My musical education is

sadly lacking I fear.

The Senior Cat wanted to know "who is this Meatloaf person and why doesn't he have a proper name?" It was a reasonable thing to want to know I suppose and at least it means the Senior Cat is still taking an interest in such things. 

But all I could tell him was that the man had been "some sort of popular singer from a while back". The Senior Cat was satisfied with the answer - but not impressed.

When I returned home from visiting him I did a little more research - simply because this man's death also made the news service. I had, vaguely, heard of him - and that was it. My research left me only a little better informed - perhaps  because I did not want to prowl into a web of modern music sites.

I don't know whether I am simply "not musical" or whether there is something else seriously wrong with me. What I do know is that I don't understand enough about it to actually like the sort of music which the likes of Meatloaf produced and some still produce. I looked at some videos to which I was directed by someone I know. They did nothing for me. I find them "messy". They lack clarity. There is too much going on in the background. There is more to it than that - but it's a start.

I grew up in a household where the radio was turned on for the news service and then, apart from "the Argnonauts" (the Children's Hour) - which was largely an educational program, we did not listen to the radio at all. If there was music in the house it was records - Mozart to Mahler with some Gilbert and Sullivan sort of music thrown in. Mum was considered to be the musical member of the family until we finally bought a piano and my siblings had piano lessons. I was allowed to learn a little musical theory. It taught me to read music - something that has been useful from time to time - and Sister S... at the convent also expanded my knowledge of church music. It was not something my parents particularly cared for. Mum always said Handel's Messiah had "a lot of dead wood" in it. I learned to keep my mouth shut about that.

At school I had three years of class music taught by a man who went on to work at one of the best known choir schools in England. J.... understood my frustration at not being able to play an instrument I think. He quietly gave me things to read and think about but it was not modern popular music. It was mostly songs, some of them serious and others fun or he would get me to listen to a piece of Bach or Vivaldi and tell me things like, "Listen to the way he builds it up and then...." I listened. 

I found out more about folk music at university. This was not just what is sometimes called "folk music" but also something about the many varieties of traditional music from around the world. I like some of it but not all of it - and that is as it should be. 

Music can transport me to strange places. The memories are not always comfortable. Perhaps if I had grown up with more music in the background I would feel differently. I might actually like all this popular music. As it is, if I have to like "popular" music, I prefer O'Carolan to Meatloaf... but they are centuries apart.