Who’s Mozart? Umm... I’ll get Bach to you
THREE-quarters of young people in Britain have never heard of Mozart, a survey reveals.
One in five think composer Johann Bach – who died in 1750 – is still alive, fewer than one in five had heard of violin star Nicola Benedetti and only a third knew that Sir Simon Rattle, who performed at the 2012 London Olympics, is a conductor. By contrast, 94 per cent knew Adele was a singer.
Leading composer Debbie Wiseman said she was alarmed by the findings, which revealed a widespread ignorance of classical music.
She urged schools to do more to prevent great musical works being lost to future generations, adding: ‘I’m not at all surprised by this survey, but I am really saddened by it.’
Experts said the public’s ignorance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a prolific composer of symphonies and operas including The Marriage Of Figaro, was shocking.
Seventy per cent of 18 to 34-yearolds questioned said they had never heard of the 18th Century Austrianborn composer, widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest musicians.
The 2,000 respondents in the survey, for the classical music streaming service Primephonic, were also in the dark over one of the nation’s best loved and most patriotic songs. Only 14 per cent of 20 to 34-year-olds knew that Edward Elgar composed Land Of Hope And Glory.
Professor Wiseman called for more classical music training in schools.
She added: ‘Unfortunately, enthusiastic music-making in schools, where pupils are encouraged to participate in orchestras and choirs, is in a minority.’