Saying they like classical music

November 24th, 2009 by Olivier Magny

Though to most Parisians “Quatre Saisons” rings a pizza bell, “Rameau” has to do with church and ”Rossini” is a way to prepare meat, Parisians are all big time into classical music. Classical music is one of these things Parisians are unable not to claim they like. To the “T’écoutes quoi comme musique?” question, most Parisians will respond saying: “Oh, un peu de tout, des conneries à la radio, un peu de chanson française, Brel, Brassens et puis un peu de classique“.

The Parisian at this point never gets more specific. He never shares his love for Bach or Liszt. He never mentions a symphony he never gets tired of. His public effusions for classical music - when elaborated
upon - are always justified by deep sentences like “ça me détend” or “ça me fait du bien“. Parisians never run short of grandiose hommages.

Parisians will never challenge each other when it comes to classical music for they all share the same exact policy about it. This absence of escalation is rather unparisian and truly unconscious. Parisians’ appreciation of classical music has been declared and repeated so many times that each Parisian ends up convincing himself that he does indeed like classical music. The fact that he never actually listens to classical music is no reasonable objection to this conviction.

Each Parisian vividly recalls these 3 minutes last year on a drive to somewhere when he flipped through radio channels and stopped on classical music. After 3 minutes, he got bored and moved on. But these three minutes were times of vast satisfaction (to come).

The more educated the Parisian, the more his cultural references are unconsciously inflated. Saying he likes classical music is just one of the elements of the discretely shiny cultural outfit the Parisian likes to wear socially: along the same lines, educated Parisians will enjoin their friends and acquaintances to “relire” such or such author, they will claim to love such or such writer while most likely only read one of his book, or they will pretend to have a deep knowledge of the Jewish culture for they had a Jewish friend in high school. All very much in good faith. Culture is vastly a masquerade in Paris.

Always a nonchalant one: when he runs across some classical music, it is impossible for the Parisian man not to whistle along.

In Paris more than anywhere else, silence can really be golden.

Useful tip: Beautiful classical concerts held inside the splendid Sainte-Chapelle. Look them up!
Sound like a Parisian: “Ouais, mais en même temps, tu vois, Hitler il adorait Wagner”

Tags: classical music · Culture · entertainment · music · Paris · Parisian21 Comments

21 responses so far ↓

1 Jerome Nov 24, 2009 at 6:43 pm

Moins on en a, plus on l’étale
Terrible ton article, ton Bach tu l’aimes comment ?
2 Amanda Nov 25, 2009 at 2:27 am

Vivaldi… for more than three minutes.
3 Karen Nov 25, 2009 at 2:51 am

LOL! “Ça me détend!” As a professional classical musician myself, nothing annoys me so much as a) pretension and b) people who say classical music relaxes them! Really, all classical music? Le Sacre du Printemps, for example? That was the piece that apparently started a riot in a Parisian theater in 1913!

Love your posts, Olivier!
4 Ivy Nov 25, 2009 at 5:53 am

Tiens, ça me rappelle une conversation à table chez des copains parisiens. On avait quoi, 20-22 ans max. La discussion portait sur le personnage le plus intéressant dans La flûte enchantée et tous d’affirmer avec conviction: Papageno! Alors là la Québécoise de service (moi), devant le surréalisme de la conversation (puh-lease), ne put s’empêcher de rétorquer que c’était probablement le seul dont on se rappelait le nom… Silence crispé autour de la table… J’en ris encore !
Ceci dit, parlant de Rossini, j’aime aussi la “tornade” Rossini américaine!
5 Ruth Yunker Nov 25, 2009 at 7:52 am

I had no idea! Parisians seem made for classical music snobbism, the kind that really runs deep. I went to Eglise Saint-Julian-le-Pauvre a lot last year for small concerts. The audience seemed quite enthusiastic…but perhaps Julian-de-Pauvre is lite classical? I adore lite classical, actually. So easy, so familiar, so comfortable–
6 Russian Liz Nov 25, 2009 at 11:58 am

Oh, I can definitely say the same thing about “loving-the-museums” (the classic art, I mean)! Every bobo loves them in Paris if you ask them what do they like to do on the week-end, but if you go to Louvre, Cluny , etc. you will see there some Art school students, tourists and many white hair Parisian ladies with grandchildren. )))
7 Olivier Magny Nov 25, 2009 at 12:22 pm

Jerome… Merci. Pour répondre a ta question, j’aime mon Bach… ordéon, sessoire, stabber, sessible… Je suis ouvert d’esprit!
Amanda… Is that an Italian restaurant?
Karen… Merci beaucoup. Starting a riot after listening to Le Sacre du Printemps… that is glorious French history. Good Lord have times changed!!
Ivy… So I had to google “Tornado Rossini”. And I ran across a “Tournedos Rossini” recipe. If this what you referred to… it really is priceless! Thanks for a good laugh!
Ruth… “Parisians seem made for classical music snobbism”: either you’re made for classical music or for snobbism. Not sure both are compatible! One had to do with real love - the other with a fake version of it. Can’t be real and fake at the same time!
Russian Liz… Very true. Bobos are a bad species. How to annoy a bobo? Tell him American tourists are more into culture and art than they are. Ultimate humiliation. (he won’t believe you though).
8 Stéphan Nov 25, 2009 at 3:06 pm

Mmmmm Olivier, really excellent, but I fell Parisiians also pretend they love Jazz…

I have a funny story about music and parisians:

I indluged myself in buying a very sofisticated all tube hi fi system about a year and a half ago. The seller is an amazing guy who spends hours with his clients trying to find their exact needs. We actually spent time testing 70s noisy rock and roll music more than classic, and finally found our perfect choice.
I convinced some friends also…
This seller told us he had quite a few times some bobos coming to his shop interested in buying this kind of exclusive material… and after a while told them to go to the FNAC and buy a good B&O or even cheaper rather than pretending to be music lovers…

All I love about Paris !

