Classical Kos: Elitist Piefight!

In his interesting diary on the less-than-savory musings of a shmuck named Mudcat, Psifighter37 quotes Mr. Mudcat as saying the following:

I have bitched and moaned for years about the lack of tolerance in the elitist wing of the Democratic Party, or what I refer to as the "Metropolitan Opera Wing". These are the people who talk of tolerance but the only true tolerance they ever exhibit is for their own pseudo-intellectual arrogance.

In almost Ashcroftian fashion, Mr. Mudcat dismisses "pseudo-intellectual" elitists with a wave of his hand, sniffing about their lack of tolerance and branding them as belong to the "Metropolitan Opera Wing" of the Democratic Party.  

Here's my question: what is it about classical music that make asshats like Mr. Mudcat assume that only elitists and pseudo-intellectuals have an interest in an important segment of Western culture?

This may seem like a silly thing to bring up at a time when our nation faces so many serious issues, but I have to confess, I have a vested interest in classical music; I make my living playing the piano.  No, I don't play in a bar, or at weddings (although I used to), nor do I play in a rock band, or in the closest Unitarian church (not that there's anything wrong with those things).  I coach and accompany vocalists, some of whom have sung at the Met.  I play in orchestras, and with instrumentalists.  I occasionally play solo recitals, and arrange benefit concerts for various charities.  I hold a Masters and Bachelors in music, and will begin doctoral study this coming fall.

Am I an elitist?  I'm the guy you see at the back of Carnegie Hall, the one who scrounges his money for weeks so he can see Peter Serkin or the Chicago Symphony perform.  Most of my paychecks go towards Charles Rosen's brilliant books or the latest Ring Cycle.  I'm the guy who somehow finagled front-row seats to a performance of the Verdi Requiem in Cleveland, but wore a ripped Pizza Hut t-shirt and orange shorts to the concert (long story...).  When the bigwigs sprint for the door at the last note of a performance, I'm the one giving them dirty looks and cheering my lungs out so the people onstage don't feel like they're wasting their time on an ungrateful public.

Want to know a dirty secret?  When you turn on the radio and hear a classical performer, odds are that the person you're listening to is a liberal.  Sure, there are conservatives, but they are a distinct minority in the world of classical music.  We run the gamut from communist (Maurizio Pollini, an Italian pianist who lectured the audience on the evils of capitalism at a Carnegie recital in the '60s), to supporters of Democrats like John Edwards (A well-known pianist whose name I can't mention without her permission).  Some of us, like Yehudi Menuhin (another flaming liberal), are so hungry for music that we explore far beyond our own culture, embracing national music the whole world over in search of the newest musical experience.  Others, like Rudolf Serkin, are content to play for charity, donate to liberal politicians, and improve the world around them via their musical gift.

Although I can't imagine not loving classical music, I understand it when people tell me that they think that it's not for them.  After all, isn't classical music for rich folk?  Another dirty secret is that the people in the pricey seats are often the jerks who are only there because their board membership requires it.  Look towards the back of the auditorium, up in the oxygen tank seats; you'll see gray-hairs who probably chose that concert over a meal, or students who take the bus to the concert hall.  Sure, there are wealthy, elitist bastards who love classical music, but George Bush and John Ashcroft love country music, and no one is accusing Garth Brooks of being an elitist.  

Nothing pisses me off like seeing classical music dismissed as "elitist."     Classical musicians ARE the working class.  Many of us are unionized, we often live from job to job, we spend most of our time attempting to perfect our craft to offer it to anyone who will listen.  

Beethoven didn't write for "elitists," he wrote for everyone.  Support your local classical musicians!!!