Pop on WEAN played Leonard Bernstein's " West Side Story " frequently

Discussion on World Socialist Web Site   

The centenary of Leonard Bernstein—Part 2

 

I have been following the celebration of the Leonard Bernstein Centenary on Classical Radio Boston 99.5 WCRB. I greatly appreciate this radio station . Classic music is wrongly connected to class snobbery . Great music like great art and literature belongs to ALL humanity.

    My warm memory of Leonard Bernstein goes back circa 1960 when I watched " West Side Story " at the local Palace Theater in Washington Park, Providence. How romantic the " Tonight " song.
I found the sociology of " America " quite instructive . Even " juvenile delinquency " was explained as " a social disease ".

 My father, a local radio announcer ( WEAN, radio name DON ROGERS  ) for 30 years, played the music of " West Side Story " frequently . He also played much Italian opera. To be sure, Pizza & Puccini was nothing to rebel against.

                   I still wonder when for me " the music died " . There has to be a connection between rotten , heartless, joyless music and social decay. Can any artist rise above his times ?

So " juvenile delinquency "  IS a social disease !