Though entirely unintentional, the short list of articles found on this blog seem to feature a high incidence of “sex in classical music” entries. I have yet to create an entire entry dedicated solely to the subject, but embedded in other articles the reader will find references to the sexual appeal of such musicians as Lara St. John, a link to a humorous - if disturbing - website called Beauty in Music (which is not surprisingly lacking in said beauty), links to articles that discuss the topic of overt sexuality in the classical music industry and at least one title of an article which should have elicited chuckles from all appreciative and even slightly cynical readers.Why the preoccupation with sexuality in classical music? I’m certain that I don’t know. Hints to the cause may be found throughout the other articles, but when it comes down to it, the secret and sordid life of bohemian musicians as contrasted with the conservative stance of many of their public and the historically prim and proper marketing and image of the industry can not help but be interesting. It is a remarkably fascinating dichotomy that sheds light on several aspects of social and interpersonal psychology and plays to our inherent love of secret and sophisticated perversion. Which brings me to the topic of today�s entry: A new book by former oboist Blair Tindall entitled Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music.

I myself have not yet read the book, having only discovered it today, but it is on my “next-to-read” list. Yet with the other mentions of this very topic here on Noumenon, I couldn’t rightfully keep this book a secret. I wanted to share it with you as soon as possible. An article from the Times Online (UK) by James Bone (I’m sure that I’m not the only one to find humor in that name) briefly discusses the book and quotes such notable passages as

Instrument players had a sexual style unique to their instrument. Neurotic violinists, anonymous in their orchestra section, came fast. Trumpet players pumped away like jocks, while pianists’ sensitive fingers worked magic. French horn players, their instruments the testiest of all, could rarely get it up, but percussionists could make beautiful music out of anything.

With writing like that, this saucy little strumpet of a book is sure to go down with such other greats as Mannix’s The Hellfire Club and Partridge’s A History of Orgies. All strictly academic, of course.

tags: a history of orgies, blair tindall, classical music, drugs, hellfire club, lara st. john, mozart in the jungle, sex, oboe

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 29th, 2005 at Jun 29, 05 | 9:48 pm and is filed under Books, Featured Articles, Just Noumenon Posts, Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.