Piano stores closing across US as fewer children taking up instrument, some deterred by cost

[Manifestor_of_Light]

145. Authoritarian regimes want "political" art that supports their values.

They don't want creativity which is a threat.
They want a particular kind of art or music which supports their politics.

Poor Dmitri Shostakovich, one of the greatest 20th century Russian composers, had seen friends disappear to work camps under Stalin, never to be seen again. So they didn't like his Fourth Symphony, so his Fifth Symphony, which is still very popular, had to conform to "communist ideals". He was even forced to denounce Igor Stravinsky in public, although he was not comfortable with that.

The idea of politicians dictating to artists how to paint and write music is ridiculous, since music is so abstract.

And the Nazis put up an exhibit of what they called "Degenerate Art" which was mostly Jewish artists.

Conservatives don't understand humor and irony, and they are not creative. They are not funny nor do they make good music.


We need the arts to keep us human. Listening to music and playing music to express ourselves are fundamental to some peoples' sanity.