Music Lovers, Patrons, and the ‘Sacralization’ of Culture in America, Article Review Example

In the essay “Music Lovers, Patrons, and the ‘Sacralization’ of Culture in America,” author Ralph Locke examines the way music (specifically classical music, opera, and other orchestral music) is viewed in the context of American culture. Locke focuses primarily on discussing the arguments made by Lawrence Levine, who wrote about how music (and other aspects of culture) became separated into “highbrow” and “lowbrow” segments, and how the rituals and attitudes about classical music underwent a process of “sacralization.” By this, Levine means that the music of orchestras and opera houses came to be viewed as “sacred,” and that this “highbrow” culture has come to be designed to keep the lower classes out, or to at least limit their access to it. Locke also makes note of the stereotypes of the typical p[atron of the arts, and while he acknowledges the truth in some of these stereotypes, he also argues that they do not tell the whole story.

Locke is critical of some of the examples Levine uses to support his argument, and points out that while some of these examples may make it appear that Locke’s position is strong, they also ignore the fact that many opera houses, theaters, and other venues have made significant efforts to ensure that all members of the community or surrounding society have access to musical performances. Locke examines the ways that Levine and other writers have framed music in terms of class stratification, but disagrees that they are the “sole way” of theorizing about the “high arts.” Locke does agree that something vital “was lost when the works of classical canon became enshrined as objects of veneration,” but he argues against the idea that this veneration has entirely shut out access to most people, or that classical music is something that can only be appreciated or enjoyed by the members of the upper class.