Musical Post-Codes
- Regional Sounds
For some years now,
in most civilised countries of the world
there has come into use a rational method
of identifying a location by a specific
numerical code. In the USA it is the
zip-code and in Britain it is known
as the post-code. Many other countries
have devised similar standard methods
of identifying a town, a smaller locality
or even a street by either a number
or a combination of numbers and figures.
Although at first this was faintly resented
as yet another official regimentation
of private lives; and the way in which
we described where we live or work it
has now been accepted as a useful means
of the unmistakable identification of
premises where we can be found. There
has, however, crept in a more insidious
implication behind all this well-meaning
official bureaucracy: Some financial
institutions are said to base their
assessment of applicants for such things
as mortgages or other pleas for the
loan of cash, on the post-code of the
applicant. The notion being that a "good"
post-code stands you in a good light,
whereas a "bad" one suggests
you might not be a good, sound financial
proposition. Insurance companies are
also acutely aware of a desirable address
compared with one that is less so, and
thus it is now largely a matter of what
post-code area you live in. More recently
the precise post-code you have would
appear to influence how the National
Health Service regards you: whether
you should be accorded hospital or drug
treatment or other service. All this
is a matter for others to discuss. However,
it has been put to me recently that
it might be worth considering whether
some post-codes suggest the kind of
music going on within its perimeter.
This, of course, is hardly meant in
the very narrowest sense of the difference
between one street and its back-to-back
neighbour (although many years ago one
shrewd and resourceful investigator
- or researcher, as we should call him
or her these days, if I remember rightly
it was in connection with "My Fair
Lady" - suggested that the intonation
of the spoken word could pin-point with
almost un-erring precision the original
birthplace of the speaker, even down
to the street they were born in).
As for some kind of
musical post-code this could be of interest
in the sense that we might be able to
discern a pattern of musical interests
and pursuits according to where one
lives; not in the narrow sense of which
street or avenue maybe, but certainly
in which county or part of the country
at large. There could be any number
of opinions about this: local pride
will boast a tradition for this or that
kind of music-making from any part of
the country that might be mentioned.
In the wider sense countries could undoubtedly
lay claim to one kind of music or another:
The guitar in Spain; Welsh male-voice
choirs;
Jazz in New Orleans;
Piano music in Poland; Yodelling in
the Swiss Alps; Opera in Italy; The
classical symphony in Vienna; Brass
bands in the north of England;
Narrowing the whole
thing down to Britain, what might be
found in the way of contrasting the
richness of a musical tradition or on-going
lively interest in one region of Britain
with another part of the country? Suggesting
that one place is ‘better’ than another
could cause offence, but, without suggesting
particular areas of Britain as a whole
it might be worth considering what happened
about forty years ago, when, in the
field of musical education some local
authorities were quick off the mark
to institute instrumental teaching in
schools, whereas other local authorities
showed little or no interest at all,
so that a child living in "X-shire"
would have every (free) facility to
learn the bassoon, viola, timpani or
horn; whereas his cousin living in far-way
"Y-shire" would find no provision
under his local education authority
for the peripatetic teaching of sophisticated
orchestral instruments. Some authorities
very soon promoted efficient youth orchestras,
while another authority would offer
little or nothing along these lines.
Times have changed and probably are
now quite different. However, the state
of educational music, however it might
at the present time be regarded provides
nevertheless some clue as to the overall
"musicality" of a region.
This could be most hotly disputed of
course, since, as has already been suggested,
local pride will assert that it has
some kind of musical tradition even
if outsiders do not think so.
Without making in-depth
comparisons with other countries - the
long tradition of symphonic music in
Germany, or opera in Italy, for example
- it can be revealing to contemplate
various parts of Britain itself. Every
musically interested person will have
preferences and general notions as to
how or why this shows itself in a particular
way or in a particular location. Could
it be - and this is hardly more than
a rhetorical question - that the more
rural parts of the land, being more
sparsely populated, and therefore less
likely to attract larger and regular
groups of enthusiasts to make music
together, the less is the likelihood
that music flourishes in a big way?
(an obvious reason, surely) coupled
with the fact that rural folk are perhaps
more likely to be interested in rural
and outdoor pursuits than an essentially
indoor recreational interest such as
a choir, band or orchestra.
Even such ‘folk’ music
as the brass band, which has always
had an outdoor purpose as much as -
or even more than - a formal indoor
concert function seems to have functioned
throughout its 160-or-so year history
more in densely populated industrial
regions than in smaller country communities.
The reasons for this must again seem
obvious enough, but perhaps more social
history could be unearthed were we to
probe even deeper. What about vocal
music and in particular choirs? It is
natural to sing, and William Byrd one
of England’s great composer from earlier
times said: "Singing is a great
thyng, I wishe that all Menn would learn
to sing". There does not appear
to be any kind of occupational barrier
that might promote or discourage singing.
Certainly solo singing still flourishes
in the ubiquitous world of pop music.
Putting aside for a moment the obvious
demographic reasons for the flourishing
or languishing of music - of all kinds
- in one region compared with another;
could there be other, so far unsuspected
reasons for one part of the land to
be considered "very" musical,
perhaps on account of its flourishing
musical organisations of every kind,
and yet another region of roughly comparable
population and industrial, commercial
or cultural make-up to be looked upon
as something of a musical desert? No
suggestions are made here, this is something
for interested parties to assess for
themselves. Suffice to say that, sophisticated
and world centre for music that London
has ever been, the essential place,
a "must" for every seriously
ambitious musician to live in order
to make his or her mark. I have always
been a northerner in every sense, musical
and otherwise, and have never regretted
it, despite blandishments to "come
and live in London". Some will
say that I would have had a far greater
overall success as a musician had I
toed-the-line and joined the jet-set
down south. This I do not accept - here
in the north we have the most flourishing
of musical traditions which still go
on with incredible vitality and excellence.
Arthur Butterworth
November 2006
