<p>I think Brobert’s experiment is exactly what I mean - as is Drosselmeier’s comment about Daffy Duck. We need to relate a performance to something we already understand. Otherwise, there is no connection. Those kids could relate to one better than the other - it is a separate thing from the talent, I believe.</p>
<p>On the final Paul Potts link, you can see the other competitors. I would be curious as to the reaction of Brobert’s 6 and 7 year olds - do they like Paul Potts better than the 6 year old singer?</p>
<p>I also wonder how much is crowd psychology? Did the other version of Nessun Dorma have wild applause and cheering? What would we have thought of Paul Potts if the audience reaction was not shown or heard?</p>
<p>The little I’ve seen of American Idol (2 or 3 shows), I’ve wondered the same thing. The producers get to control what reactions the TV audience sees. If we see the judges loving or hating, does it influence our reaction? If we see the audience going nuts, are we still objective?</p>
<p>Does someone have a link to Daffy Duck singing Nessum Dorma? I can try the experiment with my eight-year old.</p>
<p>Marite mentioned Nana Mouskouri. I absolutely love her - although I haven’t heard her sing in a long time (time to bring out her tapes from storage). I have gone to only one live concert - nonclassical, that is - it was Mouskouri’s.</p>
<p>Another Nana lover here. My mother introduced me to her years ago by giving me some tapes that she’d ordered from a late-night TV ad. After that, my husband would pick up her tapes and CDs in Europe, as they weren’t available here. I took my mother to see her in concert over 10 years ago now.</p>
<p>I think we’ve always had a group of music lovers who only know music from excerpts. 150 years ago they would have heard famous pieces at summer band concerts in the park. Nowadays in most cities classical music can be heard nonstop on at least one radio station, so in the course of the day you’re bound to hear something you already know and like, as well as something you may learn to like. There’s so much wall-to-wall music we probably take it for granted…that’s why concert attendance is down.</p>
<p>There’s more music, but also less music, in the form of rap. Ugh.</p>
<p>I have never been to Italy but have heard it said that even the average cab driver in Italy appreciates opera.</p>