ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the symphony concert as a phenomenon within the society. It shows that a symphony concert partakes of the nature of a ritual, a celebration, undertaken not fully awares, of the shared mythology and values of a certain group within thrite deeply fragmented society. A symphony concert, as an important ritual of the power-holding class in our society, shows the modern westerner to be as much dependent on, and, to the extent that he suppresses any awareness of them, bound by his mythologies as any member of a 'traditional' society. The orchestral musician, it seems, becomes inured to the experience of playing this small repertory of works over and over again, although the American critic Henry Pleasants believes that he will be, or become, 'emotionally and imaginatively stunted'. The chapter discusses some of the technical features of symphonic music, and the familiar world of 'The Great Classics'.
