Classical Music and Television

Classical Music as Heard on Television

When we turn to television, we don’t see as many classical themes associated with various programs. Why? I don’t know, but will make a few observations. Perhaps stricter copyright laws made classical music less available/more expensive to use.  Pressure from union groups such as BMI or ASCAP may have brought programmers and producers to choose living composers’ music over (mostly dead) classical composers’ music. Perhaps union wages for groups that would be used to perform these themes became prohibitive. It is also possible that the move away from classical music toward so-called popular music lessened the demand for classical music on TV. However, these are simply conjectures, and I may be way off base. If you have accurate information, please respond; I’d be happy to be corrected.

At any rate, there were a number of television programs that did use classical music themes until the mid-60s and into the 70s. How many of these have you heard of? Better yet, how many of them do you, yourself, remember?

ABC-TV Reports                      Song Of The Blacksmith              Gustav Holst
Action in the Afternoon (WCAU-TV)   Billy the Kid                      Aaron Copland Alfred Hitchcock Hour               Funeral March of a Marionette     Charles Gounod
Alfred Hitchcock Presents           Funeral March of a Marionette     Charles Gounod
Big Story (NBC-TV)                  Ein Heldenleben                  Richard Strauss
Captain Midnight (DuMont TV)        Flying Dutchman Overture          Richard Wagner
Huntley Brinkley Report (NBC News)  Symphony # 9, 3rd Movement  Ludwig van Beethoven
Lone Ranger                         William Tell Overture         Gioacchino Rossini
Masterpiece Theater (PBS TV)        Fanfare from 'Rondeau'               Jean Mouret
Olympics  (ABC TV-NBC-TV)           Fanfare                               Leo Arnaud
                                    The Olympic Games                  John Williams
Sergeant Preston of the Yukon       Donna Diana Overture           Emil von Reznicek
Victory at Sea (NBC-TV)             Orig. music: Richard Rodgers  arr: R. R. Bennett
What in the World? (WCAU-TV)        Fountains Of Rome              Ottorino Respighi
                                Music for Strings, Percussion & Celeste  Bela Bartok

There were other ways in which classical music was heard on television, and some of these continue even today.

For example, there were a number of music-oriented programs that primarily offered classical music, such as Bell Telephone Hour. There were variety programs that, although airing mostly popular music, included classical music, too. Some of these were Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour and the Ed Sullivan Show, where you might hear a classical vocalist, violinist, or pianist perform amid popular music. Today, you occasionally hear classical music on the “talent” shows, as was the case on BBC with Paul Potts and Susan Boyle.

I recall (from the early 60s) that Leonard Bernstein conducted several Young People’s Concerts that aired on Sunday afternoons. During these concerts Bernstein introduced various topics related to and aspects of classical music. He covered a wide range of classical styles, and introduced young soloists who continued in the classical music world as “rock stars.”
By the way, the NY Philharmonic’s Young People’s Concerts began many years before Bernstein, and have continued since then on a regular schedule each season. Many other symphonies and classical music groups also offer children’s concerts and family concerts as a way to introduce young people (especially) and their families to the wonders of classical music.

I also remember that for quite a few Christmases NBC offered an annual presentation of a Christmas opera that had been commissioned from Gian Carlo Menotti. It was called “Amahl and the Night Visitors.” I was greatly disappointed when NBC’s rights to this expired, and they didn’t renew to continue it each Christmas. (Apparently, this was due to a rift between the network and the composer.)

While we are on the topic of seasonal music, I think it is not too uncommon for networks to program some classical music related to the season. Perhaps the best known examples might be Handel’s Messiah, which can be programmed for both Christmas and Easter. At Christmas, too, it is not unusual to see some production of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet on TV.

Finally, Public Television is a contemporary mainstay for classical music. On PBS stations you can hear (and watch) broadcasts of major symphonies, e.g., NY Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic. There are  broadcasts of operas from the Metropolitan Opera, as well as Chicago’s Lyric Opera and the San Francisco Opera. (I have no intention of slighting other companies, but they don’t come to mind at this time. I am sure there are others.)

We can safely conclude that we have heard classical music themes on classic TV shows, and we still have the opportunity to hear, see and learn about classical music on TV today. Let’s take advantage of it whenever we can.