You know, Virginia Tam, it goes even further than that.

During the 1970s, I worked as an announcer at a classical music radio station in Seattle. One afternoon, as I was sitting with my feet propped up, with a cup of coffee in my hand, listening to a Beethoven symphony (and getting paid handsomely; I loved that job!), the telephone rang.

It was an irate caller. In fact he was furious! He had a fairly think German accent, and in conversation with him (mainly his shouting at me!), I learned that he was a German Jew and had managed to escape from Germany about two steps before the storm troopers came and rounded up his family to take them to the death camps.

He was furious because I was playing "Nazi music!!"

"Nazi music!??" I said, incredulously. "But that's Beethoven!"

Beethoven, the caller informed me, was one of Hitler's favorite composers!!

It took some time to calm him down. I informed him that Beethoven had died in 1827, sixty-two years before Hitler was born (1889). Beethoven is one of the world's foremost composers, and millions and millions of people enjoy his music. If Hitler happened to be one of them, that was hardly Beethoven's fault. Or the fault of his music.

He wouldn't be mollified. He shouted that he would no longer be listening to that station.

Later in the day, I mentioned this to the program director. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "He was on the phone a couple of days ago because I played an overture from one of Wagner's operas. Hitler absolutely loved Wagner's music. He demanded that we not play Wagner anymore! If he does listen, he's going to be pretty upset, because this Saturday's Metropolitan Opera Broadcast is Wagner's Die Meistersinger!"

Sorry if this music triggered unpleasant memories for the caller. But—

Should it be banned because some homicidal maniac liked it? This fellow thought it should.

Don Firth