Temperaments in perspective

[Anne Beetem]

>Hi all,
>
>She is quite capable of speaking for herself, and surely will, but here's
>what I thing both Anne and James are talking about.
>
    Well, I'm not sure if that is a compliment or  commentary, or perhaps
I'm becoming too predictable?

>People being what they are, markets are driven primarily by a combination of
>ignorance and passion. The buyer heard somewhere,

heard somewhere, or saw somewhere is the biggie.

 or was "taught" that a
>piano must sound "so", or must be this size, that color, or have this
>particular name on it. It must be of a certain age to be any good and they
>must be able to play their "benchmark" test piece on it with minimum psychic
>damage for it to qualify as a viable piano. If the potential customer
>doesn't have the proper level of ignorance necessary to generate passion of
>a sufficient wattage to make the decision themselves, they bring the piano
>teacher to supply both the ignorance and the passion.

who I have discovered, is much influenced by the shiny ads in American
Music Teacher and Clavier, and don't have the faintest idea of the innards.

>
>This accounts for the "sameness" in sound among brands. They must fit into
>the pre-prejudiced catagories that constitute the customers' shopping
>criteria, or they won't sell. The only reason that pianos exist in dealers'
>showrooms at all is so they can be sold for a profit. Any service to the
>loftier aspects of music and the tender sensibilities of the serious
>practitioners thereof, is strictly coincidental.

Well you can't keep lofty intentions aloft without profits.  Although have
you heard the one about the luthier who won the lottery?...


>>>Not that one should give up, but keep in mind that the general public has
>>>no idea there's anything less than wonderful about Disney's Hercules movie.
>>
>>    Ok,  this wins the "most esoteric" post of the morning,  I give up,  I am
>>lost,  I have no idea what this means............... please write the rest of
>>the post
>>thanks,
>>Ed


O.K. Ed, perhaps you are blissfully ignorant of how the General Public has
embraced with their wallets and beliefs the Disneyfication of the Hercules
myths.   Quality, accuracy,  good art,  none of these are relevant to
Disney films of the last 15 years.   They put forth as truth to the
ignorant public complete reversals of character, time, place,  activity,
and lineage, and then recast the tragic hero as a body beautiful and
slightly stupid Hollywood star.   The public,  as I said,  buys it.   The
classics professors and mythology lovers around the world (including my own
children)   are horrified.  Does that even cause a ripple?  No.

Don't even get me started about how they did the music when they had the
opportunity to do beautiful ancient Greek music.

So,  you want to sell a piano?  Putting it at Sam's Club is probably a good
idea.

Still there is always a market for the fine instrument,  for the fine
movie,  the fine literature,  and fine conversation.   Don't despair that
it will all go the way of McDonalds and Disney.

ab




Anne Beetem
Harpsichords & Historic Pianos
2070 Bingham Ct.
Reston, VA  20191
abeetem@wizard.net