It is good to see the Guardian praise the Proms, and especially British orchestras (Editorial, 26 August). If only it gave such recognition to real music for the rest of the year. For so many newspapers, the word “music” has become synonymous with pop, while the real thing has been tucked away under the heading “classical”, as if all those great works of art, from Monteverdi to Schoenberg, were the pastime of a minority cult. Is it too much to ask that real music once again take its place alongside art, literature and drama in the Guardian’s pages?
Colin Bradbury
Ealing, London
• The “long shadow, a kind of stain” your editorial refers to goes deeper than the culture war. The tokenism written into the Proms programmes of the last half century, where jazz has had but the merest presence, betrays the music mafia’s snobbery. Where are the composers and players who have made the past 50 years sing with vibrant compositions and world-class ensembles?
Richard Lee
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
• Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