Stephan
9 Rosabell Nov 25, 2009 at 7:43 pm

ouf…. everything you say here about parisian culture and music, literature, re-reading a certain author etc goes for me ,my family and my friends too, and I am not even 1 % parisian… ( but I am a solid quarter french - I think THE solid quarter). Anyway, some people do listen to classical music and do re-read certain authors they liked. Some of us have been educated like this and even if we like to show off about it at times, is this a masquarade ?! I don’t think so… I love opera music and especially Bizet … And Max Bruch, and Mendelsohn… I especially love , adore Mendelhson and his piano concertos :))) Theyre so sublime….
10 Ingo Nov 25, 2009 at 7:55 pm

I’m guessing this phenomenon pertains to the younger Parisians? As most older people everywhere love classical and opera, no? (all of the older people where I am listen to it and love it, but it’s not considered particularly sophisticated nor naive here to like it, haha. just another musical option.) Fun post!
11 Ruth Yunker Nov 27, 2009 at 6:28 am

Oh there is definitely a classical music snobbism. I come from a family of them, lovely though my family may be. This kind of snobbism means someone who feels no other music matters. No other music is any good. No other music is beautiful or makes sense, and so on.
But, like I said, they can be wonderful people in every other way!
12 Foodie Froggy Nov 27, 2009 at 7:32 pm

je suis toujours bluffée par ton anglais et par la subtilité de ton écriture. Un vrai don ou une intelligence démoniaque (ou les deux, mon capitaine) ? Non, ne rougis pas, voyons…
Anne
13 Olivier Magny Nov 28, 2009 at 3:38 pm

Stephan… True: could have replaced “classical music” with “jazz” and it would have worked just as well!
Rosabell… It certainly is not a masquerade for some people. For most though… Good news is: you’re special!
Ingo… Thank you. For sure, most younger Parisians don’t listen to classical music. But I’m not sure most older people do at all.
Ruth… Maybe we’re related cause my dad’s exactly like this!
Anne… Si - je rougis! Merci beaucoup - ca me touche énormément. J’essaierai d’être à la hauteur de ces compliments.
14 N.C Nov 29, 2009 at 3:31 pm

SO True ! “Non, mais surtout le romantisme indien du 24ième siècle… tu vois, CES tonalités.” Come On !
15 Erol Senel Dec 4, 2009 at 2:31 pm

This is terrific. It makes me think of the blog “Stuff White People Like” here in the states. I think this quote can transition to what you are saying (it is a little wordy):

“There are a number of industries that survive solely upon white guilt: Penguin Classics, the SPCA, free range chicken farms, and the entire rubber bracelet market. Yet all of these pale in comparison to classical music, which has used white guilt to exist for over a century beyond its relevance.

Though white people do not actually listen to classical music, they like to believe that they are the type of people who would enjoy it. You can witness this first hand by going to any classical performance at your local symphony where you will see literally dozens of white couples who have paid upwards of $80 for the right to dress up and sit in a chair for hours reading every word in the program.

After leaving the concert hall, white people will immediately begin telling everyone they know about how much they loved the performance and how they plan to “go more often.” This is because white people see little to no value enjoying classical music without recognition from other white people. This can be seen first hand by looking at the plaques and bricks around all opera houses: they are covered in white person names.”

Great stuff. Funny thing is, I actually DO enjoy classical music.

I hope you are well Olivier!
16 Peter Newman-Legros Dec 4, 2009 at 4:21 pm

I can only concur with Anne.
17 Olivier Magny Dec 4, 2009 at 5:46 pm

NC… Merci
Erol… Funny, I haven’t read Stuff White People like in quite a while - didnt even know he had a post on classical music. I guess this one works for both communities! Doing well Erol - Thanks! Hope your wine venture is expanding.
Peter… Good news is, it’s so cold in Paris these days that blushing goes unnoticed. Merci beaucoup Peter.
18 Thomas Dec 21, 2009 at 3:47 am

Reminds me of traveling to Boston MA in the early 1990s. I wondered why classical music was played in every establishment in the downtown area. I assumed that the citizens of this city must be extremely cultured … then I actually talked to one.
19 Steven Burns Jan 1, 2010 at 1:57 am

Man, you have a gift.
They way you write, you are awesome.
You paint with words the troubles of the soul in such a way that’s absolutely impossible not to laugh and smile.
20 Accidental Parisian Jan 5, 2010 at 2:34 pm

BWAHAHAAH! Hilarious.
21 Olivier Magny Jan 10, 2010 at 2:29 pm

Thomas… Ouch. keep hearing Boston is fun though!
Steven… Thank you for such a nice compliment. It is a bit excessive I reckon but thank you so very much. Your comment came up on my phone while I was out and a tad drunk for New Years. No doubt you sure helped me transition into the New Year!
Accidental Parisian… Merci!

Paris Blog - Stuff Parisians like by Olivier Magny - O Chateau