Dear Editor,
Who is going to judge your “class?” Certainly not me and no one else I know.
I do know people who will say “he’s got no class” or make a snarky remark about “that’s classless” – but they really don't know how to judge the quality of class. I know I can’t.
I was born in Western Kentucky and spent a great deal of my life there. I grew up with the “Grand Ole Opry” and could sing along with all the country songs on the radio. I loved them all and knew the artists and their other “hits.” I also grew up listening to classical composers and grew to love Mozart above all others. Tchaikovsky surely comes in close to Mozart. I enjoy listening to classical music but can safely say that Baroque and Bach takes a backseat to all others.
I’m not a big fan of jazz, even though I consider Porgy and Bess to be a jazz opera and I love Rhapsody in Blue among others of that ilk.
Who wasn’t a disco fan? What about Elvis, the Beetles, the Rolling Stones, Mary Wells, Supremes, Pink Floyd and the zillion other “pop” stars out there who made such an impact on our lives?
Yep, I am a big opera supporter too – there is something magical about such opus and a voice stretching to show the wonder of the gifts God has given us. I do not really have a favorite these days, but Aida was the impetus that created a love of the human voice. I have moved on to love most other opera classics. Opera tells a simple story about simple people who lead simple lives, but the fact the drama of our daily lives can be expressed with beautiful voices should let us know that even the most mundane happenings in whatever we do should be a cause for celebration.
You guessed it – I absolutely love theatre. I am amazed that a person can completely represent another personality and do it with grace, ease and talent that I cannot fathom. I do not have a favorite play – except to say that the one I’m watching is the best one. I have enjoyed theatre on Broadway and have been involved in classic plays produced in old barns. The segue to movies wasn’t hard but I’m not a real big movie fan. A movie often takes several “takes” to get a scene while on stage if you flub, it’s there for all to see. I do have a few favorite movies and not all of them are musicals but Westside Story comes to immediately to my mind and I could watch Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf and The Lion in Winter over and over.
Where did all this come from? Certainly my parents were instrumental in shaping and forming what can be described as “my” class and we all have our own class. Probably the same place where you were exposed to culture and in such a subliminal sort of way. We were totally exposed and loved the arts.
Remember cartoons?
Those of us who watched Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Tom and Jerry, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and my hero – Bugs Bunny– beautifully done cartoons, often in black and white were composed to classical music.
They were crammed with beautiful music by all the composers who withstood the tests of time and changing mores of a dynamic society. How many of you have seen “Fantasia” by Disney? Most, and if you haven’t you must. Get it and watch this fantastic animated movie. Musical scores conducted by Leopold Stokowski and performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra.. Kids from my generation loved Western movies too – we did not know that the exciting music for every posse chase was a wonderful rendition of “The William Tell Overture” – heck, we loved it so much that when we played “cowboys” and rode our stick horses (later in the day became fishing poles) we did our own version of The William Tell Overture – made the chase that much more exciting.
We did get to see “real art” and had some great prints in our home – it was a source of fascination for me. I was something of a solitude child, not because I was a loner, but because I liked to reflect on life and stuff and there was an unexplained loneliness in my young life. An old uncle told me the reason I felt that loneliness was because there was a talent that needed to be developed and nurtured, it needed realization. A small boy who was unknowingly exposed to so much “class” had a longing and deep desire to create, I found that I had a natural talent for art and love it so much that I decided to major in fine art in college. Well, that didn't happen – parents have a huge influence on a college student and they decided that I should think seriously about commercial art and I did. I've never lost my love of art in all its facets – I see art in almost everything I come across – there is beauty in everything. There is a great deal of satisfaction in recognizing talent and promoting and supporting it.
Here in Milton, we have the Santa Rosa Arts and Culture Foundation and it is dedicated to evoking and recognizing all phases of art and culture – they actually promote and support that concept and do it myriad ways. Their Dragonfly Gallery is a haven for local artists to display and sell their work – Santa Rosa County has so much talent here that it needs a place for it to manifest itself. They have committees devoted to most art and culture avenues that expose and introduce our area to the wealth of talent that lies within our county – you are probably among those people who have a talent that needs developed and polished – for your own satisfaction. Do you paint, draw, play a musical instrument or have an urge to dance? I implore you to start right now to show your innate “class” and while we take a great deal of pride in being a Southerner, we also have a history that pushes us to the top – to nourish that beauty that is within you – I know you, and I know that you do have a talent and even if you don't call it art or culture – I do, because like me, you have a background for it – even if you don't know it.
Jerry C. Cummings
Milton
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: The definition of class