Recorded Music Societies.
Tue, Jun 21 2011, 4:52PM
As one of the major world wide mediums for distributing information and opinion on the classical recorded music scene, I was surprised when searching Gramophon's archive to find so little reference to The FRMS (Federation Of Recorded Music Socities).
With easy access hrough it's web site and a large number of societies throughout the British Isles, many with web sites or pages of their own and a membership of record collectors I expected, as a newcomer to this site that there would be quite a relationship between the magazine and the FRMS and it's members.
I found joining a society and presenting programmes of recorded music introduced me to a different means of enjoying the music in the company of like minded friends, and more importantly, discovering a wealth of enjoyable music by composers whom I would probably never have otherwise heard.
I am interested in what others have to add to this thread.
Wed, Jul 13 2011, 10:07PM
#2
RE: Recorded Music Societies.
I wouldn't feel too hard done by. Many potentially interesting theads have suffered early deaths or gone unresponded. That the two perhaps longest-surviving involve the covermount cd and the Brennan JB7 says something though I'm not sure what.
What does seem obvious is that classical music lovers are a far from homogeneous bunch. What's of great interest to me in the world of music is a yawner to many others, and vice versa. It can be difficult to find a meeting point for discussion.
A couple of comments on your posts. Many forum members are not UK-based. For those of us who live abroad and in the boonies of abroad, the internet is a godsend. My chances of bumping into somebody with musical tastes that come within hailing distance of my own are very slim. And any contact I've had with music societies hasn't been encouraging. The emphasis seems to be on society rather than music. I'm not being elitist here, I'm just not interested in "joining" for its own sake and at least on this forum there are areas of common ground with other members.
I can't agree with you about standard hifi/speakers versus portables. Sure the sound, objectively speaking, is better on a good home system. But headphones and portables have come a million miles in recent years. Mobile listening offers its own insights and pleasures. I'm not a huge Bruckner fan but just yesterday found so much to enjoy, wandering our local trails listening to his second symphony. The impact of our environment on the way we hear music is fascinating. Everyone can identify particular moments and places where a piece of music has hit home forceably, and they're often not during concerts or in controlled-listening situations.
Fri, Jul 15 2011, 4:32PM
#3
RE: Recorded Music Societies.
Tagalie,
Thanks so much for taking the trouble to respond.
I take your point about response times and had not considered the overseas readership.
Your point about a mutual meeting point is also mine. Other than through a recorded music society I would not have discovered half of the delightful, but currently unfashionable music, which the regular concert and radio programmes don’t deliver, but I have to agree, some societies can be more ‘Society’ than listening circle.
You make a valid point about listening on phones when hiking alone in the silent countryside. I was thinking more about the urban headphone listener on trains and in the street. I find it difficult to understand how good music can be even half appreciated under such circumstances.
Nevertheless, I would still expect the Gramophone, a leading journal for recorded classical music, to contain, from time to time, some comment on the national recorded music society scene. After all, here in the UK we have some 200 Recorded Music Societies, all affiliated to a National Federation, which itself is this year celebrating 75 years of existence, somebody must be doing something right!
I should just like to see some comments from Gramophone readers, especially those within the UK.
MWD.
Thu, May 10 2012, 12:49AM
#4
RE: Recorded Music Societies.
I was a member of two in my teens.
We would take turns to bring our own records along.
One was held in a library and most of us would sit looking at or reading books whilst the music was playing.
I may be wrong but scanning the Archive suggests that music and composer societies were taken more seriously by the Gramophone up until the sixties.
Thu, May 10 2012, 8:11AM
#5
RE: Recorded Music Societies.
I may be wrong but scanning the Archive suggests that music and composer societies were taken more seriously by the Gramophone up until the sixties.
Most kids get together and listen to their favourite records in their bedrooms. When they turn into adults they have less time. When they retire they have lots of time again. Sitting around a gramophone and talking about Elgar may have been an option for an adult pastime once, when records were new and exciting but now we listen alone and talk later, more of a concert experience don't you think. We also use new and exciting media such as the telephone and the inter web to do it. We don't play as much Elgar now though. Times change.
Fri, May 11 2012, 12:40AM
#6
RE: Recorded Music Societies.
I may be wrong but scanning the Archive suggests that music and composer societies were taken more seriously by the Gramophone up until the sixties.
I'll buy most of that.
Also, in the fifties and sixties LPs were prohibititive in price thanks to the Tory Government placing a high rate of Purchase Tax on them, Gramophone ran a campaign against it and tried to have it repealed but there was no storming of the heights of power.
Since there was no other way of hearing new LPs other than the off chance the Third Programme might play them or your friendly local record shop might let you hang around listening to records all day during half term, yeah, right, the record society was a cheap option once a month or fortnightly.
