sense that I got an early start in becoming acquainted with the repertoire, and being able to learn about it as both parents are quite knowledgeable about the subject. My mother used to teach piano and taught me up to an amateurish level. Fortunate also in the fact that I didn't have to spend any money on CDs as all I could possibly want was already available there, together with a very decent hi-fi set up to listen to it.

I must have acquired my main tastes in classical music from my parents too. They differed slightly but both were very keen on Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert. It was in regard to Schubert's lieder that mainly inspired me to learn the piano, because I had a childhood friend at school who was a wonderful singer, and between us we were able to produce a few of his glorious songs for school concerts. When I tried later to perform some of Schubert's impromtus they were a disaster, and I gave up on Mozart's piano sonatas too.

If I could have one musical wish come true it'd be to be able to play Beethoven's Hammerklavier.


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## Nate Miller (Oct 24, 2016)

my folks liked classical music. I still have my dad's copy of Scheherazade. I think I have the 1812 Overture that's was one of his, too. don't tell him I got them, he'd kill me.


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## Bill Cooke (May 20, 2017)

Yes - in fact, I have their extensive collection of Hi-fi LPs from the 50s-60s to thank for providing me with a nice education on basic repertoire.


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

My dad, yes, when I was a child into my early adult life, but no longer. He had LPs and CDs of composers mostly from Beethoven to early Mahler and Debussy, and even some Poulenc, Prokofiev and Shostakovich. I guess that he introduced me to classical music as a small child, though my paternal grandmother, with whom we lived until I was 2 years old, sang to me. She was musical, and sang in an amateur choir into her old age. Dad played piano to a modest amateur standard too.

My mum not at all. She says that by the time I was 3 I was getting annoyed with her for not singing songs the right way or in tune! Having said that, when she visited last she was quite happy to sit and listen to one of the discs of Prokofiev sonatas she'd recently bought for my birthday, and talk about what she'd heard in them.


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