What? (quack!) Me? (quack!) Ducking the question? (quack!) Who? (quack!) Me?

Okay, here it is:   If I thought it was a "REALLY COOL" piece of music, yes, I would still be able to enjoy, play, and share it. But not necessarily without hesitation. IF my audiences found it offensive, then I would probably back off. Since, in my capacity as a performer, I am supposed to be entertaining my audiences, if they took offense at the piece, then I would be 1) failing to entertain them, and 2) shooting myself in the foot by continuing to perform it because I may loose those audiences. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't enjoy it myself.

I would have to treat it like other songs that I know some people find offensive. I wouldn't sing raunchy songs at a church social or drinking songs at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

Okay, now how does that square with my considering the man who called the radio station (objecting to the Beethoven piano concerto as "Nazi music" because he had heard that it was one of Hitler's favorite pieces of music) a brainless, hypersensitive twit?

Beethoven was often surly and rude, he was frequently behind in his rent, and sometimes he didn't bathe that often. But he was dead before Hitler was born. Save for the fact that he was a musical genius, he hardly to blame for the actions and attitudes of those in the distant future who liked his music. If Hitler liked the music of Beethoven, Wagner, and Strauss, well, bully for Hitler! It shows, at least, that he had a touch of musical taste (unless he liked them, not for their music, but merely because they were German). But to blame those composers for what Hitler did is just plain stupid! And wanting to deprive other listeners of enjoying Beethoven's music just because he had issues with it is just a little fascistic in and of itself!

Okay?

Don Firth