I was still at school when a friend and myself went to the Radio Show at Earls Court and managed to get exclusive use of the new Bush stereo radiogram and played the whole of Beecham's disc of the Schubert symphonies 3 and 5 without being disturbed by anyone!
Fortunately, mon oncle worked at EMI and was able to get staff discount, 20% before Purchase Tax, and my early library was Klemperer, Kempe, Cluytens and Karajan, to name but a handfull.
Wed, May 16 2012, 11:42PM
#7
RE: Recorded Music Societies.
Must admit, I'm very envious of you folks that grew up going to and belonging to music societies. Is there anything still like this in the US? Tagalie you said that you didn't have any really positive experiences trying this. Has anyone else tried recently? BTW Tagalie, did you run across any national clubs?
Best wishes,
Petra
Thu, May 17 2012, 1:34AM
#8
RE: Recorded Music Societies.
Tagalie you said that you didn't have any really positive experiences trying this. Has anyone else tried recently? BTW Tagalie, did you run across any national clubs?
Best wishes,
Petra
I didn't, Petra, but then I didn't look very hard. Over a 35 year career that involved constant human interaction, I had my fill of people and didn't go out of my way to experience more of the same outside work. Besides, I must admit I've found it much harder to connect with genuine classical music-lovers in North America than it was in the UK.
Thu, May 17 2012, 1:39PM
#9
RE: Recorded Music Societies.
Tagalie,
Sorry for your bad musical society experiences and hoping that you have run into some music fans that live in your "neck of the woods" over the years too.
Best wishes,
Petra
Thu, May 17 2012, 5:44PM
#10
RE: Recorded Music Societies.
Having been, like Tagalie, for about 30 years in a profession that has to do with human interaction and some sort of crisis management with enough traveling and living in different places of the world, it has never been easy for me to deal with music societies. However, what I found quite interesting and productrive was my interaction and involvement with people of the Classical Music business, where you can have first-hand information about practically anything you may wish to know about composers, works, technic, music-making process, etc.
In this way, I have some very good friends and a sort of "network" in various places of the world. Once or twice per year, we organise Chamber Music concerts in "virgin" areas of the globe (mostly in Africa or in Asia) to promote the different aspects of the significance of Classical Music.
Parla
Fri, May 18 2012, 12:10AM
#11
RE: Recorded Music Societies.
Having been, like Tagalie, for about 30 years in a profession that has to do with human interaction and some sort of crisis management with enough traveling and living in different places of the world, it has never been easy for me to deal with music societies. However, what I found quite interesting and productrive was my interaction and involvement with people of the Classical Music business, where you can have first-hand information about practically anything you may wish to know about composers, works, technic, music-making process, etc.
In this way, I have some very good friends and a sort of "network" in various places of the world. Once or twice per year, we organise Chamber Music concerts in "virgin" areas of the globe (mostly in Africa or in Asia) to promote the different aspects of the significance of Classical Music.
Parla
What has this nonsense to do with the subject at hand?
No, don't answer with another lengthy tortuous excuse because I'll tell you: nothing.
Why must you shove your opinion/comment on every conceivable subject?
In this case, was there nothing on Google that could help you fabricate something barely convincing, as per usual, but that's not going to stop you, is it?
Tue, Jun 19 2012, 2:13PM
#12
RE: Recorded Music Societies.
Well, it's only a year, but we now have some action on my original post. Thanks for those of you who have taken the trouble to respond.
I guess members of the UK Federation of Recorded Music Societies have yet to read this forum.
I live in the West of England and am an active member of such a society. Played at our concert last night, were works by Marcel Tournier, Rodrigo, Glazunov, William Lloyd Webber, Rossini, Dvorak and Beethoven. Over coffee during the interval, our President, a retired cathedral organist, commented that only through membership of the society would he have heard five of the delightful pieces which were otherwise unknown to him.
That is why I have been a keen member of such societies for over 25 years. Yes, I am an oldie! I don't consider myself so much a record collector, but more a searcher after the delightful but unfashonable music which is ony now becoming available due to the explosion of low cost digital recording systems.
Come on dear readers, see if you have a local record society, give it an oportunity of demonstrating what "lies beneath" the standard repetoire.
MWD.
Some time ago I posted my thread on recorded music societies and still no response.
I find this strange, since ‘Gramophone’ readers are obviously buying and presumably listening to their recordings, does the current generation of listener stay at home to sample the delights of modern recording technology?
I can’t believe too many only use modern I pods & earpieces and only listen on the move. Surely there is no contest with a good amp. and an appropriate pair of large loudspeakers?
One of the great enjoyments of good music is sharing that enjoyment with others of a similar persuasion and hearing composers and works for the first time.
The activity on this site illustrates the high level of discussion and interest in all aspects of recorded music; does no one have thoughts on collective listening within the umbrella of a Recorded Music Society and of the value of this publication as a conduit for such organisations?
MWD.